Therapy, psychiatry and coaching are all developing disciplines, as we learn more about the human condition and how we can better support our clients (or "patients" - as psychiatrists would call them) to meet their goals. Definitions will also differ depending on which country you are in and its relevant regulations. The below distinction is provided as a starting point for further exploration.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who are trained to diagnose and treat mental disorders. In most jurisdictions, they are the only professional that can prescribe medication. Whilst some may be trained in counselling, this is not their main focus and many refer to a counsellor or therapist as part of the treatment program.

Therapists (some who may also be psychologists - requiring varying levels of degrees in psychology) are closer in nature to coaching than psychiatry. However, they also generally focus on the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, just without the use of medication. Many of the fundamental techniques and approaches overlap with those used in coaching.

Coaching does not diagnose or treat mental illnesses. Rather, coaching is focused on the continual evolution and transformation of the client, and the unlocking of the client's potential. This might mean looking at some "trauma" and unhelpful patterns of behaviour, but we do not consider them through the lens of mental disorders.

Although we distinguish ourselves from mental health professionals, coaching can be therapeutic and clients do report increased sense of wellbeing and mental health. In addition, there are specialist coaches trained in working with trauma and neuro-atypical (e.g. ADHD / OCD) clients.

One distinction that is often made is that coaching doesn't spend the majority of its time in the past, preferring rather to address the issues in the present. Therapy generally allows for a lot more room in spending time exploring the past. Coaching generally is considered to have much more "forward motion".

One the major differences that we see at Cambodia Coaching Institute, is that we coaches partner with our clients in the overall coaching relationship and in every session - "What do I want to explore together in this session? What would make this time together useful / beneficial / successful? How can we partner together to achieve this?" This kind of partnership approach is one that is distinctly unique to coaching that sets us apart.

The coach does not tightly control where the conversation goes in order to achieve a certain outcome. Neither does the coach allow the client to pull the coach here and there with the client's stories. There needs to be a clear and strong partnered agenda in the session, so that when one of us goes off track, the other can bring us back on it.

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