I recently earned my International Coaching Federation credential. It was the result of 80 hours of training, 100 hours of coaching, and a grueling 4-hour proctored exam. I had dragged my feet for years to reach the finish line, and it felt great when I finally got my little pin from ICF for the achievement.
The ICF and other professional coaching organizations go a long way to distinguish between coaching and other “helping professionals,” namely therapy. Both coaches and therapists can help you improve the quality of your life. Professionals in both fields commit to adhering to strict codes of ethics that focus on confidentiality.
There are some overlaps on what they do, but there are also clear lines of difference.
Therapists require licenses in the countries or states where they practice. Some take private health insurance. Therapists often focus on what’s wrong (unless they specialize in positive psychology) and can treat mental illness. They often address past wounds and trauma that may require healing before their clients can move on.
On the other hand, anyone can call themselves a coach, as it’s largely an unregulated field. International credentialing organizations like the ICF and EMCC are working to develop evidence-based quality standards. Coaches partner with their clients to clarify goals, identify solutions, and help them to create and sustain positive new habits.
The quality of professionals can run the entire gamut. You can have a great non-certified coach or a crappy licensed therapist.
For all the distinctions between coaching and therapy, they still seem quite similar in the client’s experience — a one-hour session, online or in a bland-looking office, once a week or every couple weeks. There is no scientific reason why a coaching session has to look like this.
What if coaching were a series of 30-minute sessions over tea and snacks, a couple times week? What if the sessions were daily 15-minute check-ins for an intensive kick-off to a longer relationship? What if there were a small group of clients going through coaching together, hosted by the professional coach?
I’m interested in exploring the options for how coaching can look so it doesn’t feel so clinical. In what environment does a client feel safe and relaxed? Could it be a hike in nature? Or sitting on a blanket at the beach? Some of my best conversations have been over a meal in a garden. Maybe a client feels the same way.
For me, it’s important that coaching takes place in a way that draws out a client’s natural creativity.
How can I extend coaching beyond the session? What resources can I develop and provide as an anchor between live sessions?
These are the questions I am holding as I move into a coaching practice.