Coach and Psychotherapist Collaboarate**
Coach
Psychologist
Abstract
Portions of this article were published in THE INQUIRY's March 2005 issue. The article provides a clear outline of the differences and similarities between coaching and therapy, as written by coach and psychotherapist. In addition, it clarifies when a person might benefit from both approaches. The scenarios embedded in the article gives real-life examples for a clearer understanding of the practical differences between the two disciplines.
COACH
& PSYCHOTHERAPIST COLLABORATE
by
Rachel Shanken & Phyliss Shanken
Coaches and psychotherapists are both change agents, yet their disciplines
utilize different philosophies and approaches. For mental health, counseling,
and coaching professionals, learning about and appreciating distinctions
between the two fields facilitates a better result for client or patient.
The following is a discussion of the more prominent distinctions between
coaching and psychotherapy.
Philosophy. In Co-Active Coaching, the primary assumption is that clients are emotionally healthy and have the means within themselves to obtain answers that will propel them forward; however, they feel stuck or unsure of the steps to take in order to accomplish their goals. Patients in therapy are suffering from symptoms such as anxiety or depression, or have family, work, and social problems that interfere with their daily lives. They usually are given a DSM-IV diagnosis.
Population. A client consults a coach with a wish to achieve his or her potential and might say, “Help me figure out how to change my career, enrich my relationships, spend my free time in a more satisfying way. How do I get there?” A patient comes to a therapist with a symptom and might say, “Help me eliminate the symptom so I can feel better.”
Focus. Coaching asks questions of “how to,” whereas therapy more often tends to ask questions of “why.” Coaching examines lessons learned along the path to achievement. It is a forward-moving, action-based endeavor. Setting clear goals and strategizing for measurable results is the framework for the coaching partnership, as compared to therapy, where feelings, thoughts, and self-exploration of coping mechanisms and internal conflicts assume more of the focus.
Facilitation. In the coaching relationship, activities such as: brainstorming, list-generating, and mutual problem-solving are used to help facilitate the client’s agenda. The coach is not slated as the expert who diagnoses pathology, but rather the partner who has the skills to help facilitate the client’s achievement of life goals. The coach’s role is to assist in planning the steps toward change. The collaborative effort of the coach and client make for a partnership or a structured friendship. The psychotherapist serves as a catalyst in the change process and tends to provide an environment conducive to internal change, whereas in a coaching partnership, the client is already believed to be in a state of readiness for transformation.
Homework/Fieldwork. At the close of each coaching session, the coach and client agree on a pertinent assignment that will help the client move closer to his or her goals. Sometimes, the homework is a formal assignment that is to be given to the client by a mutually decided date, whereas at other times, the assignment is simply a question (called an “Inquiry”) on which he or she is to focus and observe in order to help remove a block or gain greater understanding. Although a therapist might ask a patient to think about a certain issue and, in some cases, suggest a homework assignment, the therapist does not consistently offer assignments.
Accountability. Coaches hold clients accountable for their homework/fieldwork, which is tracked or turned in as a means of measuring progress. The following questions are at the heart of coaching: Where are you now? Where do you want to be? How are you going to get there? How will we know you did it? What did you learn along the way? A discussion of what is learned is integral for deepening the experience and providing opportunity for lasting change. Although some psychotherapists may be directive in their approach, most tend not to focus on accountability as the main thrust of the change process.
Insurance. Because coaching is more of a desire and psychotherapy is more of a need, coaching is not covered by insurance. Coaching can be deducted as a business expense, whereas therapy is often reimbursed or deducted as a medical expense.
Referrals. Coaches would likely refer clients to a therapist when there are pathological patterns observed. If unhealthy patterns of behavior, which could be harmful to themselves or others, become prominent, coaches will refer clients for psychotherapy. When patients arrive at a healthier place in their lives and become emotionally ready to take more action toward changing their future, their therapists might refer them to a coach. Without compromising the psychotherapeutic work, the coach will help them move toward their life goals using a structured, directive, and life-enhancing approach.
Collaboration. The best treatment decision as to whether coaching, therapy, or both are indicated is determined on a case-by-case basis, and is in the service of each person’s needs, health, and well-being. Here are some considerations:
If a client continually breaks down crying out of nowhere, he or she might be a better candidate for psychotherapy than coaching. However, if he or she is functioning at a high level, but in a mildly depressed state, coach and client may mutually decide that both coaching and therapy would be the best fit.
