How is Christian Counseling Different from Christian Coaching?

Christian counseling strives to understand how a person’s past has affected their present. Christian counseling then provides the means to “heal” the past and improve the present. Some counselors work to accomplish this through either modalities or therapeutic practices. Others use only prayer, Biblical meditation, Scripture, and their God-given spiritual gifts. Thus, counseling is typically looking “backward.”

Christian coaching is focused on helping people determine goals for their future and assisting them in reaching those goals by providing insights, resources, encouragement, prayer, observations, accountability & reviews. Coaching is a means to help people with their future by strategically helping them with their present. Thus, coaching is typically looking “forward.” 

Some practitioners function only as coaches, and some only as counselors. I function within each discipline. In practical terms, that means at the beginning of my relationship with a client, counseling may be necessary to resolve past issues. Once past issues are resolved or in decline, coaching is appropriate to help clients set and work toward their goals.

Whether I am counseling or coaching a client, I work primarily with adult Christians who suffer from issues related to trauma and abuse. The majority of my clients, though they are adults, are still affected by childhood trauma and abuse. The issues with which they most commonly struggle are addictions, anger, anxiety, depression, perfectionism, shame, troubled relationships, and poor self-worth. Their physical health is also most often impaired, as well.

Counseling is, by far, what most of my new clients request. Once past issues are resolved or in decline, coaching is appropriate to help clients set and work toward their goals.

I am a signatory to the professional, ethical guidelines for clients’ well-being that suggest coaching and counseling should not occur within the same session.