The lines between a therapist, coach, and a consultant can sometimes be blurry. Even I get confused as I find myself in one or more of the roles with a client.
To help clarify the difference among the three, I look for answers. Or, I look for where each role is looking for answers.
A therapist looks back to find answers.
They will take you through your past behaviors, relationships, and feelings to help you understand where you are today. They approach relationships with their clients from the perspective of mental health and can diagnose and treat mental illnesses.
Therapists are required to be licensed, such as having an LCSW, LMFT, or LPCC. Each license and each type of therapy approaches treatment in a different way.
A coach looks forward to find answers.
Coaches approach their clients with the mindset that the client has the answers, and that the client is whole and not in need of fixing. The coach is there to facilitate thinking and exploration with the client and to provide a framework for the client to decide what to do. They may also look to the past to ask, “What did you learn?” and use that to ask, “What will you do now as a result of what you learned?”
Coaches may hold certifications and specialize in areas of coaching. For example, I am pursuing my ICF-ACC which is a generalized coaching certification, and I’m pursuing my CTC, which is a team coaching certification from the Scrum Alliance. Coaches may specialize in relationship coaching, career coaching, financial coaching, and more.
A consultant has the answers.
A consultant knows they have what the client needs. Consultants bring expertise and solutions to fix a client’s problems or to achieve the client’s goals. They often have a team of people who have a background in or advanced knowledge of a specialization such as healthcare or technology to work with companies in that industry. Well-known examples of consulting firms include McKinsey, Deloitte, and EY.
While all of this is an oversimplification, the difference between a therapist, coach, and consultant ultimately comes down to their relationship with their clients and their goal. I find them all to be interesting – I am a coach working as a consultant and I go to therapy – and find value in borrowing practices from all three.
Photo by Ryan Gagnon on Unsplash