Coaching and mentoring seem to be the two most compared and contrasted learning processes, with MacLennan (1999) declaring that the two roles are worlds apart and overlapping, depending on which dimensions they are compared.  MacLennan (1999) describes coaching as a pulling out activity, where a coach is someone to learn with and mentoring as a putting in activity, where a mentor is someone available to learn from (also supported by Parsloe & Wray 2004.)

The Coaching and Mentoring Network state that ‘coaching and mentoring are processes that enable both individuals and corporate Mentees to achieve their full potential’ (C&MN 2005) and they argue that the common thread that unites both types of service, are that they offer a vehicle for analysis, reflection, learning and action that ultimately enables the Mentee to achieve success in one or more areas of their life or work.

There is also debate about whether coaches can mentor and mentors can coach, with Landsberg (1996) declaring that mentoring is a role that includes coaching but that coaches do not mentor as they are hired to help with performance issues or specific skills and do not get involved in the softer people issues, career management issues etc (Tyler 2004.) However, this more traditional view of coaching and mentoring appears to be being overtaken, as now there are a variety of professionals in the marketplace describing themselves with titles like Business Coach, Executive Coach, Life Coach, Career Coach. This has allowed ‘coaching’ to spread over into some of the personal development areas, traditionally reserved for mentoring.
Definitions of Coaching

More traditional views of (on-the-job/performance type) coaching; ‘Coaching is the process whereby one individual helps another; to unlock their natural ability; to perform, learn and achieve; to increase awareness of factors which determine performance; to increase their sense of self responsibility and ownership of their performance; to self-coach; to identify and remove internal barriers to achievement.’  MacLennan (1999) ‘Coaching is around specific performance issues or goals. Coaches are subject matter experts, such as learning a new computer program. Most coaching is short term; it typically doesn’t last over a year. In mentoring relationships, you’re usually talking about soft issues, people issues, and cultural issues. How to be a more effective communicator or motivating a high-performing team… A coach is a person you hire to help you with a specific issue or goals. A mentor is a person whom you cultivate a relationship, based on a mutual exchange of information and perspective.’  Tyler (2004).
Definitions of Mentoring

Mentoring has different definitions, mainly derived from evidence-based practice (not academic studies) and testimonials and opinions of HR practitioners and business consultants (Merriam 1983, Clutterbuck 2004). However, these focus more on the skills, functions and the activity of mentoring and less on the attitudes and emotional disposition required within the mentoring relationship.   Mentoring is a complex, social and psychological activity (Roberts 2000) and therefore attempts at a universal definition of mentoring have become a quagmire (Hagerty 1986). Mentoring is a slippery concept (Daloz 1986) and as such definitions vary with respect to differing dimensions such as hierarchy, intensity, duration and partnership (Gibson 2004) and according to national and cultural traditions. There is however, some consensus between all this theory that mentoring is a process that supports and encourages learning to happen (Parsloe & Wray 2004) and that mentoring is an intense and powerful one-on-one developmental relationship that leads to skills development (Wanberg et al 2003). When all this theory is stripped away, however, mentoring is still simply about 'a regular one to-one meeting to support the learner in their desire to improve their personal situation or their business life', (Parsloe & Wray 2000) and as such it has some similarities to the other learning processes of coaching, counselling, training and Managing.
Definitions of Counselling

Many people will, at some point in their lives, find themselves in the role of a counsellor without having a true understanding of the concept of counselling or what the role of the professional counsellor entails. There is a big difference between a professional counsellor and a person who uses some counselling skills as part of their role, for example their role as a friend or colleague.  A professional counsellor is a highly trained individual who is able to use a different range of counselling approaches with their clients. 'Counselling' can be a confusing term - it often has different meanings for different people. The Concise Oxford Dictionary (9th Edition) gives at least two definitions of counselling, which appear to be conflicting, adding to potential confusion: “give advice to (a person) on social or personal problems, especially professionally.” and “the process of assisting and guiding clients, especially by a trained person on a professional basis, to resolve especially personal, social, or psychological problems and difficulties.”
Counselling and Psychotherapy

Both ‘psychotherapy’ and ‘counselling’ are terms that used for the same process.  Both terms relate to overcoming personal difficulties and working towards positive change.  Counselling is a helping approach that highlights the emotional and intellectual experience of a person, how a person is feeling and what they think about the problem they have sought help for.  Psychotherapy, however, is based in the psycho-dynamic approach to counselling - it encourages the client to go back to their earlier experiences and explore how these experiences effect their current ‘problem’.  A psychotherapist, therefore, helps the client to become conscious of experiences which they were previously unaware of.  Counsellors, however, are less likely to be concerned with the past experiences of the client and are generally trained in a humanistic approach, using techniques from client-centered therapy.