The Power of Coaching: A Look at Helping Modalities

In this week's Practitioner's Digest, we explore the differences and similarities of counseling, coaching, and mentoring.

1. Food for Thought While the distinction between mentoring and counseling is clear, coaching overlaps both, blurring the boundaries. So here's a simple way to differentiate them: Counseling focuses on healing past trauma, whereas coaching is future-focused. Mentoring uses the mentor's seniority and expertise to teach and advise, whereas coaches facilitate client-led decisions and actions through questioning and conversation. Coaching's versatility sometimes causes it to be misunderstood. But it's also what makes it so powerful, as it has almost unlimited applications. In fact, rather than be confined to a professional discipline, everyone could benefit from developing a basic understanding of the skill and using it to help and relate to one another in everyday life.
2. Inspiring Quote “Coaching works because it’s all about you. When you connect with what you really want and why – and take action – magical things can happen.” – Emma-Louise Elsey
3. Free Science-based Tool The Skill-Will Matrix. This exercise helps workplace leaders and managers determine their employees' levels of ability and motivation. Based on where they fall on these spectrums, managers can make informed choices regarding whether employees would benefit from coaching, mentoring, or even mentoring other staff who fall into the lower quadrants of the matrix. [Link]
4. Book Recommendation Coaching for Performance — John Whitmore. This is a fantastic primer on what coaching is (and what it isn't). It clearly explains the principles behind the coaching approach and is packed with practical tools for getting started, including the GROW model, example coaching conversations, and a helpful "Question Bag". [Link]
5. A Question For Your Clients "What part of you wants to do that?". This question is excellent for developing the self-awareness of people with an inner conflict. It helps them explore their drives, understand what they really want, and begin to resolve the conflict so they can move forward.
6. Free Infographic

Thanks for reading. I'm curious, which of these paths - counseling, coaching, or mentoring - resonates most with your current aspirations or challenges?

P.S., If you found this edition inspiring and valuable, consider subscribing to stay in the loop.

Want more?

Join our community of 550,000+ positive psychology enthusiasts and practitioners and receive free, science-based tools sent directly to your inbox. [Link to join].