Analyse The Relationship Between Counselling, Coaching And Mentoring

Individuals live in busy, and non-stop changing environment, experiencing many tough situations, which sometimes are just too hard to cope with. Majority of the time, people overcome these difficulties, but occasionally they require professional help. Counselling, coaching, and mentoring are effective choices during these times (McLeod, 2013, p.24). Counselling helps individual to explore, address, understand, and solve psychosomatic, emotional, and psychological problems to achieve healthy and developmental change as well as to increase individual well-being (McLeod, 2013, p.24, 28). Coaching aims for improvement in specific field of life e.g. promotion in workplace, through structured and scheduled sessions with trained tutoring/coach. It

Mentor helps their client to expand their knowledge and overcome the faced issues (Bond, 2015, p.32; Law, 2013, p.54). The intention to help the client/mentee increase their self-development and bring the change in their life is a common factor amongst counselling, coaching, and mentoring. The focus is always put on the client who plays the most important part in the sessions. Counselling, coaching, and mentoring all have the same key criteria: authenticity, active listening, rapport, and trust, as well as they must follow the same ethical rules: respect, anonymity, competence, and confidentiality (Law, 2013; Bachkirova, & Cox, 2004). Counselling, mentoring, and coaching are often confused with each other and there are many debates going on as they have similar type-helping relationship, often with a thin line between theirs distinguishes (Spinelli, 2008; Stokes, 2003). For instance, Spinelli (2008) presented that meaning of coaching is to help an individual to be where they wish to be, rather than where they are now, which does not differ much from the essence of

Coaching has more direct and challenging nature whilst counselling is more non-directive and supportive. Also, coaching puts attention on the client present and future, it is more structured and time constrained. Additionally, it is a problem-centered type which focuses on specific issues chosen by client. Counselling concentrates mainly on the person’s past and more common issues which are examined in deeper manner e.g. trauma and emotional matters (Bond, 2015, p.31; Bachkirova, & Cox, 2004). Coaching focuses mostly on positive aspects for client development and their growth in specific performance area, while counselling pays attention to personal and psychological distresses and obstacles, which stop client’s self-development and growth (Spinelli, 2008). One significant difference between counselling and coaching is double accountability, which is presented in coaching environment. The coach often has obligations for organisation that the client is a part of, which often is the one that sponsor the whole coaching program. Therefore, there may be some ethical issues during the process that can impact coach and client, but, they are avoided in counselling sessions that has individual concerned nature (Spinelli, 2008; Bachkirova, & Cox, 2004). According to