What is a coach or a mentor and are they the same?

The coaching and mentoring professions are becoming more common as people are realizing the benefits of hiring a coach or a mentor.  However, there are still lots of people who are confused about what a coach or mentor is or does.

Here are some definitions:

Coaching is…


"a process that enables learning and development to occur and thus performance to improve. To be a successful a Coach requires a knowledge and understanding of process as well as the variety of styles, skills and techniques that are appropriate to the context in which the coaching takes place"

Eric Parsloe, The Manager as Coach and Mentor (1999) page 8.


Mentoring is...


"help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking"

Clutterbuck, D & Megginson, D, Mentoring Executives and Directors (1999) page 3. (David Clutterbuck & David Megginson are both founder members of The European Mentoring and Coaching Council and highly respected authors, academics and consultants in the mentoring arena.)

The easiest way to tell the difference between coaching and mentoring is as follows:

A mentor is personally familiar with the subject the client is dealing with. So someone who has lost a lot of weight can mentor someone who wants to lose weight or someone who has successfully run businesses can mentor someone who wants to start one for the first time.

A coach does not need to know anything about the subject the client needs help with, because coaching involves certain skills such as identifying goals, mapping out strategies, taking action steps, etc. which apply to any subject. Coaching can also address self-defeating habits, blocks, or obstacles a client faces whether or not the coach has ever dealt with these issues personally. Coaches are trained to use techniques that help healthy people move forward to develop their highest potential.

What is the difference between coaching and therapy?

The following was taken from The Coaching Network website:

Coaching is not ‘therapy’ by another name although the key theoretical underpinnings, models and techniques found their origins in the field of psychology and associated therapies like gestalt  & cognitive behavioural therapy which have broad ranging applications in both organisational and personal contexts.

The key difference between coaching and the therapies is that coaching does not seek to resolve the deeper underlying issues that are the cause of serious problems like poor motivation, low self-esteem and poor job performance. Coaching and mentoring programmes are generally more concerned with the practical issues of setting goals and achieving results within specific time-scales.

Coaching and mentoring is generally commenced on the premise that clients are self-aware and ‘whole’ and have selected coaching or mentoring because they do not require a therapeutic intervention. It is possible for someone who has underlying issues to experience success within a coaching context even if the underlying issues are not resolved. If, however, a client becomes ‘stuck’ and the coaching or mentoring programme is not achieving desired results, then a psychological or therapeutic intervention may be necessary for the client to move forward and achieve their goals.

Coach & mentor training programmes which are typically quite short are not aimed at qualifying coaches to conduct an assessment of whether someone may be in need of a therapeutic intervention, rather than a coaching or mentoring one. This is driven in part by the professional restrictions and barriers that have traditionally been placed around psychology and the therapies, but is mostly due to the fact that psychological assessment is a complex process that does require specialised training. Professional coaches & mentors do, however, stay ever alert to the possibility that a client may have or may develop issues or problems for which coaching or mentoring on it’s own, is not sufficient.

Client progress is always monitored and coaches and mentors watch for signs which may indicate that a client requires an assessment by a trained therapist. Some coaches will on-refer a client to an appropriate therapist if this is felt to be useful. Other coaches will conduct a coaching programme in parallel with a therapeutic intervention.

Most coaches & mentors are keen to maintain the professional boundaries between coaching & mentoring and the traditional therapies and will collaborate with therapists when a client requires this form of intervention.