Therapy Vs Executive Coaching: What’s the Difference?

Something I have been asked a lot recently is “what’s the difference between therapy and executive coaching and how do I know which one is best for me?” Well, it depends on what’s impacting your ability to have more good days than bad as well as where you are at in your life. For my clients who come to see me for therapy, the work focuses on mental health issues such as anxiety and depression that can be either situational or biological. This can be a bit confusing because a great many of my executive coaching clients  are coming to see me for things such as burn out and anxiety about work that is causing them situational depression. For me, the primary difference is how narrow the focus is because both coaching and therapy involve talking about issues that are having a negative impact on your life.

Therapy focuses on building a tool kit to help you have more good days than bad, and this might involve working on core trauma or things in your past that have a lingering impact. Coaching on the other hand focuses on the behavioral changes you need to make to be more productive and successful. Executing coaching focuses on what you need to move up the ladder professionally or thrive in your current position. Therapy is about improving overall well-being and ability to function, while coaching is about making changes within yourself to achieve your goals. Some of my clients find that a mixture of talk therapy and coaching suits them best because it allows then to address historical core issues while making progress on more immediate goals at work and in everyday life.

Knowing if therapy or coaching is right for you is about understanding your goals and what’s preventing you from reaching them. If you are concerned with issues of overall well-being, I tend to advise starting with therapy. If you have a specific arena in your life that you are not achieving as much as you would like, that feels more like something to work on with a coaching approach. I find that my clients benefit from the ability to flow between coaching and therapeutic approaches allowing them to not worry about choosing between the two. Knowing that you are not where you want to be and are ready to have a partner in the work to change this is a positive thing. Whether it be coaching or therapy, I always see myself as part of your team. The focus is always you and your goals. Whatever you’re facing, you don’t need to face it on your own. Every session with me is 100% confidential and focused on helping you have more good days than bad. We can work together to understand the approach that works best for you.