What’s the difference between Counselling and Coaching? | Redlands Counselling and Training

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What’s the difference between Counselling and Coaching?

That’s a good question, and one that’s not all that simple to answer. The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) defines each type of therapy here : Counselling and Coaching. For the purposes of this blog we are comparing the two professions in the UK, and referring to the Humanistic model of Counselling, as taught at Redlands.

The major areas of difference can be summarised into the following categories:

1: Regulation & Professional Status

Counselling is part of an established psychological therapies field. It sits alongside psychotherapy and is recognised by the NHS and many insurers.

  • Counsellors are usually registered or accredited through bodies like the BACP, UKCP, or NCS. There is no legal requirement for this but it has become standard practice. These professional bodies were established in the 1970's.
  • Counsellor training should be standardised by organisations such as CPCAB
  • There are ethical frameworks, complaints procedures, supervision requirements, and training standards (often Level 4 Diploma or above).

 

Coaching is newer and less regulated. 

  • The term 'life coach' became established in the public consciousness in the 1990s and the International Coaching Federation (ICF) was founded in 1992,
  • Professional coaches may voluntarily register with organisations like the Association for Coaching (AC) or International Coaching Federation (ICF), but there’s no legal requirement.

It's important to note that neither title is legally protected, so in fact anyone can call themselves a coach or a counsellor.

2: Focus & Orientation

Counselling looks backward and inward — it helps people understand, process, and heal from past experiences, emotional pain, or trauma.

  • It’s therapeutic and restorative in nature.
  • Typical goals include better emotional wellbeing, self-understanding, and working out coping strategies.

 

Coaching looks forward and outward — it supports people to identify goals, unlock potential, and create change in specific areas (career, confidence, relationships, health, etc.).

  • It’s action-oriented and developmental rather than healing.
  • Typical goals: improved performance, clearer direction, aligning values and objectives

3: Methods & Relationship

In both coaching and counselling the client sets the agenda. In counselling, the relationship itself is often part of the therapy. The counsellor provides a safe, non-judgemental space for exploration and insight.

  • Techniques might include active listening, reflection, CBT tools, or psychodynamic approaches.
  • In coaching, the relationship is collaborative and goal-directed. The coach asks structured questions, offers feedback, and may use frameworks like GROW or CLEAR to move clients from awareness to action.
    It’s less about interpreting the past and more about generating solutions and self-efficacy.
  • Less emotionally draining for the practioner

4: Client Presentation

  • Counselling is suitable when a client is experiencing emotional distress, mental health difficulties, or unresolved trauma that affects daily life.
  • Coaching is best when the client is broadly stable but wants growth, clarity, or direction — for example, making a life change, improving relationships, or developing confidence.

If someone comes to a coach in distress, a good ethical coach will refer them to counselling before or alongside coaching.

5: Overlap

There’s increasing overlap — for instance, “integrative” practitioners who are trained in both . Some coaches use therapeutic awareness to ensure emotional safety, while counsellors sometimes integrate coaching tools to support motivation and goal-setting.

However, ethically, a counsellor must not drift into coaching territory unless that’s part of their contracted approach, and vice versa. Clear contracting and scope of practice are key.

The whole aim of coaching is to close the gap between peoples potential and their current state

  • Good coaching & counselling have more in common than they are different​
  • They are often overlapping & complimentary to one another​
  • Increasingly more clients are seeking a counsellor/coach who has both skill sets to span the whole spectrum of personal growth & development

6: Timeframe

Counselling is generally weekly for a therapeutic hour (50 mins) and can either be short-term (usually 6 weeks) or long term (open ended with regular reviews).

With coaching - each session last on average 1-1.5 hours,and is focused on a specific outcome. Meetings might be fortnightly or monthly and may total less than 6.

Conclusion

Both professions support clients to live more fulfilling lives and the skills and theories you pick up in training are helpful across the board. Trainees may find they prefer one style to another according to their own personalities. However you cannot practice effectively as a coach if you have not learned the fundamental counselling skills and theories. This is why counselling training underpins coaching training.

You might like to read this article from earlier this year in Therapy Today where two qualified practitioners discuss the differences : https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/coaching-today/2025/articles-april/ethical-integrated-practice

If you’re interested in finding out more about Coaching training do sign up for our next Introduction to Coaching Workshop where we can answer any further questions you may have.

Additional Sources : https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/coaching