It’s very common to hear people ask questions regarding the differences between a health coach and a therapist/counselor. This is well worth a deeper discussion and providing all the answers to the common questions heard regarding how these two services compare.
The job of a coach is to support a client to see clearly for themselves the right action to take. Fundamentally, a coach is dedicated to the principle that the client has their own answers. The coach recognizes that a client is not ‘broken’, they are whole and complete and nothing needs to be ‘fixed’ to engage an individual’s passions and dreams.
Clinical answers and diagnoses are not the domain of the health coach. The domains of the health coach are self-discovery, mental and physical, empowerment of the spirit to achieve their goals, and helping their clients set goals, and motivating them to achieve a better tomorrow.
Reading that last paragraph, you would be right in thinking that these things don’t have much to do with being a clinical psychologist at all. A psychologist is trained in diagnosis, counseling people at an expert level, and telling the people what they need to hear. This is where the differences between counseling and coaching come in.
The psychologist mainly helps people deal with the problems that people have in their past, healing their pain. A health coach on the other hand is worried about what you do today to make tomorrow a better place to be.
Both health coaches and therapists are trained listeners. They have developed a communication skill set that provides a space for clients to express themselves – albeit on different topics. A coach and a therapist will frequently meet in a similar setting – usually in an office for a scheduled time frame and they will meet on a regular basis as agreed upon. Health coaches will often offer phone meetings for clients as well which is something less often seen in a therapist setting.
Both a therapist and a health coach will communicate with you on a very personal and deep level. As such, both professions act under professional guidelines for confidentiality. Sometimes with these clients the topics shared in coaching may be similar to those shared in counseling. The difference is the focus of the conversation.
Health coaching is a pretty new concept, so psychological therapy is far more popular as of this writing. Health coaching is starting to gain ground very quickly, however, as its rise in popularity to the public eye in only twenty years. The question you have to ask yourself is whether or not you trust a newer system over one that has a long list of scientific documentation.
Taheerah Barney is a holistic health & wellness counselor and has worked with hundreds of clients to improve their health & eating habits, combat disease and help them lose weight. To learn more about the benefits of hiring a Hoboken health coach please visit 360nourishment.com