Differences Between Psychologist and Coach

There are a variety of differences between the psychologist and the coach. The first treats certain pathologies related to people's mental health. For example, anxiety or depression. Instead, the coach has been trained to motivate, accompany and guide individuals or work groups to achieve their goals.

Psychologists are professionals specialized in the mental health of people. They have been trained for years to treat certain pathologies and address directly the problem that patients have.

They help people solve their problems and deal with situations that are unpleasant for them. For example, the fear of driving, managing addictions or anxiety.

The figure of the coach has a different objective and approach when approaching the problem that a group or individual can manifest.

A coach observes and listens to the people with whom he works, he does not question what they say, nor does he express his opinions. It exposes a series of key questions to motivate the user so that he realizes the changes he needs and implements them.

What are the main differences between a psychologist and a coach?

These are the most notable differences:

• The coach is a specialist in communication skills whose main purpose is to accompany the coachee (client) so that he can discover his motivations, his goals and get ready to achieve them.
• The coach does not give his opinion or question his client, but through questionnaires and practical sessions, he tries to make his coachee aware of all the possibilities he has and choose the most appropriate for his specific case.
• Another aspect that the coach works on is the motivation of work teams . He has become a very recurring and sought-after figure in business or sports environments. He develops dynamics and sessions to achieve the objectives that companies or sports figures want to promote.
• Coaching training is not usually regulated, with exceptions. They are usually private formations, since it is a relatively new branch. Although some universities include this training as their own degree and there are international entities that support it, it is advisable to train in schools or institutions that offer a guarantee of validity for these studies.
• There are different types of coaching. For example, personal, educational, business or family coaching. Depending on the needs of the people and the objectives to be achieved, one type or another will be implemented. They usually work many cases of personal development.
• Psychologists study a regulated and official university education. For years they are trained to understand the behavior and attitudes of human beings.
• The work of a psychologist focuses on recognizing the problem or pathology that a patient has, applying a treatment and monitoring the results. For example, they treat depression, addictions, victims of abuse, anxiety, among other pathologies.
• The psychologist does usually contribute his vision to the patient, unlike the coach.
• Psychologists treat pathologies, coaches do not.
• Coaching focuses on the future and psychology also works on aspects of the past.

Example of coach and psychologist

A company wants to improve the skills of its employees and enhance their strengths so that work is more productive. In this case, the figure of the coach will fit this case, since there are usually specialists in the field of coaching who work on these dynamics within the business environment.

A person with stress and addiction problems will need to see a psychologist so that he or she can help treat these problems, since he or she is a specialist in mental health and has the necessary knowledge to do so.