What are coaching, counselling and psychotherapy?

Many people are confused about these terms.  This is not surprising given that the lines dividing these three modes of helping are blurred.  They all share the general aim of helping individuals to achieve a more fulfilling life.  All involve working in a one-to-one relationship with the focus on addressing the concerns of the client.  The main differences lie in the emotional focus of the work.

Coaching is for those wishing to focus on identifying and realizing personal or professional goals, such as achieving a promotion, starting up a business or extending a social network. Broadly, coaching aims to help the individual set clear goals, identify steps to goal achievement, develop skills, capitalizing on stengths and overcome obstacles. There is likely to be little, if any, exploration or resolution of emotional barriers.

Counselling and Psychotherapy aim to examine life at a deeper level.  They seek to explore and resolve the issues underlying painful emotions and experiences (for example anxiety, deression, loneliness, lack of confidence or self-esteem).  The term 'counselling' is sometimes used to indicate that the therapy is short term or focused on a paraticular problem such as grief following a bereavement.  'Psychotherapy' might indicate a longer-term therapy that is generally aimed at looking at the way you live your life.  However you are likely to find that these terms are used interchangeably.

It is not unusual to feel that what you're looking for falls somewhere in between.  CMR Psychology is sympathetic to this view; the existential approach lending itself well to this in-between area.