Life Coaching vs. Therapy

Not sure who to hire? Here’s what you need to know.

Coaches and therapists are professionals with badass listening skills. They both provide confidential sessions and they both facilitate positive changes. So what’s the difference?

A therapist is a licensed mental health professional with clinical training who helps patients examine and address behavioral and thinking patterns to improve daily life. A therapist is able to diagnose and treat mental health illnesses and conditions.

A coach is a service based professional who partners with clients to help them maximize their personal and professional potential.

A coach is not able to legally diagnose or treat any mental health conditions. If you meet a coach who claims they can do so, run in the opposite direction. A coach should not provide treatment of any kind. In fact, it is the coach’s job to relate to their clients as well.

I can hear you already:
“If I’m WELL then why would I think about even hiring a coach?” Great question. Let’s talk sports for a moment.

Pretend you are an athlete.
When do you deal with your the physical therapist?⁣
When your injuries or disorders keep you on the bench, or when you they keep you from playing in any sort of meaningful way. ⁣You work with that therapist to get you off that bench.⁣
When you’re back in playing shape, you deal with your coach. ⁣
Your coach relates to you as healthy. ⁣They see your potential. ⁣They push you to train your hardest and play your best.⁣
⁣
This isn’t to say that your therapist doesn’t assist with maintenance and can’t support you in creating healthier playing habits. ⁣It also doesn’t mean that your coach ignores your past injuries or asks you to play through new ones. ⁣
⁣In the game of life a coach helps you maximize your time on the field.

These relationships differ not only in function, but in practices and connection.

Here are the details:

TIME

A coach usually works with you for a set amount of time. Most commonly, coaching contracts last anywhere from 3–12 months. Therapists typically do not have a set amount of time designated to each client. It is not uncommon for a therapist to work with a client for years.

PAYMENT

A therapist typically charges by the hour while a coaches are more likely to charge by the package. Insurance may cover your therapy costs, but you will almost always pay out of pocket for coaching.

PAST VS PRESENT

A therapist may support their clients but examining family history or by helping them to recover from past traumas. This can provide insight and healing. However, it is not a coach’s place to go digging around in your past. The coaching relationship is always present and future oriented. This isn’t to say that the past never comes up in a coaching session or that patients cannot work to achieve future goals with a therapist. However, there tends to be more focus on working through painful emotions and old wounds in therapy than in coaching.

SELF DISCLOSURE

Therapists and coaches build relationships in different ways. Most people know very little about their therapist. Therapy is healthcare; the relationship is one between healthcare professional and patient. Though self-disclosure can be an effective tool, therapists are usually dissuaded from sharing too much personal information.

Because the coaching relationship is viewed as a partnership, coaches are more likely to share of themselves, especially in their marketing, to build trust and rapport. This is not true of all coaches or therapists, but rather, a general trend. In both instances, a competent professional will spend more time discussing and examining your life than their own.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Finally, I must note that a life coach may or may not be accredited/trained/licensed. The coaching industry is only about 30 years old and is not regulated as heavily as the mental health industry. (Many of us hope to see this change soon.) While there are very real, legal consequences to providing therapy without proper training and licensure, there are no such repercussions for an untrained “coach.” As a result, you may have noticed the uptick in entrepreneurs who choose to use the “coach” label. Some of these people are excellent coaches. Some of these people are not actually coaches, but rather mentors or consultants. Some of these people are cons looking to pitch their latest pyramid scheme. A reputable coach will be able to share their training, accreditation, and qualifications without hesitation.
Bottom line — strict laws mean you can usually trust that anyone who calls themselves a therapist is, indeed, a therapist. When shopping for a coach, it is imperative that you do your research.

WHEN TO CONSIDER HIRING A COACH

• You have big goals but you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.⁣⁠⁣⁠
• You’ve been working towards the same goal for what feels like FOREVER and you’re stuck. ⁣⁠⁣⁠
• You’re looking to create accountability in your life. ⁣⁠⁣
• You find yourself in the midst of a big transition and you’re unsure of how to proceed. ⁣⁣⁠
• You have very specific dreams, but no roadmap or support.
• You’re getting tired of your own bullsh*t.

WHEN TO CONSIDER HIRING A THERAPIST

• You feel overwhelmed by your emotions and it’s impacting your day to day life. Your mood appears uncontrollable.
• You feel no emotions or a notable decrease in emotions. You experience apathy.
• You are struggling to maintain healthy relationships.
• You have concerns about your mental health.
• You are looking to develop new coping skills.