What is Coaching vs. Counseling vs. Consulting?
You may have wondered, “What’s the difference between a career counselor and career coach?” Some people have mistakenly called Launched by Linda a consulting business, when I’m primarily a coach. I’ve also been called a career counselor when I don’t have the legal license for it.
So I’m here to clear it all up!
I’m a Career Coach who utilizes all 3 approaches according to each clients’ needs. There are many ways to define and differentiate between coaching, counseling, and consulting but for the purposes of my services, it can all be summed up in this simple table.
Coaching is all about clarifying your goals then creating an action plan to achieve them as well as an accountability system to follow through.
I use coaching when a client doesn’t know what they really want or how to get it it.
Coaches believe clients have the answers within themselves and it’s our job to facilitate the process to help them discover insights through strategic questions, so we don’t give advice.
I received extensive coaching training through a certificate at New York University and strengths coaching certification program at Gallup.
Counseling is mainly about working through difficult emotions and gaining self-awareness about motives/causes in order to achieve mental peace to move forward.
I use counseling when a client seems stuck on certain emotional or relationships barriers such as guilt, shame, fear, grief, anger, etc.
Counselors help you make meaning out of unresolved experiences and cope with uncomfortable situations.
I received a master’s degree in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University.
Consulting is a focused approach of giving specific advice to solve specific problems with proven experience and expertise.
I use consulting when a client simply does not know how to do something (i.e. tailor their resume, maximize their LinkedIn profile, write an effective college essay) and simply need to learn new skills.
Consultants have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge and best practices through constant professional development and actual practice.
I have been offering career services through Launched by Linda since 2011 and am an active member of the National Career Development Association.
