How is an executive coach different from a psychotherapist?
The two types of relationships are similar in some important ways. Both require a core level of trust and understanding between the professional and the client. Goals are developed for either type of relationship, and either type should result in growth for the client. For either type of relationship, you should make sure that your coach or therapist is trained and experienced in ways that best serve your needs as coachee or therapy client. However, there are significant differences as well. The focus of each process is different, and the training and experience required of the professional are quite distinct. A coach works primarily on the present and the future, whereas a therapist may spend significant amounts of time returning to the past to better help the client understand and change current patterns. An executive coach deals primarily with the organizational and professional goals of the client, and so must understand business and the needs of business persons, specifically thos
