What to Do When a Coach Encounters a Therapeutic Dimension
Understanding the Scope and Limits of Coaching
Coaching supports a client in defining objectives, mobilizing resources, taking action, and transforming behaviors. It is based on the idea that the client is already creative, responsible, and capable.
However, as Paule Terreaux and many experts point out, some topics go beyond the boundaries of coaching: “Coaching does not aim to diagnose or treat psychological disorders.”
When traumas, deep fears, loss of meaning, or identity crises arise, the process often calls for a therapeutic posture, one that focuses on healing rather than action. Continuing pure coaching in such contexts may lead to frustration, feelings of helplessness, or even psychological risk for the client.
Practical Tip – Recognizing the Signals
Here are a few indicators suggesting that coaching alone is no longer sufficient:
- The client remains stuck despite concrete actions, repeating the same emotional patterns or pain.
- Strong emotions emerge — fear, shame, guilt — tied to unresolved past experiences.
- Persistent symptoms of anxiety, mild depression, or identity confusion are present.
- The coach feels overwhelmed or uncertain about how to continue without overstepping their role.
The key is to clarify the boundary between the two practices — to know when to re-contract with the client and to consider cooperation with a therapist when deeper work becomes necessary.
The Therapeutic Process: A Work on the Roots
Therapy is not limited to behavioral adjustments; it seeks to explore the underlying roots of inner difficulties.
As Paule Terreaux explains in her article “Coaching, Therapy — What’s the Difference?”, therapy is about “transforming the tree and its roots to obtain better fruits.”
In other words: while coaching focuses on the “fruits” (actions, results, objectives), therapy works on the “tree” itself (patterns, early wounds, unconscious dynamics).
In a non-brief therapeutic process, the client takes time to:
- Welcome and revisit buried emotions or memories,
- Explore how past experiences shape current reactions,
- Rebuild a healthier relationship with self and others, on new foundations.
This deeper work provides a stronger psychological grounding, making future coaching more fluid and impactful.
Why Build a Coach–Therapist Partnership?
A clearly defined coach–therapist partnership meets two essential needs:
- The coach maintains their professional posture and focus on goals, performance, and transformation, without turning into an improvised therapist.
- The client benefits from targeted therapeutic support to process emotional or existential blocks, and then resumes coaching under better conditions.
This collaboration allows for a smooth alignment between action and depth, without breaking the relationship of trust.
The coach continues guiding change; the therapist addresses inner dynamics. Together, they help the client move forward with greater stability, awareness, and coherence.
The Framework of Cooperation
An effective partnership is built on three core principles:
- Clarity of roles – The coach remains responsible for the coaching process. The therapist intervenes only with the client’s consent and only for therapeutic matters.
- Confidentiality and respect – All therapeutic sessions remain confidential. General feedback may be shared with the coach, but only with the client’s explicit agreement.
- Flexibility and adaptation – The pace and format of intervention are tailored to the client’s needs, ensuring coherence in the overall journey.
These principles align with best practices highlighted by Terreaux and contemporary research: maintaining clear contracts, supervision, and professional ethics.
What the Client Gains
Through this collaboration, clients can:
- Release deep emotional tension, dissolve repetitive blocks, and regain access to their inner energy.
- Find meaning in their experiences — clarifying their values, identity, and life direction.
- Continue their coaching process with a stronger internal foundation, enhancing both ease of action and quality of outcomes.
A Professional Asset for Coaches
For coaches, this partnership offers:
- Professional security – The ability to refer clients confidently without disrupting the coaching relationship.
- An extended value proposition – Offering a holistic approach that includes emotional and existential support when needed.
- Enhanced professional credibility – Demonstrating discernment, ethical awareness, and the ability to detect when coaching reaches its limits.
Conclusion
Coaching and therapy are not opposites but complementary practices. Knowing when coaching is no longer enough and establishing a clear collaboration between coach and therapist allows for a more complete, ethical, and effective client journey.
If you are a coach and wish to build a structured, trustworthy partnership to better serve your clients, I invite you to get in touch. Together, we can design a coherent and respectful collaboration — one that honors both the action and the depth of transformation.
