What is Coaching?

COACHING

Coaching is a thought-provoking and creative partnership that inspires clients to maximize their personal and professional potential, often unlocking previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership. 

Coaching can be with a person, group of people, or entire organization. Coaches hold space and engage in discovery and learning. Together, the coach and client co-create while engaging in strategic evaluation, feedback, cheerleading, and checking in while the client moves from thought into action and works toward a desired goal. 

Coaches are partners, co-creators, mirrors, and champions for clients. Clients are the ones who do all the heavy lifting in creating change. Coaches do not solve their clients’ problems but offer them a space for creation. Coaching doesn’t spend a great deal of time exploring the past. Instead, it primarily focuses on defining a future vision and developing a tactical plan to achieve those goals. A good coach understands theories and models of change and brings tools for self-inquiry, focus, and accountability to the table. 

Coaching is: 

• Client-focused and directed
• Co-Equal Partnership
• Here and now
• Forward vision, action, and goal-oriented
• Joint Strategy
• Supportive
• Outcome driven

How is Coaching different from Therapy, Counseling, Consulting and Mentorship?

THERAPY & COUNSELING

Therapy is often closely related to coaching but has different processes, intentions, and necessary education and background. Therapy is used to treat mental health through psychotherapeutic methods and help clients achieve and maintain baseline. Psychotherapy includes the treatment of depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and other diagnosable conditions. Only therapists and counselors are qualified to determine and diagnose mental illnesses. 

Therapy supports those experiencing psychological anguish so acutely that it gets in the way of everyday life. The goal of therapy is to generate awareness that inspires healing so that those seeking support can return to life in a more functional way. Therapy works with the past to process healing, whereas coaching takes off where therapy leaves them toward future goals and forward-based actions and strategies. 

Counseling also supports clients experiencing acute and chronic psychological episodes such as anxiety and depression. It can help people work through emotional problems, self-esteem issues, alcohol and substance abuse, and marital challenges. 

Therapists can be great referral networks for coaches and have the ability to work closely together as a team. 

Therapy is:

• Medical Treatment
• Emotional, behavioral problems, and disruptive situations
• Focused on healing
• Therapist-directed treatment plan (therapist sets the agenda)
• Self-understanding
• Past experience
• Here and now
• What are you feeling?

CONSULTING & MENTORSHIP

Consultants are paid to tell the client what to do and give advice based on their expertise and experience, whereas coaching helps clients create solutions and make decisions for themselves. 

(Coaches do not tell clients what to do or give advice.)

Mentors have significant experience in areas, situations, or niches from which the mentee wishes to learn. Mentors may oversee or offer advice similar to consultants. Mentors often take on a facilitator or teaching role in the relationship and offer feedback based on their expertise. 

(Coaches do not need to have experience or expertise in the subject matter that the client brings to the table for goal accomplishment. The value is in strategy, planning, and empowering the client to do it now and do it for themselves.)

Consulting is:

• Consultant-directed (they set the agenda)
• Focused on giving advice and telling the client what to do
• Specific areas of expertise and experience

Definitions, verbiage and chart from Lumia Bold Life Coaching. 2025.