If the patient has been progressing in therapy, having worked through his or her dysfunctional coping mechanisms, and is presently symptom-free, the patient may be prepared to end therapy; or this might be the time to change the focus from internal conflicts to specific goals for external change. Patient and therapist may decide to seek a coach’s guidance to help break through resistance or difficulty in making change. The patient may terminate therapy and further his or her personal growth in collaboration with a coach or as a bridge to the two processes, and may participate in both methodologies.
If both coaching and psychotherapy are conducted within the same time period, the coaching experience may provide more data for the psychotherapeutic process, as the snags the client experiences may be brought back into the therapy session for further enlightenment.
Comparison. Use the following scenarios to help delineate the lines between coaching and psychotherapeutic situations. Of course, some of these situations might cross over into both realms, and at the discretion of the professional, a patient or client is referred to one or the other.
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Coaching Scenarios Psychotherapy Scenarios
Coaching. I feel like there is more to life than this, but I am not sure what it is. Can you help me find my zest for life again?
Psychotherapy. Lately, I’ve been crying for no reason, my appetite is down, and I wake up a lot in the middle of the night. Can you help me with my depression?
Coaching. I have been in this career for so long, but I have very little passion for what I spend so much of my time doing. Can you help me seek more fulfilling work?
Psychotherapy. My husband and I used to be happy together. Lately, we’re at each other’s throats! Will we be able to improve our marriage?
Coaching. All my life, I have set goals for myself. I just don’t know how to begin attaining them. Can you help me get some direction?
Psychotherapy. I can’t control my eating. I can’t stop gaining weight. Then I get scared and starve myself or use other unhealthy means of weight control. Can therapy help?
Coaching. I feel stuck in so many areas of my life. I want to make my own choices and be able to see new perspectives, not have my life decided for me by external events. How do I begin?
Psychotherapy. I keep checking things over and over and it’s starting to take over my life. I know it’s not normal.” Is there a cure for my symptoms?
Coaching. I am noticing that choices I make in my life are because I feel I should instead of choosing what I really want. Will you help me empower myself in decision-making?
Psychotherapy. I think I get too angry with my children. I want to be nicer to them but they get on my nerves. Can I gain control over my angry impulses?
Coaching. My physical well-being is not what it should be, but I don’t enjoy going to the gym so I lose interest quickly. What can I do to improve the physical area of my life?
Psychotherapy. My doctor says my headaches have no physical cause. Could my mind really have such an effect on my body?
Coaching. All I do is work, work, work. If my life was less lopsided and I had more time, I don’t know what I would want to do to make my life more fulfilling. Can you help me identify what it is I like to do?
Psychotherapy. Ever since the accident, I can’t stop reliving what happened. It gets in the way of my daily functioning. Can you help me get over my ineffective way of dealing with my trauma?
Coaching. I want to settle down and get married, but meeting quality people with my busy life feels impossible. Can you help me get to the heart of the kind of person it is I am seeking and how to make time for this important goal?
Psychotherapy. I can’t seem to maintain a love relationship. I think I’m hung up on being intimate so I sabotage things before I get in too deep. Can you help me overcome my fear of loving someone?
Coaching. I realized recently that I have been living a life nearly devoid of emotion. I want to connect with people on a deeper level. How do I begin?
Psychotherapy. I go to AA, but it’s still hard for me to be in social situations without being obsessed. Will you help me go beyond what I’m learning in AA?
Coaching. I am not happy in my career, but I have no idea what I want to do. What now?
Psychotherapy. My child’s teacher suspects that he/she has ADHD. Can you help me find out if that’s true and what to do about it?
Coaching. Even though I make a good living, I am always stressed out about money. I can’t seem to save any, but I don’t know where it all goes. Can you help me become more aware and comfortable with my finances?
Psychotherapy. Generally, I’m an anxious person so when confronted with stress, I overreact. Can you help me with my underlying core anxiety?
Coaching. I want a greater appreciation for living in the here-and-now, instead of always looking toward future events for fulfillment. Will you work with me to develop this part of myself?
Psychotherapy. My elderly mother is beginning to lose some of her faculties. Will you help me determine if she has Alzheimer’s Disease or is just plain depressed?
Coaching. I feel like I never get to explore my creative side at work or at home. Can we design a plan to help me apply this part of myself in my everyday life?
