Do I Need Coaching or Therapy?

Many people wonder if professional coaching will be a good fit for them. This is an important point that should be taken seriously. The questions below address the difference between coaching and therapy for your consideration.

What is Professional Coaching?

Professional coaching, or life coaching, is a collaborative and client-focused professional partnership. A qualified life coach supports their clients through individualized personal growth and development. As the client, you determine the direction, goals, and objectives for your own life. Your life coach holds space for you in a safe environment and provides support and accountability as you lean into life. Coaching is non-directive and non-judgmental, designed to facilitate your personal transformative process. Collaboration with a life coach frequently opens up your previously unrealized potential for traits such as creativity, productivity, or leadership.

Your professional coach acts as a facilitator to promote problem-solving, self-awareness, and self-discovery. Coaching is designed to enable you to define your own objectives, get beyond current challenges, and create workable plans for success. This process ultimately leads to more personal peace and life satisfaction.

How Do I Know If I Need Professional
Coaching vs Therapy?

While coaching and therapy may seem very similar, there are a few key differences. The relationship between a client and coach is a co-creative, collaborative, professional relationship between equals. This is very different from the doctor-patient relationship found in counseling or therapy.

The approach found in coaching is generally action-oriented. Trained life coaches use techniques such as goal setting, accountability, and skill development. A life coach is there to ask you powerful questions in order to inspire self-discovery and encourage you to take proactive steps toward your personal goals. On the other hand, a therapist or counselor uses various techniques as well as interventions to explore and then address any underlying psychological concerns.

This often involves deep introspection and an analysis of your past experiences in order to recommend strategies to manage or alleviate your mental health symptoms.

While therapy dives into your past to help you heal from traumas and other past factors that are affecting your current mental health, coaching works with you in the present to assist you toward your desired future. A therapist is qualified to diagnose and treat a mental health pathology, while a coach does not diagnose. Coaches also deal with negative emotions differently. Your coach will treat your negative emotions as a normal and natural part of your everyday life and teach you how to move through life with them. A therapist or counselor typically treats your negative emotions as a problem that will require a solution.

What Is The Coaching Gap?

The space between your current life “location” and your desired “destination” is known as the coaching gap. The coaching process is the bridge from one side to the other. Each coaching session promotes placing another plank in place on the bridge that you are building

Eventually, you will place your last plank on the bridge and be able to step foot on the other side of the gap, celebrating another milestone in your life journey.

How Can I Tell If I Am Not Ready For Life Coaching But Need Therapy Instead?

Feeling unable to move forward in life is an indication that you would benefit more from therapy than collaborative coaching. If you feel you are not ready to make the life changes needed to move into a new normal, you may be dealing with unresolved past trauma. With the aid of therapy, you will be empowered to clear your path of psychological strongholds and move forward in life. Coaching can be a great way to “graduate” from therapy when you feel ready to face challenges head-on and step into the life you want to create for yourself.

Do Therapy and Coaching Ever Overlap?

Yes! Therapy and coaching do sometimes overlap. While a mix of coaching and therapy may be helpful for certain people, it’s important to always engage with a qualified expert in each respective sector. When it comes to the thought of “life coach vs. therapist,” it is essential to understand the different values of hiring either or both and recognizing the unique functions and objectives of each field. This enables you to select the best strategy for your situation according to your requirements and objectives.