Thursday 30 March 2006
notes below
Original class announcement
Coaches and therapists exist to facilitate growth in their clients. So what are the differences?
How can we ensure that we stay within the boundaries of the two different professions? At some levels the differences are very very clear, but how can we use the more subtle differences to help our clients?
This will be a session in two halves, the first half reviewing the more obvious differences and therefore how to keep within boundaries. The second half will look at some useful theory and how we can use that to good effect.
This session is for you if you want to broaden your perspective using some theory that is useful to the therapist and the coach alike and further clarify what the difference means to you.
The speakers
Ann Mold, PCC, Member of BACP, www.changebychoice.co.uk
Ann Mold For the last 20 years the focus of Ann's work has been to enable individuals to develop and succeed (as they would define it) an overcome the blocks and hindrances to that success. Her broad experience includes work in International and Community Development, Management and Education. The last six years have been devoted to Coaching and Psychotherapy and as such she holds the ICF professional coach designation, is a full member of the BACP, and is presently a psychotherapist in clinical training.
Many of Ann's clients come to her because they feel blocked, have a habit/way of being that is really hindering them or have a scary dilemma. She also provides counselling for businesses, the NHS, coaching for social entrepreneurs and specializes in helping people who have a problem with anger.
Masterclass Notes
Notes prepared by Ann Mold
Why am I doing this teleclass?
In my practice I am finding that the different way that I work
with Coaching and Therapy clients is becoming increasingly intuitive.
I thought therefore that this would be an interesting thing to discuss.
The purpose therefore is to provide a way of talking about this
and to look at some theories that might be useful.
Introduction
This discussion will centre around the following ideas:-
- Arguably the most obvious difference between Therapy and Coaching
is that Coaching does not deal in the past, it deals in the here
and now and the future, and how to create a better future.
- Both Coaching and Psychotherapy aim to provide a relationship
and space to give high quality attention to the client, and this
attention in itself can be highly beneficial; as for some receiving
this can be a new experience.
- In both my own Coaching and Therapy practice I bear in mind
that people can deal with and understand situations by using cognition
(thinking), affect (feeling), behaviour (doing), and their own
physiology (bodily feelings). What I enquire into will be slightly
different at any one time with Coaching and Therapy.
- There are many facets to coaching but one particularly useful
facet is that we enable people to create actions and have experiences
in the present that can fly in the face of unhelpful beliefs and
strategies developed in the past. In a way we help clients to
create the very proof in thought and action that will help them
to move on.
- In my experience (and this is simply my experience) psychotherapy
(Integrative/TA) uses theories of psychopathology, to inform work
with clients. (By psychopathology I mean the way in which people
replay strategies from our past in the here and now, even when
these produce results that are self-defeating.) Different schools
of coaching have their theories and techniques, but often the
coaching will centre around enabling people to take action, and
breaking down the resistance to taking action.
- Basic ego state theory from Transactional Analysis and The script
system (often called the racket system) from Integrative psychotherapy
will be used in this session to help me to illustrate my ideas.
The first part of this teleclass will look at some ideas about
Coaching and therapy and their differences. The second part will
expand on some of the ideas above.
Coaching
Perusal of the ICF web site gives us the following definition of
coaching…
"Professional Coaching is an ongoing professional
relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in
their lives, careers, businesses or organizations. Through the process
of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance,
and enhance their quality of life." ICF website
For me, coaching is very much about the here and now and the creation
of better situations (as far as that is possible) in the future.
It is not about past wounds and experiences and how these affect
us in the here and now. (Even though past experiences do, coaching
looks at the results of those wounds and works with them in the
present)
The study of the ICF competencies is one way (I find) of looking
at the coaching process
- A coaching agreement is established that incorporates ethical
guidelines
- Trust, intimacy and a coaching presence is established
- This enables effective communication.. which in turn
- Facilitates awareness, learning, clarity and goal setting
- Which then means that action is taken and accountability(to
self and if useful the coach) is fulfilled.
What about Counselling and Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy arguably is a deeper process which happens over a
longer term and addresses patterns developed in the past, often
set early in life. For example, using a transactional analysis model,
difficulties in the present are seen to result from decisions made
in the past to cope with difficult experiences. In short we formulate
strategies to cope, which, later on in our life cause us trouble
or pain.
These coping strategies are no longer helpful in the 'here-and-now'
and new decisions need to be made which will be more supportive
in the 'here-and-now'.
Counselling can be seen as short term, looking at specific issues
or goals and often related to the present and its link to the past.
Counselling and psychotherapy involve a safe, supportive and respectful
therapeutic relationship which can help one to
- feel listened to
- come to terms with the past
- increase your self-awareness
- understand your part in relationships
- identify & change unhelpful behaviour patterns
- set goals and achieve them
- make new choices and decisions
Naturally most of these can be addressed in coaching apart from
the coming to terms with the past. Behavior patterns need to be
addressed in terms of recent behaviors.
One difference that stands out to me, that might be contentious
is that coaching seems to concentrate on the process in the here
and now, as demonstrated so well by the conciencious use of the
core competencies. Whereas psychotherapy would work at the process
level and would have a model or theory of psychopathology
to inform this. This means that my enquiry might enable clients
to have a greater awareness of what happened in the past, its effect
on them and an understanding of why they are doing what they are
doing.
In therapy also, we often see people slip out of their adult selves.
It is then possible to get a sense of the client at a developmental
age rather than at their chronological age.
This opportunity and ability is one way that can differentiate Coaching
and Therapy.
Coaching, however is much more based in the here and now, the Chronological
age. The aim always is to deal with a functioning adult.
