Coaching, mentoring, or counselling. What’s the difference?
What is coaching/mentoring?
What is a coach?
Coaching is a form of a helping profession, where the coach can support and facilitate someone’s processing, framing and thinking about life or work issues. This happens in a confidential, psychologically and spiritually safe environment. The coach may use techniques and models to support someone to think about things differently, set goals and work through plans for the future. Coaches normally conduct regular reviews with a client, so that they can decide to continue or stop the agreed-upon contracted work together.
Coaches are trained in different competencies, including how to carefully listen to clients, not just the words they say, but also the deeper meaning of what is being shared. Coaches seek to be emotionally mature people who are confident in their skills. Clients should experience empowerment in the coaching process to make their own decisions, and plenty of time to explore what is happening for them.
Coaches build client relationships by demonstrating respect and non-judgmental approaches from the start. The coach may use different approaches and models, depending on the client’s needs and preferred ways of working.
Some coaches specialise in different areas, such as special educational needs or disabilities, work-based professional support, life coaching, business, wellbeing, or senior leadership in specific contexts.
What is a mentor?
Mentors are also trained to listen and may use models and techniques to assist clients. A mentor may also use their own professional or personal life experience as advice or help with certain aspects of what you bring.
Many coaches are trained both in coaching and mentoring. Clients may negotiate this in the initial meeting and contracting session, discussing how they might best work together with a coach/mentor, finding out what might work best in the client’s situation.
How is coaching/mentoring different to counselling?
Coaching/mentoring is exploring a client’s preferred future and working towards it, with awareness of any feelings and emotions, but not working directly on them. A coach/mentor will support a client to work towards realistic goals that they set for themselves.
Counselling and psychotherapy focus on how clients are feeling, why they are feeling that way, and working through issues to emotional resolution, which leads to new understanding and perspective.
Faith-based coaching and mentoring or counselling
Some clients seek faith-based coaching/mentoring or counselling support. At Vigeo Partners, we offer faith-based approaches to Christians seeking faith-based approaches. We adhere to the ethical code outlined by the Association of Christian Counsellors (ACC), whose coaching and mentoring members have a personal Christian faith worldview. However, we would not impose any faith upon clients or have any expectations or judgements about clients’ personal values.
