Motivational Coaching: A Functional Juxtaposition of Three Methods for Health Behaviour Change: Motivational Interviewing, Coaching, and Skilled Helping

The purpose of this paper was to explore the unique qualities/characteristics/components of the Co-Active coaching model compared to Motivational Interviewing and Egan’s Skilled Helper Model. Six questions pertaining to the creation, purpose, and process of the therapeutic alliance; and the relationship between practitioner and client were used to guide comparisons. Given the similarities among all three methods, it cannot be said that any of them are necessarily distinctive in their core principles or tenets. Instead, their uniqueness lies in the way that they are packaged and delivered. A model of Motivational Coaching, informed by this study’s comparative analysis of the three models/method analyzed in this paper, is presented. Our intent is to distil into one framework the key components of three important and overlapping methods used in working toward behavioural changes.