Leadership Coaching vs. Therapy: Understanding the Differences in a Tech Context

This article summarizes similarities and differences between coaching and therapy, within the context of typical tech professional environments.  #leadershipcoaching, #therapy, #mentalhealth, #tech, #techleadership, #worklifebalance, #professionaldevelopment, #coaching, #mentalwellness, #employeewellness

Potential coachees sometimes ask how leadership coaching differs from therapy in a tech company context. Large leading tech companies often seek both coaching and therapy services for their teams to effectively handle high-pressure environments, intense competition and rapid change. Although there’s some overlap in scope, coaching in a tech professional environment typically focuses on work-related challenges and opportunities whereas therapy typically focuses on a person’s mental health.

Figure 1 shows typical similarities and differences of coaching and therapy services in the context of a tech company environment. Both coaches and therapists may work with clients in one-on-one individual sessions and/or team sessions with a positive, growth mindset. Active listening is a crucial skill of both coaches and therapists – differentiating both professional services from advising or mentoring that typically involve more speaking of a specialist’s know-how and less listening to elicit a client’s existing know-how. A top coach’s active listening strengths will typically have a deeper understanding of the people and technical constraints within a tech company environment (i.e., expert questioning to unlock insights about the professional work environment). A top therapist’s active listening strengths will typically have a deeper understanding of the psychology environment (i.e., expert questioning to unlock insights about one’s mental health). Also, coaching tends to be more future-oriented, supporting clients to set goals and monitor professional improvements. Therapy tends to be more past-oriented, exploring underlying emotional issues and coping mechanisms. These are dominant themes, rather than absolute divisions though. For example, both coaching and therapy programs often use assessments of past experiences and address a client’s future growth.

Figure 1:  Similarities and Differences between Coaching and Therapy

Each coach and therapist has their particular strengths and professional focus. Some coaches focus more on complicated systems of technical & people challenges whereas others may focus on improving an individual’s communication or collaboration skills. Similarly, some therapists may focus on anxiety, trauma or relationship challenges that impact a person’s ability to thrive.

Licensing is another crucial difference between coaching and therapy. In the USA, like most countries, therapists are licensed by a professional body in each state to provide mental health services. Conversely, coaching is unlicensed, with a variety of professional certifications, work experience history and other credentials. If a coaching client has mental health challenges, such as anxiety or burnout, these challenges are typically most appropriately referred to a licensed therapist. Analogously, in therapy situations where a client’s growth involves challenges navigating their professional work environment, the therapist might refer the client to a coach.