The difference in Coaching and therapy/mentoring/consulting.
**Disclaimer** ALL of these are helpful and beneficial in different seasons of life. This is not saying one is better than the other, rather explaining a very BASIC definition of each.
Basic breakdown:
| Therapy | Mentoring | Consulting | Coaching |
| Discussing past and how to get healing. | Helping someone do what you do. | Discussing problems and how to solve them. | Discussing present into desirable future. |
Therapy is a doctor/patient relationship where past/trauma is discussed in order to get healing.
Mentoring is older/wiser paired with younger/inexperienced. Assumes mentor is the expert and they allow you to observe in order to learn and ask questions to provide guidance.
Consulting has an expert and a person with a problem. Consultant stands back and watches situation and tell person how to fix it.
Coaching is an equal partnership where the coach helps the client discover their own answers. Coach works with you to identify challenges, turn them into victories and holds you accountable to reach your desired goals.
- Information from “Becoming a Professional Life Coach”