Psychology and coaching: Incompatible?

A reflection on the relationship between psychology and coaching.

Are psychology and coaching two incompatible disciplines?

Throughout our lives we live experiences that make us want, and need, to live a process of change. Until a few years ago, the professional expert in accompanying you in this process was the psychologist. However, today we live in a maelstrom of names, techniques and tools that confuse us rather than help us.

What is the most appropriate method? Is coaching a valid discipline, or is it nonsense? Is it compatible or incompatible with psychology?

In this article we are not only going to answer this question but also go deeper into what is really important for you: your well-being and personal development, overcoming the situation you are living and would like to change. We will do it in depth, discovering what psychology and coaching really are, what the differences are, and how you can choose the best option for your personal change process.

My name is Rubén Camacho, and for the last 11 years I have been working as a psychologist (and coach) with people who want to achieve a practical, deep and stable personal change over time. You can find my work at Empoderamiento Humano.

Beyond labels

Let's start at the beginning. In some life situations, human beings need to go through a process of change and personal development. However, the big key is that we cannot change the context... but that the solution lies in your own personal change, in developing aspects of yourself that make the problem more intense..

This has always been the work of the professional in Psychology. Psychology is a science and discipline with academic value and present in all the Universities of the world. That is to say: what psychology applies has been previously contrasted and validated by the scientific method (in short, it works). Psychology has multiple applications: development, education, the social field, pathologies, the study of personality or intelligence... and yes, above all, therapy or accompaniment to live a process of profound change.

However, we cannot deny that psychology, by focusing too much on the clinical or academic field, neglected over the years this basic work. That is where coaching came from and later other disciplines without empirical value filled the void and became tremendously popular. But does coaching work? What is it? Is it a tool that can really help you or just another empty word?

The false differences between psychology and coaching

When coaching emerged (there are also some discrepancies about when it all came about) it was offered as a tool to accompany people in processes of change through the achievement of practical objectives. The coach accompanied you in a clean way (without judgment or guidance), helping you to discover what was wrong and how you could change it. But... Didn't psychology already do this?

That's right. Everything that coaching offers is something that can be done from psychology.So why did coaching come about? Because psychology ended up being an academic discipline that offered less and less practical resources to people in consultation.

Therapies were seen as long and abstract processes. People wanted to achieve changes for their day-to-day difficulties. In an attempt to differentiate itself, coaching has been defined according to a number of differences with psychology... let's take a look at them.

1. Psychology works with the past and coaching with the present and future... but this is categorically false.

It is false that psychology only works with the past. Psychology works first and foremost with your current reality, with what is happening to you, and with what is happening to you.with what is happening to you, and helps you to find solutions from your own personal change (that is to say, the same as coaching but with more academic and scientific evidence).

2. In psychology you are guided or advised, the coach helps you to discover it by yourself... again, this is a total lie...

In psychology we never guide or advise. The nature of psychology is not directive. It is up to you to discover it... but the psychologist helps you to see the root of the problem in such a way that we cannot do it alone, hence the change is more profound and enriching.

3. Psychology works with the problem and coaching works with the solution... totally uncertain.

Clinical psychology works with pathological problems, but it always provides solutions. solutions, which are also fully proven tools for change..

Incompatible or not?

So, if these 3 common differences are false? what is the real difference between psychology and coaching?

The only difference is that psychology is a broad science and discipline, with empirical value and which follows the scientific methodand coaching is only a practical tool. However, as we talked about, it is true that psychology has neglected the practical part. That is why coaching became so effective and popular.

Later, disaster struck: a thousand and one poor quality training courses appeared and from there the word coaching was distorted. Today there are even 2-month courses of no value whatsoever.

Are psychology and coaching compatible? Absolutely. Psychology and coaching are not enemies. coaching offers the psychology professional more practical tools for a process to be effective and work from the beginning.. A process of change must be practical and deep, constant and flexible, and above all the change you experience must be stable, so that this change becomes part of you forever.

It is important then that they do not compete, but that psychology absorbs coaching so that it is regularized and also ends this maelstrom of training without quality.

The most important thing is you, the person who needs to live a process. If you would like to do it in a practical way to feel better soon, but also deep and stable, in Empoderamiento Humano you have an option to schedule an exploratory session with me. I look forward to seeing you there, and above all I send you lots of encouragement... and of course, happy 2022!