Joan Skogstrom Coaching
Inspiring & Empowering for Lasting Change
What does a 'Coach' do?
The term 'coach' has different meanings to different people. Whether in sport, life, or business, 'coaching' is universally defined as 'the helping of individuals to identify and solve their own issues & improve their own current performance.'
A good life coach knows the Client:
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Is the best authority on themselves;
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Has the answers, the power, and the knowledge within to improve their life and their current performance;
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Their role is to help and support the client to unlock that power within themselves.
As your coach, I will teach you HOW to unlock the knowledge and power within you. It's my job, it's my mission~ to teach you how to tap into your greatness and make lasting changes. And especially, how to put those changes to use day after day after day.
Coaching vs. Therapy
Although life coaches and therapists occasionally help clients with similar problems, their work is not the same. Here are the main differences between a life coach and therapist.
Defining Terms:
LIFE COACH VS. THERAPIST
What is therapy?
Therapy, also called counseling or psychotherapy, is a long-term process in which a client works with a healthcare professional to diagnose and resolve problematic beliefs, behaviors, relationship issues, feelings and sometimes physical responses.
The purpose of therapy is to focus on past traumas and issues to change self-destructive habits, repair & improve relationships, and work through painful feelings. Therapy and counseling focus on the past & on introspection analysis, with the hope of resolving past issues and creating a happier, more stable future.
Therapy focuses on the past and asks the question Why?
What is life coaching?
In life coaching, a client works with a coach who is not a healthcare professional to clarify goals and identify obstacles and problematic behaviors in order to create action plans to achieve desired results.
The focus of the life coach is different from the focus of the therapist. The coach takes the client’s current starting point as an acceptable neutral ground & works to help the client take forward action from there. The coach empowers the client to take control of their life & take action forward to obtain desired outcomes.
Coaching focuses on the present & asks the question How?
Differences Between
COACHING & COUNSELING
Difference #1: the FOCUS
The focus of coaching & counseling are fundamentally different. Life coaches work with the client's current behaviors so the client learns how to modify them. Therapists analyze the client’s past as a tool for understanding present behaviors. Therapists focus on “why” certain behavioral patterns occur; coaches work on “how” to move forward toward a goal. Therapy focuses on current thoughts and feelings & how they are informed by your past. Coaching may touch on these concepts as you break down limiting beliefs and paradigms, but the ultimate focus of coaching is always on the present & the future.
Difference #2: the GOAL
Therapy helps clients explore & understand their subconscious and unconscious mind. It aims to reach a deep understanding of behaviors and patterns with a goal of overall mental health. This is why counseling and therapy can be helpful for issues like depression and anxiety.
Coaching helps you get “unstuck.” Life coaching is about changing current thought patterns and taking different actions to obtain different results. Coaches measure a client’s success with key performance indicators and specific behavioral outcomes. They help clients set goals, provide accountability, and celebrate client wins.
Difference #3: the FRAMEWORK
While both life coaching and therapy use talk sessions with trained professionals, many of the similarities in how sessions are organized end there. Therapy sessions are unstructured and guided by the client. Life coaching sessions are more structured and focused on actionable strategies, timeframes, & visible growth.
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The duration of the services also varies. Therapy tends to be a long-term commitment – many people go to therapy for years or even their entire lives. The life coach works to help clients ultimately coach themselves.
Coaching isn’t meant to be forever. Coaches also do not diagnose the people they work with, while therapists determine illnesses & pathologies so their patients can be clinically treated & medicated when needed.