Both coaching and counselling can help your patients (and indeed yourself, friends or family members) enormously.   But one must not mistake them for the same thing.  Both of these skills are amazing when used in the right context and can add a richness to the way you consult with patients.  Coaches and counsellors spend years in training before they practise.  And you may be thinking “what can I achieve as a GP in the short amount of  time I have”.  Well, there are a lots of quick and effective things that can be done in the 10 minute consultation that you can follow up on with the next consultation.   There are several books out there providing golden nuggets of quick and easy techniques suited for the 10 minute consultation.