I would like to start by explaining that I find counseling and coaching very different experiences. I have an MA in Counseling Psychology and have hired both counselors and coaches over many years. I believe that your intention has a great deal to do with which person you might want to work. 

Counselors are great for grieving big losses and setbacks in life. They tend to focus on the emotion in any situation and are also great when you need to vent about stressful situations. Therapists help you understand your past and how it is playing out in the present.

By contrast, in a coaching relationship the client’s goals are prioritized and sessions revolve around these goals. Emotions like fear and happiness are identified in relationship to goals. For example, fear may be an obstacle to achieving a goal. If you would like a new home, a new relationship, more money or more peace of mind, coaches will work with you despite the saboteurs that arise along the way.

It is my experience that most therapists do not help with goals. They rarely hold one accountable because it is the nature of therapy to follow the client wherever she roams. In other words, the therapist usually allows the client to bring up what is most important in his or her life as that moment. If a therapist brings up a “goal” in a session when a client is discussing a painfully emotional moment, this interrupts the safe zone that therapy creates. 

I am a coach, and not a therapist because I am fascinated with motivation. I believe that even small actions can help a client who may be stuck in the trauma of past events. If the client can begin to see herself as an active agent in her life she can start to make bigger shifts and changes. I believe that therapy has its limitations and coaching can be more effective and efficient. 

That being said sometimes it can be important to grieve the past before being able to move on to the next part of one’s life. I find they both have a place in our lives and working with both, even at the same time, may be the best solution.