TRADITIONAL THERAPY		NLP COACHING
Is about working with a Patient.		Is about working with a Client.
Asks the question WHY?		Asks the questions HOW, WHAT and WHAT IF? In NLP generally we do not ask WHY because it gives us reasons and not results. It gives us more content and not the structure or the process.
Takes for granted that emotions are a sign that something is wrong and are therefore to be avoided.		Assumes emotions are natural and looks for the INTENTION and PURPOSE for the expressions of those emotions.
Generally works with a person’s past and traumatic events therein, and seeks healing of those events.		Is interested in a person’s present and works to help them in Creating a Compelling Future (in our understanding we realize that in order to create the future you want you have to get rid of past obstacles).
Diagnoses mental illnesses and attempts to deal with identifiable conditions in a person.		Assumes that the Client is healthy (IE: not broken) and wants to create a better future.
Defines a Doctor-Patient relationship (where the Doctor has the solution)		Defines a partnership of equals. (The Coach offers techniques and encourages the client to find out this own solutions).
Focuses on the Patient being broken, and somehow has to be fixed.		Focuses on actions, outcomes and processes, remembering that a person is perfectly capable of best performance and only has to get in touch with those capabilities.
Generally through conversation, encourages the Patient to talk about and thereby resolve old pain. The focus is on relieving pain and symptoms to get rid of them.		Helps Client to discover the process by which he/she prevents the achievement of goals and objectives and learn new ways of thinking, new ways of looking at things. The addition of NLP techniques – helps build more control over inner capabilities thus creating a compelling and achievable future with the focus on outcomes.
Is about fixing the Patient by understanding and fixing his past.		Is about understanding the past as a framework for the present and Creating the Future.
Relies on the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the APA) to diagnose pathology. Operates in a medical or clinical manner.		Remembers that Coaching is a model of learning and potentiality which focuses on the future and its achievable goals and outcomes.
Generally, because of transference, the therapist will not talk much about himself.		When appropriate the Coach shares much about his experience which is vital for learning.
In most psychotherapy, the Patient’s progress is time consuming and (can be) agonizing.		The changes amaze most Clients since they are so fast and so much fun.
Doctor targets a diagnosis for the Patient and then puts forth his training in diagnosis and treatment of disease and then offers a path to healing.		Coach aligns mentally with the Client and then through a discussion identifies the challenges, then provides coaching to move beyond them to create wins. In the process, the client is responsible to achieve the outcomes. We realize that the Client ALWAYS has control over his/her results.

Traditional Consultants
Are recognized experts in their fields, who either sell their expert advice or perform their expert actions (or both) to complete a task on behalf of their Clients. Consultants are hired to solve problems. With consulting, you have considerable control over the process and virtually no control over the results.
Consultants normally seek and take credit or acclaim for work done or achievements. Consultants must maintain their superior (expert) position and rarely form a close relationship with their clients. Consultants rarely affect the personal improvement of their clients.

NLP Coaching
In NLP Coaching the coach is going to work with the Client to discover and utilize his most productive strategies, values, and other modalities already at his disposal but which he is not utilizing to the most for his benefit. The focus is on the Client achieving his coaching goals and objectives.

Psychotherapy
According to Wikipedia:
“Psychotherapy is an interpersonal, relational and intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living. This usually includes increasing individual sense of well-being and reducing subjective discomforting experience through the process of lengthy discussion. Psychotherapists employ a range of techniques based on experiential relationship building, dialogue, communication and behavior change that are designed to improve the mental health of a client or patient, or to improve group relationships (such as in a family).”

NLP Coaching
The first thing that surprised the Client in NLP Coaching is that we don’t spend a lot of time wallowing about “the problem”. We focus in discovering the structure of what prevents the client from achieving his goals and changing the structure to make the goals achievable.

NLP Coaching does not focus on the Client’s life but on his future goals and objectives and the overall development and growth of the individual during the process of achieving those objectives.