Psychotherapy. Why do I keep choosing men who end up abusing me? Is it possible to change how I make choices and how I handle myself once I am in a relationship?
Coaching. If I’m not living out my role as mother/father, I am not sure who I am. I wonder what to do with my free time now that the kids moved out. Would you be able to help me re-create a life for myself?
Psychotherapy. I have these irrational fears that take over my life. Sometimes I’m even afraid to leave the house. Can you help me get to the bottom of the problem?
Coaching. My interests are so diverse; I find that I have trouble making up my mind. Instead of making a choice, I am paralyzed by all my options. Can you help me become more clear about my choices and help me improve my decision-making skills?
Psychotherapy. I’m very moody. Sometimes I feel energetic and elated. Other times, I’m down in the dumps. Do I have bipolar disorder or am I just depressed?
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Alliance. In order for coaches and therapists to mutually work with a client or patient, both professionals must create a strong and comfortable alliance. Consider the following process that might occur for any one person seeking help:
He or she is informed of the collaborative effort and is assured that although coach and therapist will review psychological history as well as coaching interactions, his or her over all confidentiality will be maintained. A disclosure of information form needs to be signed.
The professional who makes the referral shares treatment history or coaching history with the other professional. For example, if the therapist refers a seemingly motivated person, but one who has a long history of passivity and fear of change, it would be pertinent to inform the coach before the first client meeting.
To maintain clarity, the professionals identify the mutually discussed objectives. For example, the patient might seek help from the therapist for overcoming his resistance to change while working with the coach to seek out new employment.
Regularly scheduled phone consultations between coach and therapist are set up to address some of the following questions: How is the client/patient responding to the coaching and therapy? Do we have any suggestions for each other? For example, the therapist might inform the coach that the patient needs an emotional boost and extra support as he/she approaches a turning point. Should we proceed in a different direction with the client? For example, the coach might be planning to turn up the intensity to help drive the client toward more action while the therapist would concentrate on the emotions evoked as the client/patient is being challenged in new ways.
Coach and therapist maintain ongoing evaluation of the alliance. How are we doing? Are we getting in each other’s way? Are we enhancing the process for the client? How can we improve? Is he or she progressing in each session or is it time to take a break from one or the other? Is he or she ready to end the coaching, therapy, or both?
Summary. Coaches and psychotherapists work independently and in partnership, based on the needs and motivations of the client/patient. It is important that both coaches and therapists have an understanding of the target areas so that candidates seeking help enjoy the best possible benefit.
About the
Authors.
Rachel Shanken is the founder of Fine Balance Coaching (www.finebalancecoaching.com).
After careers in sales for two national companies, as well as providing
client service for a well-established software company, she decided to
become a life coach to share the dramatic enrichment she found when she
engaged in life coaching as a client. The principles of life coaching
are wholly consistent with her deepest core values and beliefs, some of
which include: a belief in the ability of all people to lead extraordinary
lives, a strength-based approach to helping people, and a solution-oriented
philosophy.
Rachel completed her coach training at the Coaches Training Institute. She is currently a member of the Coaching Circles Community, MentorCoach, and Coachville. Originally from Philadelphia, she has resided in New York City for six years. Rachel can be reached at 917-841-5551 or via email at rachel@finebalancecoaching.com
Phyliss Shanken, M.A. is a licensed psychologist and Director of Psychological Services at INTROSPECT of BuxMont. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety and depression with adolescents and adults in individual, group and family psychotherapy. As an organizational and HUMOR consultant, Ms. Shanken designs and facilitates programs for industrial, professional and educational groups.
Phyliss Shanken has been published in numerous psychological, review and literary journals, has received literary awards, has been a newspaper columnist, and is author of the book Silhouettes of Woman and Laughter is a StressBuster. She wrote about diversity issues in her column, Grassroots, which appeared in Next Step: A Magazine About People Coming Together. She helps groups learn to accept each other’s differences and to understand how and why humor can be abused. Her other writing projects include a book entitled, CONVERSATIONS WITH PERFECT STRANGERS: Memoirs of a Psychologist, a novel entitled, DODGING BULLETS OF A DIFFERENT KIND and a screenplay entitled, LOVE ON THE OTHER SIDE. She can be reached at 215-997-9596 or via email at pshanken@comcast.net.
**Portions of this article were published in THE INQUIRY’s March
2005 issue, http://www.thecoaches.com/newsletter/collaboration.html
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