Recently I shared a post about coach training for therapists, and the conversation that followed raised several thoughtful questions. Many therapists expressed curiosity, skepticism, and even frustration based on past experiences with coaches. These responses are important, because they highlight something the helping professions are currently navigating: the evolving relationship between therapy and coaching.
One of the most common responses was simple and honest: “I coach my clients all the time. Why would I need training?”
It’s true that therapists frequently use coaching-style skills in their work. Goal setting, reflective questioning, strengths-based approaches, and accountability conversations often appear in therapy sessions. Because of this overlap, many clinicians feel they are already practicing coaching informally.
And in many ways, they are.
But coaching is also its own discipline with its own history, philosophy, and professional frameworks. While therapy often operates within a medical or clinical model—diagnosis, treatment planning, and addressing pathology—coaching tends to operate from a developmental and wellness-oriented model. The emphasis is typically on forward movement, clarity of vision, and cultivating insight through inquiry rather than treatment.
For therapists who want to move more intentionally into coaching spaces—particularly in executive, organizational, or leadership settings—formal training can provide language, frameworks, and ethical considerations that are not typically covered in clinical graduate programs.
Coaching Is Not Currently Regulated
Another important point raised in the discussion is that coaching itself is not a regulated profession. Unlike psychotherapy, there is no licensing board that governs who can or cannot call themselves a coach.
This reality produces both opportunity and confusion.
Because coaching is unregulated, training is not required. Anyone can technically offer coaching services. At the same time, many practitioners seek certification in order to establish professional standards, ethical accountability, and credibility within certain settings.
For example, organizations that hire executive coaches often require some form of recognized coaching credential.
One credential that has existed for many years is the Board Certified Coach (BCC) offered through the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). NBCC is widely known in the counseling profession because it administers the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) used in counselor licensure across the United States and its territories.
Because NBCC and CCE already operate within the regulated counseling profession, their coaching credential has been of particular interest to therapists who want training grounded in ethical and legal considerations familiar to clinical practice.
When Coaching Goes Wrong
Another theme that surfaced in the conversation was disappointment with coaching experiences.
One therapist described working with a “high-powered coach” and leaving the experience feeling uncomfortable. Others mentioned encountering coaches who felt overly aggressive, motivational, or strategically pushy.
Unfortunately, these experiences are not uncommon.
When a field is unregulated, professional quality can vary widely. Some coaches are deeply trained in inquiry-based approaches that emphasize reflective questioning and client-led discovery. Others rely more heavily on motivational tactics, directive strategies, or performance-driven methods.
This variability is part of the reason many practitioners—myself included—have begun wondering whether the coaching profession may eventually move toward greater regulation or standardized oversight. While coaching offers tremendous potential, poorly trained practitioners can create confusion or even harm.
Inquiry, Not Intensity
Within most legitimate coach training programs, the primary skill being developed is not motivation or persuasion.
It is inquiry.
Coaching at its best is about asking transformative questions that invite the client into deeper reflection. The goal is not to push a client toward action but to create generative moments—moments when a client arrives at their own insight, clarity, or shift in perspective.
For therapists, this can feel both familiar and different. The conversational tools may overlap with therapeutic dialogue, but the structure, scope, and professional boundaries are distinct.
Coaches must remain above what is sometimes called the wellness line—they do not diagnose, treat mental health conditions, or provide psychotherapy. When clinical issues arise, referral back into therapy is the ethical path.
Who Coaching Training Is For
Not every therapist needs coach training.
Many clinicians are happy focusing on therapy, developing specialized therapeutic modalities, or deepening clinical expertise. Others may integrate coaching-style skills into therapy without ever pursuing a separate credential.
But for some professionals—particularly those interested in leadership coaching, executive coaching, wellness coaching, or working outside traditional clinical environments—training can help clarify the distinctions between these roles.
Participants in my own coaching trainings over the years have included counselors, social workers, nurses, physicians, and human resources professionals. What they often share is a desire to understand how coaching functions as a structured profession rather than simply an informal conversational style.
Two Fields, One Shared Intention
Despite the differences between therapy and coaching, both professions ultimately share a common aim: supporting human growth.
Therapy often helps people heal, integrate, and restore functioning.
Coaching often helps people clarify direction, expand possibility, and move toward meaningful goals.
When practiced ethically and skillfully, both approaches can be deeply transformative.
The real question isn’t whether one is better than the other. It’s whether practitioners understand the boundaries, responsibilities, and philosophical foundations of the work they are doing.
And that understanding—more than any particular credential—is what ultimately protects both the practitioner and the people they serve.
Interested in Pursuing Coach Training?
