| Aspect | Coaching | Mentoring | Counselling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Professional and Personal Development | Career and Skill Development, Guidance | Emotional and Psychological Support |
| Focus | Future-oriented, Goal-setting, Performance Improvement | Career Advancement, Skill Enhancement | Past-oriented, Emotional Healing, Problem Resolution |
| Role of Practitioner | Coach facilitates self-discovery and learning | Mentor provides advice, guidance, and shares experience | Counsellor offers therapeutic support and intervention |
| Nature of Relationship | Collaborative partnership | Experienced advisor and guide | Client-centered therapeutic relationship |
| Approach | Action-oriented, solution-focused | Experience-based guidance and advice | Insight-oriented, exploring emotions and thoughts |
| Client’s Role | Proactive participant, sets goals and takes action | Receives guidance, learns from the mentor’s experience | Active participant in exploring and resolving emotions |
| Is this used in academia? | Yes, coaching is becoming a common tool offered to researchers, academics and staff at universities to support their professional development | Yes, often offered to new academic starters and more frequently as an additional support to academics applying for promotion or leadership positions | Yes, often provided by mental health and psychological services to students and more frequently now offered to staff as part of well-being services |
| Service Offered by Researcher Coaching? | Yes Book a Coaching Taster | Yes but often alongside coaching and training. Contact us to talk through your exact needs | No. If you think you might benefit from speaking with a counsellor please contact the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy or contact your university wellbeing services |
Why should I get a coach and not a mentor?
The decision to get a coach over a mentor is often down to personal preference but we think coaching has distinct advantages in personal and professional development. A coach is dedicated to helping you define and achieve your own goals, fostering a self-driven and empowered growth journey. While mentors provide valuable guidance based on their experiences they may not be able to offer you the opportunity to explore and develop your unique solutions.
In short, if you want someone to tell you what to do based on their experience you want a mentor. If you want someone to support you to set goals, create action plans, and provide ongoing feedback that is tailored specifically to you then coaching is what you are looking for.
Opting for a coach means working with someone who is committed to support you to feel more positive about the direction of your work and more confident that you can achieve success.
