Counseling or Coaching?

You came home from another frustrating dating experience. You’re beginning to question if you’ll ever meet the right partner – maybe even if you’re lovable. In any case, you have no idea how to move out of this seemingly endless-loop of dating and parting ways.

You know something needs to change, but you don't know what kind of help you need. It could be counseling or coaching.

In this blog, I'm going to help you know how to make that choice.

I will come up with some general differences between coaching and counselling. 
Having said that – I use counseling and psychotherapy as synonyms as common in English-speaking countries, although there’s a further differentiation in the German translation between “Psychotherapie” and “(psychotherapeutischer) Beratung”. 
And in terms of coaching - although coaching is originally rooted in the sports- and business world, in this case I’m up to talking just about relationship coaching as I have been trained and specialized in this field and I suppose you’re interested in personal- and relational development.



First of all, I will give you some general lenses you could apply to see the differences between counseling and coaching before I will go into introducing my specific way of handling each approach. Finally, I will leave you with the common ground and hopefully the idea that wherever you start – please go ahead and as Rumi said “as you start to walk on the way, the way appears”.

6 Questions to differentiate between counseling and coaching

First and foremost, coaching is restricted to clients who don’t suffer from mental health issues and could technically reach their goal in different ways, but prefer to get help from a coach in order to be more time efficient.

There are further important differences between counseling and coaching and both are very large fields, so it can be hard to get oriented. 
That’s why I have put together some questions that may help you find the right fit:



·      Do you suffer from any mental illness?

·      Do you feel rather hopeless and disoriented, or do you want to set goals and feel confident reaching them?

·      Are you looking for a quick-fix, or do you want to explore the roots of your current experiences?

·      Do you prefer tools and apply them outside the helping relationship, or do you prefer to experience a safe and enduring relationship within the counseling container until you feel ready to set up your environment in the outside world?

·      Do you prefer a legally highly regulated and protected treatment frame (in my case the Austrian psychotherapy law/ österreichisches Psychotherapiegesetz) or do you prefer a more individual coaching agreement?

·      As coaching is no treatment, there’s no option for getting reimbursement from a health insurance and the fees for coaching are different from psychotherapy fees.

Please go ahead and apply your answers to those questions to the description of my counseling and coaching approach:

Person-centered Counseling

I’m trained in Person-Centered Psychotherapy, founded by the American psychologist Carl R. Rogers (1902 - 1987). He discovered and explored that the relationship offered by the therapist has the largest impact on the client’s constructive personality change and personal development.

This therapeutic relationship is characterized by empathy, personal appreciation, and genuineness. It supports your strengths and ability to regain inner stability within a supportive environment, to become mentally healthy and further develop yourself as a whole person. That comes along with the ability to engage in fulfilling relationships.

During counseling, I support you to resolve your issues in a way that is satisfying for you. You can explore your inner world in a safe and open space, and thus turn to areas that have previously scared and troubled you, or even felt inaccessible.

Engaging with your own experiences within this safe therapeutic relationship also increases your self-confidence, as well as self-expressions, communication and ways of relating. Your potential to better process difficulties, crises, or disturbances naturally develops and strengthens your resilience.

I work in Person-Centered Psychotherapy currently just individually and run one group for coaches only, but there is couples therapy available as well. It is suitable for people of all ages, and currently I am working with clients from age 17-60yrs. 
I do not work with children, as they need a more interesting environment than I can provide.

Although there’s been an exception during the pandemic, psychotherapy takes place in person and my private practice is located in the city center of Vienna (Austria, Europe).

And there is more…

I deeply love counseling and have never experienced anything equally impactful and enriching. Though, there is currently one large drawback to psychotherapy in Austria: despite the exception during the pandemic, it is not allowed to take place online. So, if you’re moving frequently, or you’re abroad and want to be counseled by a German or English (and Arabic) speaking, European person – online relationship coaching may be the better choice.

Furthermore, you may have some personal (or career-wise) reservations against being associated with psychotherapy, relationship coaching can be a great step to improve your personal development.

And sometimes you just don’t want to dig into the roots of personal challenges, but you’re looking for some tools and a stepping stone to move on with a relational topic. That’s probably the most common reason for choosing coaching.

Present-centered relationship-Coaching

Coaching is a resource- and solution-oriented approach that empowers you and supports you in building new strategies for dissatisfying or destructive relational behavior. Generally spoken, the coach guides the process and helps you explore new perspectives, set clear goals, and hold you accountable along your journey.

I am trained in present-centered relationship-coaching that is rooted in the Gestalt-therapy-approach – just like the person-centered approach based on a humanistic understanding of mankind but slightly more confrontational. Coaching in itself as well as the gestalt-approach emphasize on the need to challenge the client within a “safe-enough” container. I understand that personal growth can be uncomfortable. I join and guide you through this partly uncomfortable process as you strive toward a better, more fulfilling life.

More than in therapy, learning tools and understanding relationships on a cognitive level is part of the coaching process.

As coaching is not based in the health sector, it can be applied online, and I have especially been working with clients based in the US and Commonwealth countries. 

I just work with individual clients, although online couples coaching can provide a great resource for distressed couples. I am happy to refer you to colleagues if both partners are willing to do the work and ready to get some outside support.

Commonalities between Counseling and Coaching

Once more, the crucial difference between coaching and psychotherapy: coaching works just with individuals whose challenges are not rooted in pathology. In psychotherapy, we have a larger frame of indication and usually a much deeper and longer process.  

Besides all the differences – in counseling as well as in coaching, you will be fully understood and supported by a professional. In both ways, you can reach new perspectives and get experiences you couldn’t possibly imagine reaching on your own or with the help of a book. 
Further, in case time matters for you – counseling as well as coaching take their time and are really challenging BUT in a lifetime’s perspective, A LOT happens during those “short” and intense processes. Ask yourself – how much is a year in the perspective of a lifelong relationship?

When it comes to coaching or counseling, your work with me can vary. Because I am both a licensed psychotherapist and a certified relationship coach, you can feel confident that there is no wrong way to begin. Once we meet, you and I can determine the best path for you to achieve your desired goals. If, for any reason, I am not a suitable fit for you, I have a strong network of reputable therapists and coaches I can suggest for you based on your needs.

So, if you’re looking for counseling or relationship coaching, please reach out to me. 
Even if I wasn’t the right fit for you, I could probably help you get better oriented in this field.