While both counseling and personal coaching involve the change process and a course of life improvement, there are significant differences.
Counseling does enrich lives and involves goals; however, it is primarily a prevention and intervention process when there is health insurance reimbursement. Counseling deals with mental health issues which are or may become unhealthy.
Through counseling, a person moves from "mental illness" into "mental wellness." When counseling fees are covered by insurance, you must be diagnosed by the counselor and labeled with a "mental illness" in order to qualify for coverage. This diagnosis becomes a part of your medical records and may result in a loss of privacy, especially when you use insurance benefits. Counseling/therapy deals with emotional healing and relief from psychological pain.
While coaching is practiced by licensed mental health professionals as a therapeutic method, the field of coaching is primarily an enrichment process through which a person progresses from "wellness" into "excellence". Coaching is an out-of-pocket expense. Costs are comparable to physical self-improvement expenses such as massage, salon and spa services, and personal training. You are in control and can choose whom to consult for what reasons and how often.
There is increased privacy and confidentiality with no medical record of "mental Illness." The field of coaching does not deal with emotional healing or relief from psychological pain.
Comparison of Characteristics: Professional Counselor Versus Personal Coach
