I created the term "Coach-Therapist" (and Therapist-Coach) early in 2011 when I was inaugural Chair of the Coaching Division of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy to describe a professional practitioner whose skills, experience and training spans both. At the time I wrote: "We are the Coach-Therapists and Therapist-Coaches who seek to integrate aspects of both disciplines into our work, carefully, ethically and effectively, for the benefit of our clients".
Since then '''Coach-Therapist''' has, I'm pleased to see, fallen into common usage amongst practitioners who combine the two disciplines.
At the moment anyone can call themselves a Coach and anyone can call themselves a Therapist. I and several of my colleagues believe that there is a real need to develop a proper profession of Coach-Therapist, with a body of theory, defined standards of training and professional practice, an ethical code, and an evidence base to prove efficacy. This is already starting to happen, and I'm delighted by it.
So what if you are thinking of working with a Coach-Therapist for yourself?
Bearing in mind there are no defined training standards, firstly you'd be well advised to check their existing training and qualifications. If they have completed a Diploma in Counselling and have several years of counselling experience that's a very good start. They should have a strong CPD record (Continuous Professional Development) that shows a progression of knowledge. And they should have undertaken some coach-specific training over a period of time (I'd suggest at least a year as a minimum). In time we will find more training available that combines the two disciplines, but at the moment, they are relatively separate. Their experience and training should show some relevance to your context (i.e. if you want a coach to help you in your work as an executive, you may not get what you need from a life coach, and vice versa). And they should have regular supervision to ensure that they maintain high standards of practice and client care.
What are the benefits of working with a Coach-Therapist?
Well firstly we have a solid foundation of training and usually experience in working with a range of clients with a range of needs. Secondly, we generally know how to support and help people to recover and achieve when they are faced with setbacks and challenges. We understand the whole system, and take an holistic view, whether that's of an organisation and its culture, or of the context in which someone is living and their relationships. We understand the impact that the past can have on the future, and don't dismiss it in favour of focusing purely on the future. We've been trained to understand the importance of what's being said as well as think about what's not being said. We've usually done a good deal of personal development work on our ourselves so we know what it's like to be a coaching or counselling client. We understand the subtleties of boundaries and how what we say and do can impact on the client and the relationship. And we can recognise and manage stress and mental health problems, knowing if, when and how to refer on - with care - to a specialist.
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Many coaches already do all these things to a very high standard. With a Coach-Therapist you generally get that additional reassurance of depth and breadth of training and experience, built on solid foundations.
To find out more contact me at linda@aspey.com
