---
title: 4 Reasons It's Harder for Psychotherapists to Transition to Coaching
description: 4 reasons it's often harder for pyshotherapists to become coaches, than it is for others.
image: https://www.schoolofcoachingmastery.com/hs-fs/file-14052922-jpg/images/man_pulling_hair_cropped.jpg
---

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# 4 Reasons It's Harder for Psychotherapists to Transition to Coaching

[Julia Stewart](https://www.schoolofcoachingmastery.com/coaching-blog/author/julia-stewart)

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**![Therapist to Coach](https://www.schoolofcoachingmastery.com/hs-fs/file-14052922-jpg/images/man_pulling_hair_cropped.jpg)**

*Written by [Julia Stewart](https://www.schoolofcoachingmastery.com/coach-julia-stewart/)*

**I've worked with thousands of coaches in the decade, or so, that I've been training coaches and most of them think they already know how to coach before they get training.** That's true only in about 1% of cases.

**That 1% applies to psychotherapists, counselors, social workers and other "helping professionals", too.** People from these backgrounds can make terrific coaches, but usually they need to unlearn a few things and unlearning often takes longer than learning from scratch.

**A story:** One day, a member of our [Certified Coach Training Program](https://www.schoolofcoachingmastery.com/certified-coach/), a licensed[psychotherapist](https://www.schoolofcoachingmastery.com/coaching-blog/bid/17998/Coaching-vs-Therapy-The-Ick-Factor), used a therapy technique to extract some info from a resistant client during a practice coaching session in class. He got the tidbit he was after, but the client was insulted and shut down the whole session. His classmates were likewise offended. I had a WTF moment, listening to this travesty, but the coach seemed to think he'd done something clever!

**Lesson #1:** You NEVER have permission to practice therapy on a coaching client. They are high-functioning and you'd better fully respect that. Use a therapy technique and you will destroy the trusted relationship you need to coach them well - and you'll be violating professional ethics, and possibly the law, as well.

**Another story:** I worked for years with a psychotherapist whose communication style was serious, cerebral, and analytical. It was perfectly suited to the type of therapy she did, but it hurt her coaching sessions and she had a real challenge learning an effective coaching style to qualify for [IAC certification](https://www.schoolofcoachingmastery.com/iac-certified-coach/). When she finally achieved it, I literally had tears in my eyes!

**Lesson #2:** Coaching is light. A big part of what we do is validate the client. It sounds easier than it is for a lot of coaches, but the goal is for the client to be resourceful, so serious, cerebral, and analytical won't cut it.

**A third story:** I worked for a while with a counselor who had trouble transitioning to coaching. Whenever she got stuck, she asked the client how they felt: "How do you feel?...How do you feel, now?...How do you feel, now?" Argh! I'm pretty sure this wouldn't be great counseling, but I can tell you with authority that constantly focusing on the client's feelings is lousy coaching!

**Lesson #3:** Coaches don't heal people's feelings. We don't ignore them either, but they are an adjunct to the conversation, not the main topic. It's far better to ask a more specific question, such as, "You don't sound excited when you talk about that goal. What's up with that?"

**Final story:** I had a former child psychologist show up to a [live certification event](https://www.schoolofcoachingmastery.com/coach-certification-bootcamp/), but each time she coached, her clients (fellow participants, who were coaches and open to the process) got irritated and shut down. Hmmm, what's up with THAT? Answer: she communicated with her coaching clients in a voice that may have been appropriate for frightened children: soft, gentle and high pitched. In other words, she was talking baby talk to her clients. Ugh. No wonder they were irritated!

**Lesson #4:** You probably wouldn't use baby talk with your clients, but a communication style that worked for you, as a therapist, may still undermine your coaching. In fact, it may be a train wreck. And you might assume your clients are the problem, rather than your communication style, if you don't get feedback from a good coach trainer, because resistant coaching clients act a lot like therapy clients who have issues: mistrusting, closed mouthed, uncooperative, etc. 

**Don't hobble your transition into coaching.** Get training on coaching communication and make sure you get lots of in-class practice and feedback from experts. Otherwise, you'll repeat the problems above, or worse.

**Better yet, if you want to coach and you're just getting started, you may want to skip the psychology degree and just get coach training, instead.** You'll save a ton of money and time.

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