ABSTRACT
Many psychodynamic coaches have clinical training; therefore it is pertinent to differentiate psychodynamic coaching from psychotherapy due to prejudices of confounding it with psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. The major difference between psychotherapy and psychodynamic coaching however lies in the fact that the latter is not a treatment for mental disorder or disturbance. Debate has arisen as to whether it is necessary for psychodynamic coaches to investigate early childhood experiences as a means of developing an understanding of the behavioural patterns of the client. In practice many coaches do integrate early episodes, whereas L. Vansina argues for integration of the client’s past and actual inner-world only. A capacity for self-management is a clear prerequisite for a client of coaching, this is rarely the case in psychotherapy, where the development of self-reflection is an important goal; the focus of attention is on individual performance in the professional role in the work domain.
