There are endless discussions among professionals about these two words. Is this still coaching, or is it already therapy—or even psychotherapy? And what is really the most valuable approach?
What I do know is this: during your personal development journey, your topics and needs may change. At the beginning, it’s often helpful just to sort out the chaos. Then, we can pick one topic at a time and develop ideas for how to change, solve, or improve. This is the time for trial and error.
Some challenges are especially hard to overcome, such as living with a chronic illness. In these moments, you may need support and empathy to recharge your batteries more than inspiration to change.
Later in your process, it might be enough to receive just a hint, a new idea, or a reflection to help you continue on your own.
In some phases, we go deep—exploring every detail, understanding all aspects, feeling every feeling. We may cry out the tears and grieve the pain. In other phases, we step into a more practical mode—sorting, structuring, and making plans for the future, almost like a project manager.
So—what is what? Therapy? Coaching? Personal development? Training? To be honest, even after 15 years in research and just as much time in consultation (and therapy), I still don’t fully understand these distinctions myself.
Call it what you like. 😉