Mentor, therapist or coach?

What’s the difference?

I get this a lot and it’s a good question. While they are different, the common theme is that they all aim to provide some sort of improvement to your mindset and ultimately, your life.

And as someone who has experienced and benefited from all three, here’s how I would describe them, particularly from a career perspective.

Mentor

These are people in your personal or professional networks who you can lean on and trust for career development guidance.

Mentors provide best practices, their experiences and perspectives on career-related topics and can also teach tactical skills and knowledge around a particular area or industry.

The frequency and duration of meetings can vary across each person. Because mentorship is usually not structured, it is good practice to set early expectations on goals and needs.

When mentorships are mutually beneficial (as opposed to being one-sided), it can create a lot of value. For instance, if you excel in strong communications and are looking to sharpen your data analytics skills, you could seek out a mentor on the data team who might be looking to improve their speaking and presentation style.

Mentorship advice is free of charge and the investment comes in the form of time spent on fostering the relationship.

Therapist

These are licensed health professionals who are trained to help reduce mental illness challenges like fear and stress to improve your life.

Therapists typically will examine your past — such as family history, trauma, relationships — to help inform how that might have shaped your current day mindset and thought patterns.

Depending on their approach and the intensity of your anxieties, therapists might bring in different techniques to help address your needs such as music, journaling, meditation and other approaches.

If you find yourself constantly feeling stuck in a rut with stress, anxiety and fear, a mentor or career coach might not necessarily be the right solution to fully support you. A therapist could give you better clues as to why you’re feeling that way and teach you coping strategies to improve your wellbeing.

Therapy services require payment and frequent, ongoing visits for it to be the most impactful.

Coach

These are people who will work in collaboration with you to help you reach specific career goals. They encourage self-discovery of talents and strengths and will empower you to take ownership of advancing in your career.

Coaches will share their point of view on how to improve your mindset for professional success and provide accountability.

Depending on the style or structure of the coach, there could be reading materials, assignments and milestones to work towards with the goal of reaching a specified destination.

There are many different types of coaching styles so clients will seek out and hire people that they resonate most with – specifically on their unique experience and perspective. A coaching relationship is more structured and formal than a mentorship and the work is focused entirely on helping the client succeed.

If you have a specific career goal in mind such as getting out of your current industry and changing your career by the end of the year, a career coach can help you break down specifics and work with you on ways to get there.

Services require payment and options can range from singular coaching sessions to more comprehensive training programs.

Whether you’re considering a mentor, therapist or coach, it’s important to find multiple people to interview. The goal is to find someone who you can connect with who you believe can help bring a positive shift in your life.