Consulting, Mental Health, Coaching – What is the difference?

① Consultant

Industry-specific Expert

* Contract work engaged primarily through connections and recommendations.

* Ability to identify and solve others problems.

* Work-focused and does not address personal concerns.

Analyze current processes and outcomes

* Spend time visiting a work site and collecting data.

* Compare what they see to what they know from their experience.

* Compare to results from comparable companies.

Develop and present a plan for change.

* Develop a plan based on what they know has worked for others in their experience.

* Recommendations are based on current knowledge.

* Implementation is generally handled by the client.

② Counselor or Therapist or Psychologist or Psychiatrist

Mental Health professional

* Specific education and training are required to earn licensure or certification.

* Mental health cannot be practiced without a license.

* Mental health includes assessment, analysis, diagnosing, prescriptions, and giving advice.

Talk about the problems and issues a client has experienced.

* Specific problem focus to work through the issues.

* Encourages repeat discussion from the client.

* Empathize and focus on the problem.

Prescribe medications, provide referrals, and give specific advice.

* Based on the client need, they tell the client what to do and how to do it.

* Medication and compliance with advice provide external motivators.

* Solutions are based what information the counselor has from the client talking.

③ Coach

* Process expertise combined with knowledge base to empower client insight and choice.

* Sees client as their own best expert in exploring possibilities and planning.

* Naturally builds the confidence of the client in their own abilities.

* Focuses on client knowledge and ask questions to elicit new insights and ideas.

* Creates opportunity for client to move to their next level and beyond.

Ask questions

* Empowers the client to think outside the box through questions.

* Creates inherent flexibility.

* Creates new possibilities because the process opens door to more options.

* Develops a pattern of forward focus and movement within the client.

Focuses client choice forward and in to action steps.

* Builds the internal motivators through client consideration of ideas and choice of action steps.

* Naturally increases follow-through because the client owns the plan.

* The process incorporates questions that are about moving towards chosen goals.

* The client feels positive and recognizes new potential.

* Creates proactive intention, enhancing results.

Cathy Liska

For content specific to coach training and coaching, guest blog posts are welcome.

Most blog posts here are written or curated by Cathy Liska, Guide from the Side®, CDP, MCC.

Cathy is CEO/Founder of the Center for Coaching Certification, CCC. As Guide from the Side®, she is a sought-after trainer and coach with over 30 years of experience in business management and ownership. Cathy built her diverse team at CCC that includes trainers, customer service, and coaches. She was Co-Leader for ICF’s Ethics Community of Practice, on the Leadership Team for the review and updating of the Code of Ethics in 2024, and active in the Ethics Water Cooler. To ensure she stays current in related areas of expertise, Cathy has earned the following: ICF’s Master Certified Coach (MCC), Certified Coach Trainer, Certified Consumer Credit Counselor, Certificate of Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Grief Support Group Facilitator, Certified in the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool, Certified Apartment Manager, Certified Civil and Family Mediator, and Certified in DISC.

Cathy’s clients range from attorneys to corporate executives, government to nonprofit, entrepreneurs to children, under or unemployed to newly retired. She specializes in communication, management, conflict, and leadership. Her personal mission statement is “People.” Cathy is known for her passion to serve others so they achieve the results they want.

Podcast: https://www.coachcert.com/podcast.html

Publications: Coaching Perspectives (a series of books with chapters by coach training graduates) https://www.coachcert.com/resources/recommended-reading/coaching-perspectives-series-by-the-center-for-coaching-certification-and-more.html

You may also like...