What is coaching? And what is Catholic coaching?
As the coaching industry has exploded in the past decade, most people have at least heard of coaching now. However, many misconceptions about the practice still remain. What exactly is coaching and who is it for? How is it different from counseling or mentoring? And is Catholic coaching just spiritual direction? (Spoiler: no!) Let's dive into what coaching is and what it isn’t so you can see how this powerful tool could help you to reach your God-given potential and peace.
Counseling: Emotions-focused
Counseling or therapy is conducted by a licensed mental health professional and focuses on healing emotional wounds of the past. It can address past trauma, anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges needing clinical support. The goal of counseling is overall stability and emotional well-being. Coaching and counseling can work side by side very well, and many of my clients have either already been through counseling or currently see a counselor in addition to coaching. Coaching and counseling are complementary professions. Here’s a helpful analogy: if you broke your leg you would need a doctor first to help it heal (like a counselor), but after that you would need a physical therapist to help you learn to walk (like a coach). One focuses on healing while the other focuses on moving forward.
Mentoring: Advice-focused
Mentoring is when someone more further along than you gives advice using their own personal experience. Often it can be helpful to have a mentor in your same field or career path to give insider tips on a particular job sector. While mentoring can be incredibly valuable, it has a pretty narrow focus and only provides one answer: “do what I did.” This can lead to frustration or even poor results if you want to change careers or if the one-size-fits-all doesn’t work for you.
Spiritual direction: Prayer-focused
Spiritual direction is a relationship focused on helping you grow closer to God and learn to hear His voice in your life. Spiritual direction helps you build a prayer life, discern God’s plan for you, and grow in holiness. A spiritual director is trained and wise in the ways of the Lord and may even provide spiritual insights that they receive from Him on your behalf.
Coaching: Results-focused
Coaching is a professional relationship to help you move forward in your career and life. A coach will help you clarify your values and reach your goals. Coaching is future-focused on achieving results through a strategic plan of actions. A good coach serves as both a mirror and a challenger: showing you who you are right now and pushing you to grow into the person you are called to be.
Rather than advice-giving, coaching is a collaborative problem-solving process, finding solutions that are right for you (not a one-size-fits-all solution). Though emotions and experiences of the past are not off-limits in coaching, they’re always discussed by way of moving through them toward the desired results. And as a Catholic coach with a Master’s degree in Theology, talking about God, prayer, and truth is a common part of my coaching process and can be a great complement to implement what you’re discerning in spiritual direction.
Catholic coaching brings together the best of professional coaching with the richness of the Catholic faith and a holistic understanding of the human person. It’s grounded in the belief that your goals and work are not separate from your spirituality, but are an integral part of your calling, and thus your path to holiness. Catholic coaching integrates theology, healing, and practical strategy, all in one place.
Whether you're discerning your vocation, navigating career change, or simply looking to live your faith with more intention, Catholic coaching provides a faithful, practical way to grow. Curious if coaching might be right for you? Schedule a free consultation today!
