Who is a mentor a coach and a counsellor? This post will help clarify the differences between these words.





These three terms are often used in the place of each other because people think they mean the same thing. Their definitions are not very different but there exists a clear difference between what a mentor, a coach and what a counsellor does.





This clarification will also help you understand which of them you need to work within order to guide you through your career and life.

Who is a Mentor?

A mentor is a resourceful person you can depend on for general guide and advice concerning life or career. It's a person who challenges and helps you with self-development. S/he helps you to become a better version of yourself, to grow and to stay motivated to be successful in life goals.











A mentor is more of a generalist because he doesn't really focus on one aspect of your life but he inspires you to think and come up with your own systems and methods to work and achieve your goals. S/he guides you to grow positively and gives you constructive criticism.





S/he may ask you questions that will motivate you to discover yourself and know yourself better. S/he guides you to find new inspiration for your life or career. As well as help you discover new ways to manage your weaknesses and strengths.





A mentor can also be role model because they are usually solicited because of their experience in life or a domain that they practice in or a domain that they seem to have a lot of knowledge about.





Who is a Coach?

A coach works just like a mentor but s/he is more specialised in one domain of your life. That's why it's possible to have many coaches like a sports coach, a voice coach, a speech coach, a love coach etc because they are very specific and qualify in a particular domain. They show you step-by-step how to obtain the results you want and they guide you along. Coaches are more task-oriented compared to Mentors.











Coaches can be very specialised and may focus only on one aspect of a particular industry. For example, in sports, we have different coaches for every sports type. There are also specialized coaches in each sports type.





So when choosing a coach, you need to have to know the kind of results you are expecting to get from them so that you can choose well.

Who is a Counsellor?

A counsellor on her part is focused on the problems you face and how it affects your life. They help individuals get out of their psychological and personal problems. They are also looked upon as a confidant.