Therapy and coaching have a lot of common ground, a fact that partially accounts for why many therapists are looking to expand or refocus their careers with coaching. With a host of transferrable skills—including high standards of accountability, honed listening abilities, and focusing on clients’ strengths—experienced therapists are in a good position to make the shift from clinical work to coaching.
However, the therapist-turned-coach must also learn new ways of communicating with clients that move beyond the usual expert stance of therapy. According to Jeff Auerbach, author of Personal and Executive Coaching: The Complete Guide for Mental Health Professionals, therapists and coaches may encounter the same types of clients, scenarios, and feeling states, but need to approach them in completely different ways.
Watch this clip to see Jeff demonstrates the key differences between how therapists and coaches work with emotion.
Rich Simon
Richard Simon, PhD, founded Psychotherapy Networker and served as the editor for more than 40 years. He received every major magazine industry honor, including the National Magazine Award. Rich passed away November 2020, and we honor his memory and contributions to the field every day.
