When you’re navigating a world that wasn’t built with your brain in mind, the support you need might not fit into tidy categories. Is it a coach, a mentor or a therapist or a mixture?
For many neurodivergent people, a diagnosis (formal or not) can mean revisiting lots of things: our past, what is working right now (or not), how we relate to others, and how we want to show up in the world going forward. Coaching, mentoring and therapy all address this, but in different ways – and when used thoughtfully, can complement one another with powerful results.
By understanding the differences between these approaches, you’ll be better equipped to choose the combination that best supports your needs. Let’s explore their similarities and differences…
What is coaching?
Coaching offers a structured, forward-looking space where you can set goals, build strategies, and address challenges.
As your coach, I support you to reflect on your experiences, make sense of them, and apply what you’re learning in ways that work for you. I’m not here to tell you what to do – instead, I’ll help you explore what matters to you, how you want to show up in your life and work, and how to support yourself more effectively as you do.
This could cover anything from adjusting to a neurodiversity diagnosis, figuring out tricky social dynamics, making workplace adjustments, job crafting, managing energy levels, to developing practical tools and strategies to handle everyday challenges in a world that doesn’t always recognise or understand your needs.
Together, we might explore your values, brainstorm options, clarify goals, and build strategies that feel right to you.
In coaching, the agenda is yours. I don’t bring assumptions or judgment – my role is to listen closely, reflect back what I notice, and ask questions that help you gain clarity. Your insights are at the heart of the work we do.
Mentoring moments: sharing insights and experience
Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, you might not want a reflective question. Sometimes you want a practical suggestion – and that’s where mentoring can come in.
With your permission, I may share a relevant insight, a resource I’ve seen work, or something from my own experience that might help. The aim of mentoring is to offer timely, practical input.
This is one of the key differences to coaching – a mentor draws on relevant, lived or professional experience. So finding the right match matters.
Crucially, you choose whether or not to take that input on board. While mentoring can feel more directive at times, it is still led by your needs and only offered where you consent.
Where therapy fits in (and where it doesn’t)
Therapy is a different type of support, with a different focus.
While coaching and mentoring may reflect on past experiences, they’re primarily centred on your present and moving forward.
Therapy, on the other hand, is led by trained mental health professionals and focuses on healing emotional wounds, working through trauma, and supporting your mental health in a clinical context. It’s the right route when you need to process painful experiences, explore deep-rooted patterns, or navigate mental health challenges.
I’m not a therapist, and part of working ethically as a coach means knowing when something falls outside the coaching space. If something in our session feels like it might be better served with a therapeutic approach, I’ll flag this and support you in thinking about where else you may access this support. This is not because I’m brushing you off – I am simply making sure you’re getting the right support from the right person for the issue of the moment.
Coaching, mentoring and therapy can absolutely work alongside one another, provided all practitioners are clear on their roles and boundaries are maintained. Sometimes, pausing one while focusing on the other is preferable – and I’ll always be honest with you if I feel that’s the case.
So… coaching, mentoring, therapy – what’s the difference?
Here’s a quick guide:
- Coaching is future-focused and client-led. It’s about growth, change, and moving forward. There is no advice – just space, questions, and tools to help you figure things out
- Mentoring brings in lived experience. It involves a bit more in the way of guidance, and can be really helpful when you want examples or direction from someone who’s been there
- Therapy is past-aware and clinically informed. It’s about healing, mental health, and making sense of deeper emotional experiences
Each approach has its place, and sometimes, working with more than one practitioner makes sense.
For example, someone might work with a therapist to process a difficult work history, while also working with a coach to explore values, clarify what is needed in a work context, and support the shaping of workplace roles and interactions in a way which takes account of their strengths and needs.
The key is that each practitioner stays within their professional boundaries – that way, you benefit from both perspectives without overlap or confusion.
My approach
I often blend coaching and mentoring to offer support that best suits your journey
- The Thrive and Shape modular programmes reflect this, combining elements of both approaches throughout
- The Bespoke programme is fully tailored to your preferences, and we can agree on the type of support that feels right for you before we start. And, if you opt for pure coaching but later identify a mentoring moment, we can revisit that together. It’s always your choice
So, whether you’re feeling stuck, redesigning your working life, or trying to understand aspects of your neurodivergent identity, coaching and mentoring can offer the structure, clarity, and encouragement you need.
If you’re curious about how coaching and mentoring might work for you, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s start with a conversation – no pressure, no judgement. Just you, me, and some time to explore what you need.