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1. Explain the difference between coaching and counseling (in your own words).
2. Select a person in your life (co-worker, friend, family member, or someone you know well). Have a coaching session with them and then answer the following questions:
a. Was it difficult to have a coaching session (did it turn into a counseling session)?
b. What was the hardest part of the session?
c. How would you recommend conducting a coaching session (what environment, how long, how to start, etc)?
The fundamental difference lies in their focus and time horizon:
Coaching 🤝: Is forward-looking and goal-oriented. It focuses on the present and the future, helping a functioning individual unlock their full potential, set specific goals, and develop strategies to achieve those goals. Coaching deals with performance, behavior, and skill development to move a person from their current state to a desired future state. It often involves asking powerful questions to help the person find their own answers.
Counseling 🧠: Is primarily past-and-present-focused and healing-oriented. It deals with emotional distress, trauma, mental health issues, and psychological dysfunction. Counseling aims to help an individual understand and process past experiences to overcome emotional barriers and achieve stability or emotional healing. It focuses on the "why" behind current struggles.
(The following answers are based on a hypothetical coaching session conducted using the GROW model with a friend who is struggling with time management and starting a side project.)
It was moderately difficult, and there was a noticeable pull toward counseling. My friend initially wanted to spend the first 15 minutes venting about why they couldn't start their side project (e.g., "I'm always tired," "My boss is demanding," which relate to past and emotional burdens). This required effort to gently steer the focus back to actionable steps and future goals (coaching). For example, when they said, "I'm just too stressed to find time," I had to pivot the question from feeling (counseling territory) to logistics (coaching territory) by asking, "If stress wasn't an issue, what specific 30-minute block would you commit to this week?"
The hardest part was remaining quiet and resisting the urge to offer advice or solutions. As someone who knows this person well, my instinct was to say, "You should use App X for scheduling," or "Just tell your boss no." The core of coaching, however, is facilitating the coachee's own discovery. It took conscious effort to replace a statement of advice with a powerful, open-ended question (e.g., replacing "You need to block out your calendar" with "What are three ways you could create protected time for this project?"). This silence felt awkward but was necessary for them to own the solution.