Coaching or therapy?

To be able to make the right decision whether one wants a coach or a therapist, one needs to know what is actually offered by whom. In fact, there is a plethora of options on the market today as to who to approach.

There is one essential rule, and that is that coaching is future-oriented and therapy is past-oriented. Therapy should be sought by those who feel that for some reason they are unable to move forward, that something from the past is constantly pulling them backwards and not allowing them to move forward. It can be various traumas, depression, deep grief, dysfunctional behaviour. 

However, if someone feels that they want to and can move forward, and the past is mostly resolved and reconciled, that's when coaching is more useful. What this means, then, is that for coaching to have its full effect, the client should be at the stage of having full attention and energy for the specific steps and activities associated with the goal set. 

Sometimes it is appropriate to combine both coaching and therapy at the same time if there is something that the coach feels is pulling the client back and they need to break free from it, but they are at the stage that they are in a position to move forward and have full engagement. The coach can help with some tips on how to do this, but in principle the focus should be on concrete steps towards a set goal for the future. The client should not expect the coach to address past wounds with them. Therapists, in turn, usually do not coach the client unless it is therapeutic coaching.

Coaching helps to move from the present to the future. It is for those who are ready to create the future of their dreams, to achieve a fulfilling life, to tap into their own potential and turn dreams into reality.