Part Two
Using a theory of personality to clarify the
differences.
Transactional analysis gives us a picture of how people function
psychologically. To do so it gives us a three-part model known as
the ego-state model. The model (and it is only a model) shows three
separate ego states. The Parent, the Adult and the Child.
An ego-state is a set of related behaviors, thoughts and feelings
which manifest a part of our personality at any given time. (Taken
from Stewart and Joines).. Second by second we can slip in and out
of different parts of our personalities.
The different states can be defined as follows…
(Berne 1961) "The child ego state is a
set of feelings, attitudes and behaviour patterns which are the
relics of the individual's own child hood".
We have all come across clients who, whilst appearing to be relating
to current reality seem actually to be perceiving, feeling and behaving
using the capacities that they might have had in an earlier stage
of development.
Parental figures can also have almost a psychological presence
in people. Some of the thoughts attitudes and opinions expressed
and acted out can relate more to what somebody's culture, teachers
or parents have said. These influences can often be swallowed whole,
without thought or challenge. This psychological presence almost
is the Parent ego state. This state can look after us, e.g. cleaning
your teeth, looking before you cross the road, but sometimes it
can lead for example to racism and fixed opinions.
The Adult and Child Ego states can be contrasted with the Adult
ego state, which works out and integrates, what is happening in
the here and now, the effects of past experiences and the influences
of significant people in their life.
People who are using this part of their personality will have a
whole set of strategies for reality testing and problem solving,
which enable them to use their capacities as a powerful adult rather
than the ways of thinking, feeling, or behaviors that other's may
have used or that they might of used as a child.
One way therefore to look at both the similarities and differences
between therapy and coaching might be to think of the following
points:-
- Both Coaching and Therapy aim to strengthen the Adult Ego state
so that it is more able to recognize the limited thinking that
the Child and Parent Ego States can represent.
- Therapy might do this by working with the thoughts, feelings,
behaviours and physiology of all of the client's ego states.
As well as the content of the Child and Parent Ego states.
- Coaching would be aiming to work exclusively with or through
the Adult Ego state.
- In my experience this means that I might need to take care
when using, thoughts, feelings, behaviours and physiology in my
enquiry and be careful not to encourage non-Adult ego state responses
through my enquiries.
How people get stuck. A theory to illustrate
the difference between coaching and therapy.
How do people get stuck? One possibility is that we all develop
beliefs about ourselves, other people and the world. Often these
beliefs are not based on here and now reality. They can be based
on childhood or earlier experiences, where emotional, psychological
and physical needs did not get met. Once these beliefs are set;
our ability to be flexible in our problem solving and our ability
to relate to others is going to be inhibited.
Once of course we have these beliefs, we will consolidate those
beliefs, by collecting evidence that will support these beliefs.
This can be in the form of reinforcing events and memories or they
can be in the form or internal experiences, fantasies and memories
or behaviours that mean that the expected outcomes are more likely
to happen.
There is a table representing this system below that will be explained
during the call.
| The Racket System (R.Erskine) |
| Script Beliefs |
Script Displays |
Reinforcing Experiences |
| 1. Beliefs about Self |
1. Observable behaviors |
1. Current |
| 2. Others |
2. Reported internal Experiences |
2. Old Memories |
| 3. Quality of life |
3. Fantasies |
Provide evidence and justification |
| Needs and Feelings repressed at the time
of Script Conclusions, which lead to the formulation of beliefs
about self, others and the world. |
|
|
Thus, circumstances can lead people to reach conclusions that become
beliefs. They will then use events, experiences and fantasies to
reinforce those beliefs.
Experience has shown that working in any part of this system will
help to create change for people. Thus the power of coaching can
be that we help them to co-create a helpful relationship that challenges
long held beliefs, or help them to design actions that challenge
these beliefs. In fact coaching can enter any part of this system
as long as the client stays in the here and now and can be accessed
through the adult ego state. In my experience this can be done mainly
by helping clients to create actions, create the best relationship
possible, and have a structured discussion about the beliefs.
In therapy we can go from anywhere in the system that we can access
through any ego state.
Conclusion
For me there are several areas that characterize the difference
between Coaching and Therapy. These cover some of what we have been
discussing today.
- Working with the here and now and the future. Whilst therapy
will often do this, coaching is designed to deal with the present
and future.
- Working with or through the adult ego state. Coaching I feel
is more suited to working at this level.
- The designing of a useful alliance and of goals and actions
is central to coaching. These elements are also important in therapy,
but other factors and theories are also at play. These include
a recognition and understanding or the past hurts and strategies,
different developmental stages, and an ability to work with these
different developmental ages.
- Any behaviour or thought process that seems un related to the
here and now reality, whether it be over emotional, understated,
or a drastic change in behaviour, can be used as a prompt to consider
referring to another professional.
Resources
Berne, E. (1961). Transactional analysis in psychotherapy. A
systematic individual and social psychiatry. New York Grove
press.
Erskine, R.G and Zalcman,M.(1979) The Racket System: A model
for Racket Analysis. Transactional Analysis Journal.
Stewart, I. Joines, V. (1987). TA Today. A new introduction
to Transactional Analysis. Lifespace Publishing: Nottingham
and Chapel Hill
Whitworth, L. Kimsey-House, H. Sandahl, P. (1998). Co-active
coaching. New skills for Coaching people toward success in work
and life. Davies-Black publishing, California.
The International Coach Federation Web site. www.coachfederation.org.
Future Masterclasses
We are currently taking a break from the Masterclasses
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