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Therapists often find it difficult to imagine that they could coach without being face to face with their clients. |
Coaches and their clients - usually do not find this a difficulty. |
To the contrary, it can be an advantage;
- More convenient for both client and coach.
- Does not involve travel time or costs.
- Offers clients more anonymity.
- Encourages coaches to develop exceptional listening skills.
As the coaching profession continues to evolve, several trends are likely to become more obvious:
1. for the consumer, the availability of coaches will mean a change in the way some people seek support, especially those clients outside EAPs and agencies.
2. some of the distinctions between therapy and coaching will be made more explicit and will becoming clearer to the public. People will know when they want to seek therapy or coaching.
3. An increasing number of therapists will receive coach training and offer coaching services instead of, or in addition to, their therapy services.
4. Training programs for coaching will increasingly be developed.
5. More sophisticated models of coaching will continue to emerge incorporating theories and concepts from psychology and therapy.
6. Coaches perhaps will be required to have training in assessment for depression, suicide, abuse, and even grief counseling so they know both when to appropriately refer clients for therapy and what to do in order to avoid risking lawsuits.
7. Therapists are likely to refer to coaches more often once their clients reach a place where they are ready to take more action or achieve excellence in their lives. Coaches will increasingly refer a client to therapy when the client seems inappropriate for coaching or gets stuck on an issue that is not being resolved in coaching.
Resources
Co-Active Coaching (1998). Laura Whitworth, Henry Kimsey House and Phil Sandahl. Davies-Black Publishing.
Handbook of Coaching, The (1999). Frederick Hudson. Jossey-Bass.
How to Become a Coach: A Guide for Counsellors and Therapists (2002). Sue Bond & Juliet Austin.
A Week in the Life. A Burnt-out Therapist Becomes a Successful Coach. Patrick Williams. Psychotherapy Networker, May/June, (2001).
Coaching versus Therapy: A Perspective. Consulting Psychology, Volume 53, No. 4, 229-237. (2002). Vicki Hart, John Blattner & Staci Leipsic.
