What are the distinctions of psychotherapist, coach, consultant and mentor? Good question. Even these service providers sometimes get confused.
Psychotherapists help individuals with psychological injuries to recover to our natural state of wellbeing, just like physical therapists help people with physical injuries.
Coaches help individuals, with no apparent psychological injury, unlock innate human potential by removing mental obstacles. Coaches help us discover “what we don’t know that we don’t know” about ourselves. Coaches are expert in facilitating self-discovery and self-development processes. Good coaches have walked the internal journey themselves. They don’t give advice, but serve as mirrors while challenge and support us.
Consultants are subject matter experts or specialists because of their deep knowledge and experience on a given topic. They help individuals in one of two ways – do it for you or teach you how to do it yourself. They are indispensable in filling the gap on “what we know that we don’t know” in order to achieve our goals.
Mentors are seasoned individuals who have either achieved what we want to achieve or have had similar experiences. Their wisdom points us to the right directions. Their help is most beneficial when they serve as the GPS and guide us in unknown environment by telling us “what we don’t know that we don’t know” about the outside world.
These distinctions can be illustrated by an Olympic swimmer. She needs a therapist when she is injured; a coach to help her develop capabilities to become a world class swimmer; a consultant who has in-depth knowledge about nutrition to plan her diet; a past medalist to guide her on how to reinvent her career post Olympic game.
All these services are valuable support in personal and professional development, provided that we choose wisely.
