![A lavender armchair facing a fork where a garden path splits three ways](https://viacara.com/img/content/work-and-career-feature-light.webp) # Work and Career Changing career, stepping up, speaking, running a business or competing. How a coach can help you move forward, and when a therapist fits better. Most of this page is about work you want to change, not work that is wearing you down. A coach helps you choose where to go next, then take the steps. If the job is harming your health, start with [burnout at work](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/burnout-at-work/) instead. If fear or low mood holds you back, each section below says when a therapist or counsellor fits better. Coaching is not therapy Coaching has a developmental focus. It works on goals, change and action, not on understanding the past or recovering from trauma. A coach does not treat, diagnose or cure a mental health condition. If your mental health is the problem, a therapist or counsellor is the right place to start. [How to find the right professional](https://viacara.com/guides/finding-a-practitioner/). The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy says: > While counselling is reparative in nature, coaching has a developmental focus. Coaching starts from where you want to get to. It is not mainly about understanding the past or getting over traumatic events. Source: [BACP: coaching](https://viacara.com/support/work-and-career/#ref-1) ## Changing *career* Changing career might mean a new industry, going freelance or returning to work after a break. Often the hardest part is choosing, not moving. Free careers advice is a good first call. Each UK nation runs its own service. [Get careers information and advice](https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk) Adults England Job profiles and skills tools online, plus a phone line to a Department for Work and Pensions careers adviser. The phone line is for people aged 18 or over. If you are under 18, ask the careers adviser at your school, college or training provider. Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm [Call](tel:+448000720288) [My World of Work](https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk) Anyone Scotland Skills Development Scotland's careers service, with advice by phone and at local centres. Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm [Call](tel:+448009178000) [Careers Wales](https://careerswales.gov.wales) Anyone Wales Free careers advice by phone, webchat or at a centre, in Welsh or English. Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm Friday 9am to 4.30pm [Call](tel:+448000284844) [Other ways to get in touch](https://careerswales.gov.wales/contact-us) [Careers Service NI](https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/careers) Anyone Northern Ireland Free careers guidance by phone or webchat, with local careers offices. The phone line's hours are not published. Webchat runs weekdays 9.30am to 4.30pm. [Call](tel:+443002007820) [Start a webchat](https://chat.nidirect.gov.uk/visitor/preentry.html) A careers adviser shows you the options. A coach works with you over several sessions to pick one, try it out and follow it through. Sometimes the change is forced on you, or it frightens more than it excites. Then a counsellor may help more than a plan. ## Direction and *growth* Sometimes the job is fine and you still feel stuck. You may want the next role, a new skill or work that fits your values. This is where coaching is most at home. A coach helps you name the goal, see what stands in the way and agree the next step. Sometimes feeling stuck comes with a harsh inner voice. If so, our page on [low self-esteem](https://viacara.com/support/self-esteem/) may fit better. ## Stepping into *leadership* A first leadership role changes the job overnight. You stop being judged on your own work and start being judged on your team's. A leadership coach can help with things like: - Managing people who used to be your peers - A difficult conversation you keep putting off - Deciding with less information than you would like - Feeling alone at the top of a team Coaching works on how you lead. Doubt about whether you deserve the role is different. A counsellor can help with where it comes from, and our page on [imposter syndrome](https://viacara.com/support/imposter-syndrome/) covers it. ![The same armchair moved a short way along one path, beside an open workshop](https://viacara.com/img/content/work-and-career-mid-light.webp) The next step, taken on purpose ## Presence and *speaking* Presence is how you come across in a room: whether people listen, and whether your ideas land. You may have been told you lack gravitas, or keep missing out on roles you could do. A coach can help you prepare, rehearse and get honest feedback. Some nerves before a big talk are normal. Fear is different when it starts to run your working life. The NHS describes social anxiety as a lasting fear that affects work, including doing things while others watch. If you turn down jobs or meetings to avoid speaking, start with our [anxiety page](https://viacara.com/support/anxiety/) and a therapist. Source: [NHS: social anxiety](https://viacara.com/support/work-and-career/#ref-2) ## Running your *own* business Running a business can be lonely. There may be nobody to share decisions with, and the business can start to feel like who you are. Free business advice deals with the practical side. Each UK nation has its own service. [Business Support Service](https://www.gov.uk/get-business-support) Starting or running a business England Free help finding funding, support and guidance for a business in England. Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm closed on bank holidays [Call](tel:+448009981098) [Business Gateway](https://www.bgateway.com) Starting or running a business Scotland Free advice on starting and growing a business, by phone, online or at a local office. Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm [Call](tel:+443000134753) [Business Wales](https://businesswales.gov.wales) Starting or running a business Wales Free business advice and guidance by phone or online, in Welsh or English. Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm closed on public holidays [Call](tel:+443000603000) [Invest NI business support](https://www.investni.com) Starting or running a business Northern Ireland Invest NI's business support team, with free advice and guidance at nibusinessinfo.co.uk. Invest NI does not publish the line's opening hours. [Call](tel:+448001814422) [Read the guidance](https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk) A business adviser helps with the money and the plan. A coach can help with carrying it alone: decisions, boundaries and what you want the business to be for. We found no UK helpline built for people who run their own business. If the pressure has turned into exhaustion, read about [burnout](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/). ## Sport and *performance* Sport puts your body, your results and often your identity on show. Pressure, injury, selection and leaving sport can all hit hard. Free support comes first. Sporting Wellness supports UK athletes aged 16 or over who compete above a social level. [Sporting Wellness](https://www.sportingwellness.org) Aged 16 or over Free mental health and wellbeing support for UK athletes who compete above a social or recreational level. [Check if you qualify](https://www.sportingwellness.org/getsupport/) [PFA wellbeing line](https://www.thepfa.com) Professional footballers A 24-hour line for current and former professional players in the English leagues. Open 24/7 [Call](tel:+447500000777) An International Olympic Committee panel found mental health symptoms common among elite athletes. Retiring through injury or being dropped is linked to a higher risk of those symptoms. A performance coach works on preparation, focus and routine. "Sport and exercise psychologist" is a protected title. Only a professional on the Health and Care Professions Council register may use it. If that is who you want, check the register before you book. Sources: [Sporting Wellness: support](https://viacara.com/support/work-and-career/#ref-4), [Reardon et al. 2019](https://viacara.com/support/work-and-career/#ref-3), [HCPC: professions regulated](https://viacara.com/support/work-and-career/#ref-5) ## What the research *shows* A 2016 review pooled 17 workplace studies of coaching. It found positive effects on skills, attitudes and individual results at work. The authors call that number of studies relatively small, and ask readers to take care with the results. Nobody can promise that coaching will work for you, and we will not. Source: [Jones et al. 2016](https://viacara.com/support/work-and-career/#ref-6) ## When a *therapist* fits better Coaching assumes you are well enough to act on a plan between sessions. When low mood, anxiety or something that happened is what stops you, a therapist or counsellor is a better start. Not sure which you need? Our guide to [therapy, coaching or hypnotherapy](https://viacara.com/guides/therapy-coaching-or-hypnotherapy/) sets the three side by side. ## Choosing a *coach* Life coaching is not regulated in the UK, so anyone can call themselves a life coach. That makes the coach's own accreditation the thing to check. We accept coaches accredited by the International Coaching Federation. A coach with another accreditation can register it, and we verify it before you see them. Ask how they work, and what they do if you raise something coaching is not built for. Source: [GOV.UK careers: life coach](https://viacara.com/support/work-and-career/#ref-7) Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment. ## What do you want to *change* about your work? We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit. Leave your email and we'll let you know as soon as we're ready for you. This conversation helps us find you the right support. What you share helps us understand what you're looking for and find someone who fits. Your email keeps you updated on what's happening next and isn't shared with anyone we introduce you to. [Privacy policy](https://viacara.com/privacy) [Terms of service](https://viacara.com/terms) ## References 1. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2026). *Coaching*. [Link](https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy/coaching/) 2. National Health Service (2023). *Social anxiety (social phobia)*. [Link](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/social-anxiety/) 3. Reardon, C. L. et al. (2019). *Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2019)*. British Journal of Sports Medicine. [doi:10.1136/bjsports-2019-100715](https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-100715) 4. Sporting Wellness (2026). *Get support*. [Link](https://www.sportingwellness.org/getsupport/) 5. Health and Care Professions Council (2025). *The professions we regulate*. [Link](https://www.hcpc-uk.org/about-us/who-we-regulate/the-professions/) 6. Jones, R. J., Woods, S. A. & Guillaume, Y. R. F. (2016). *The effectiveness of workplace coaching: a meta-analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching*. [doi:10.1111/joop.12119](https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12119) 7. Get careers information and advice (2026). *Life coach*. [Link](https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/life-coach) ## Related ### [Coaching](https://viacara.com/approaches/coaching/) Learn how coaching works, what the main coaching styles are, how it differs from therapy and how to tell whether a coach is the right person for you. ### [Burnout at Work](https://viacara.com/support/burnout/burnout-at-work/) Burnout has one official definition and it stops at the job. The three dimensions, the UK numbers and what a professional can change. ### [Understanding Anxiety](https://viacara.com/support/anxiety/) Learn about anxiety, its symptoms and how therapy can help. Find the right practitioner for anxiety support. ### [Low Self-Esteem](https://viacara.com/support/self-esteem/) Low self-esteem is a learned opinion of yourself, and it can change. Find a professional who helps you see yourself more fairly. ### [Imposter Syndrome](https://viacara.com/support/imposter-syndrome/) Feeling like a fraud however well you do is common, and the research does not call it an illness. Where it comes from, and who can help. ### [Therapy, Coaching or Hypnotherapy?](https://viacara.com/guides/therapy-coaching-or-hypnotherapy/) A plain guide to the difference between a therapist, a coach and a hypnotherapist, what each is for and how to tell which one you need.