Coaching and therapy ask different questions. Coaching asks “what do you want to build from here?” My clinical background just means I never lose sight of the whole person while we build it.
How I Approach Coaching
Coaching and therapy share a room, a conversation style, and often a person, but they’re not the same discipline, and I hold that distinction carefully. The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking, creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, and draws the line clearly: coaching focuses on the present and future, assumes resourcefulness rather than something needing to be healed, and does not diagnose or treat mental illness.1 That’s the model I follow. A coaching engagement with me is oriented toward a goal you’ve named, not a diagnosis, and it moves at the pace of building something forward rather than working through something backward.
What my clinical background adds isn’t a hidden therapy agenda, it’s pattern recognition. Twenty-five years of clinical work means I notice when procrastination is really an executive functioning issue, when a leadership struggle is really a conflict-avoidance pattern learned decades ago, or when “I just need better time management” is masking something that would genuinely benefit from therapy instead. When that’s the case, I say so directly and can refer accordingly, consistent with the same ethical boundary the ICF asks all coaches to maintain.1
What I Offer
Executive Coaching
For senior leaders navigating high-stakes decisions, team dynamics, and the isolation that often comes with the role.
Management Coaching
Practical support for new and experienced managers building the interpersonal and organizational skills the role demands.
Leadership Coaching
Developing the judgment, communication, and self-awareness that separate good leaders from good individual performers.
Founder Coaching
For founders carrying the particular weight of building something from nothing, often with few peers who understand it firsthand.
Early Career Coaching
Building confidence, direction, and workplace skills in the first years of a career, before patterns calcify.
ADHD Coaching
Skills-based, practical coaching for adults managing focus, time management, and task follow-through day to day.
Executive Functioning Coaching
Building the planning, organization, and follow-through skills that underlie performance at work and at home, whether or not ADHD is part of the picture.
People sometimes ask why a clinical psychologist offers coaching at all, since the two fields get lumped together so often. Here’s my honest answer: I like the work precisely because it’s different. Therapy asks me to sit with what’s difficult and help someone heal at whatever pace that takes. Coaching asks me to help someone who is often already doing fine build something specific and forward-looking, faster, and with a clearer finish line in mind. I find that energizing in a different way than therapy is, and I think you can feel the difference in how a session goes.
That said, I don’t leave my clinical training at the door. If I notice a pattern in a coaching client that looks more like an anxiety disorder than a leadership challenge, I’ll tell you plainly, and we’ll talk about whether therapy would serve you better, either instead of or alongside coaching. I’d rather be useful to you honestly than keep a coaching engagement going past the point where it’s the right tool for the job.
— Alan
- The MATCH Framework — how I build individualized plans across therapy and coaching alike
- Individual Therapy
- Adult ADHD Therapy
- ADHD Coaching for College Students
- Executive Functioning Coaching
Not sure if coaching or therapy is the right fit?
A free consultation is the easiest way to find out, and I’ll tell you honestly if I think the other is a better starting point.
Schedule a Free Consultation See the MATCH FrameworkWhat’s the difference between coaching and therapy with you?
Coaching is future-focused and goal-driven, aimed at building toward something you’ve named, and it doesn’t involve diagnosing or treating mental health conditions. Therapy addresses emotional difficulties, mental health conditions, and past experiences shaping the present. My clinical background informs how I coach, but a coaching engagement follows the coaching model, not the therapy model.
Can I do coaching and therapy with you at the same time?
In some cases, yes, though it depends on the specifics of what each is addressing. I’ll talk this through with you directly during a consultation, since the right structure depends on your particular goals and circumstances.
What if I start coaching and it becomes clear I need therapy instead?
I’ll tell you directly if that’s what I’m noticing. Because I’m a licensed clinical psychologist as well as a coach, I’m positioned to recognize when a concern goes beyond what coaching is designed to address, and we can talk about shifting to therapy instead of, or alongside, the coaching work.
Do you coach individuals, or teams and organizations too?
My coaching work is primarily one-on-one, whether the client is an executive, founder, manager, or early-career professional. Reach out during a consultation to discuss your specific situation and goals.
How long does a coaching engagement typically last?
It depends entirely on your goals. Some clients come in with a specific, bounded objective and wrap up in a matter of months; others use coaching on an ongoing basis through a role transition or period of growth. We’ll set clear goals at the start so it’s never a mystery whether the engagement is working.
Is coaching conducted virtually?
Yes. Coaching is available virtually, which many clients find easier to fit around demanding schedules, in addition to limited in-person availability near my Massachusetts and New Hampshire offices.
- International Coaching Federation. “Referring a Client to Therapy: A Set of Guidelines.” coachingfederation.org
