Isn't it all just smoke and mirrors?
When I talk to friends about coaching, I usually encounter one of two reactions: either people are familiar with professional coaching and find it super helpful and exciting, or they associate coaching with pseudopsychology and think of "shady" self-proclaimed business gurus who promise the moon through aggressive marketing.
Both reactions are valid from my point of view. There are very well-trained coaches who offer quality coaching and can systematically and successfully support individuals with proven methods. But unfortunately, there are also seemingly endless numbers of self-proclaimed "super coaches" who, without any qualifications, make unrealistic promises and take people's money.
The internet is overwhelming and often opaque when it comes to coaching offers. No wonder you're unsure how to assess an offer.
But what makes the coaching market so opaque?
What's the difference between a coach, psychologist, medical vs. psychological
psychotherapist, psychiatrist…?
How do I recognize a qualified coach?
How does quality assurance work at Coach-Wave?
I want to clarify these questions in the third part of this blog series, so you can navigate the coaching market better and distinguish quality from sham.
What makes the coaching market so opaque?
"The internet is a vast coaching jungle; I can't see the forest for the trees…"
The problem with the coaching market is that the job title "coach" is not legally protected in Germany. This means that anyone can call themselves a "coach" and privately charge for "coaching services" without having to prove any specific qualifications. This leads to a wide variety of coaching offers of differing quality in the market.
Unfortunately, some "coaches" exploit this lack of regulation and work without the necessary qualifications. Additionally, professional marketing is very accessible today. With the internet and AI, there are many ways to quickly and credibly design websites and postings. In social media, one can rapidly build a reach without anyone quality-checking the content. You should also be aware that you can buy followers with little money and generate clients through targeted advertising. The problem: a background check of the profile's legitimacy is not done. This allows unqualified coaches to create profiles and websites with astonishing reach, through which they sell their subpar "services" expensively.
Other regulations apply to the job titles "psychologist," "psychological psychotherapist," "psychiatrist" – these terms are legally protected. After completing their professional training, these individuals join, for example, the Chamber of Psychotherapists or Physicians, which regulates and ensures the quality of their professional practice.
What is the difference between: Coach, psychologist, psychological/medical psychotherapist, psychiatrist…?
"I can't keep track of all these job titles… What's what?"
Here’s an overview:
Coach / Therapist: These are not protected terms. Anyone can call themselves a "coach" or even "therapist" and charge privately.
Psychologists: People with a bachelor's and master's degree or a diploma in psychology.
Psychological Psychotherapists: In addition to a bachelor's and master's degree/ diploma in psychology, they have completed a 3-5 year state-recognized additional training in psychotherapy
Psychiatrists / Medical Psychotherapists: People who have completed medical school and specialized in psychotherapy & psychiatry. Unlike psychologists/psychological psychotherapists, they can also prescribe medication.
Psychotherapy conducted by psychological or medical psychotherapists or psychiatrists is covered by health insurance.
(More on this can be found in the blog post "Coaching vs. Therapy - What’s the Big Difference?" https://www.coach-wave.com/en/post/coaching-vs-therapy-what-s-the-big-difference)
The statutory health insurance does not cover the costs for psychotherapy conducted by alternative practitioners. Their training content is not legally regulated.
There are also psychotherapists who offer coaching. The advantage is that if the therapist realizes during the coaching that the client actually needs psychotherapy, they can switch roles after consultation and availability, make a diagnosis, and apply for cost coverage from the health insurance.
How do I recognize a qualified coach?
"How do I protect myself from self-proclaimed business gurus who take my money?"
A quality coach is characterized by transparency. You should be able to trace their background and see their training certificates on the website or upon request. It doesn't hurt to google the certification and familiarize yourself with the institution. A quality mark is if the coaching license is issued by an umbrella association such as DGFS (German Society for Systemic Therapy), BDP (Professional Association of German Psychologists), DVCT (German Association for Coaching and Training), ECA (European Coaching Association), etc.
Another plus is client reports, reviews, and feedback clearly visible on the website.
Also, a free initial consultation is standard in coaching. In the first session, you can get to know the coach and their work and clarify all your questions. In the same context, hourly rates and billing processes should be presented and communicated openly. After that, you are under no obligation or pressure to decide on the coaching. You decide freely whether you can imagine a coaching journey with the coach. Only after agreeing/completing the first session does a financial obligation arise. It's important to note that the coach transparently outlines how the costs are structured and what the consequences are for short-term cancellations, no-shows, etc.
How does quality assurance work at Coach-Wave?
Coach-Wave works only with certified coaches, psychologists, and psychotherapists. All qualifications and experiences are carefully checked. In certifying coaches, Coach-Wave strictly adheres to the guidelines of leading organizations such as DGFS, BDP, DVCT, ECA, etc. This ensures that all coaches can provide you with professional assistance.
When a coach applies to Coach-Wave, they go through a clear process before their account is activated. We check the following:
Professional qualification (degree and coaching license)
Level of experience (number of coaching/therapy hours including client feedback)
Conduct a personal intake interview
Only if everything is in order is the account activated and the profile made accessible to you.
In addition, Coach-Wave operates with a transparent review system. This allows you, as a coachee, to see what experiences other people have had with the coach and to know that the reviews have not been filtered or edited by the coach on their website.
The goal of Coach-Wave is to make quality coaching transparent and quickly accessible to you. How exactly Coach-Wave does this is explained in the blog post "What can Coach-Wave actually do for me?"
I hope this blog has given you a better overview and helps you to assess whether an offer is trustworthy. In the next blog "How to recognize a good coaching journey?" I will look with you at what a good coaching journey looks like and how you can imagine the whole process..
What thoughts come to mind when you hear the term "coaching"? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Comments