The Fine Line Between Agile Coaching And Psychotherapy
By: Lisa Bradburn
Tags: Health, Psychology, Corporate Culture, Agile, Coaching

The Fine Line Between Agile Coaching And Psychotherapy

Parallel Lines | Image by costelbcc from Pixabay

In my coaching experience, time, and time again, I continue to utilize psychotherapy practices. Is this a coincidence? Definitely not. The two professions have unique parallels and attract the same soft skills in talent.

The following article is based on a webinar section I delivered titled “The Intersection Between Agile Coaching And Psychotherapy” on December 16, 2020, for 140 members of The Expert Agile Club, a global Agile community.

Given my corporate coaching career is coupled with studying to become a Gestalt psychotherapy practitioner, I’m in a unique position to speak on this relevant topic because I live and breathe “the work” every day.

First, A Question

Which scenario best describes the role of a Psychotherapist versus an Agile Coach?

Scenario 1 | Image By Lisa Bradburn

Scenario 2| Image By Lisa Bradburn

If you’re scratching your head, thinking both scenarios relate to Agile Coaching and Psychotherapy — you are correct. And my question leads to the next point.

Fine Line | Image By Lisa Bradburn

There is a fine line between the role of a Psychotherapist and an Agile Coach. I have provided an unexhaustive list of known differences and similarities between the two professions in the below table.

Differences & Similarities Between Professions | Image By Lisa Bradburn

From the above chart, let’s explore three core concepts.

A psychotherapist supports the inter-personal needs of a client or group. An Agile Coach supports the organization to create value from building products. To achieve this, a Coach works vertically or horizontally with individuals, teams, and the enterprise to support the value proposition. The main difference: Agile Coaches are not hired to delve into individual psychological personal challenges, despite these issues showing up at work. For example, an Agile Coach should not work with clients regarding martial, substance abuse, and depression as examples.

While the objectives may differ between Agile Coaching and Psychotherapists, both roles strive to achieve healthy behavior — whether it be with individuals or the overall organizational system. And the tools to enable how health is achieved are also similar — through creating experiments, role-playing, and modeling, to name a few.

Now that we know the differences and similarities between a Psychotherapist and an Agile Coach — have you ever walked a fine line between the two?

Soft Skill Similarities

Practitioners who enter Agile Coaching and Psychotherapy fields generally exhibit the following skillset or continue to hone these crucial qualities to evolve deeper relationships and impact clients.

Embody qualities of empathy

Holds space for others with patience

An attitude of respect and sensitivity towards clients with widely varied backgrounds, abilities, socioeconomic and educational status

Servant leadership; focus on others, not themselves.

A deep curiosity of the other

High level of self-awareness

Understand and self-manage personal triggers

Awareness of reactive and creative states

Awareness of judgment and personal bias

The desire for and use of healthy conflict resolution strategies

Active listening

Granted, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the above list is proof that these exemplary qualities are a lifelong pursuit of working with others as a mirror reflects upon our own behaviors and actions. Agile Coaches and Psychotherapists are called for continued self-reflection to understand how we show up in the system, directly impacting the quality of our interactions with others.

Expert Agile Club | YouTube Video Short Clip

In Conclusion

Psychotherapists focus on an individual's or group's mental health by promoting healthy habits.

An Agile Coach supports the organization to create value from building products. To achieve this, a Coach works horizontally and vertically with individuals, teams, and the enterprise to support the value proposition.

Effective Psychotherapists and Agile Coaches require the same soft skills such as empathy, self-awareness, and the ability to listen to others.