Clearing Ego & Creating Magic

Therapy or Coaching: Which is Right for Me?

Mar 2, 2022 | Right Brain, Therapy

Being human is complex, and we all need support to be well and be thriving. Thankfully, there are many helpers in the world! Whether you’re moving on from suffering, or moving forward into a new future, people are available to help with your transition. The key is knowing who to get assistance from based on where you are in your life.

 

Therapy (or counseling) and coaching do share some similarities. Both provide space for the client to realize their wholeness and completeness. Therapists and coaches both enable clients to have increased well-being, productivity, and make positive changes in their lives. As with therapy, coaching offers a chance to open up to what one is struggling with and work toward a goal. As with coaching, therapy offers an opportunity to gain confidence and peace of mind, and to lay down overwhelm.

 

However, there are some key differences, too. Coaches are neither educated nor licensed to perform counseling, and doing so is unethical. Coaching cannot be used to diagnose or treat any mental illness, including addiction, depression, anxiety, phobias, unhealthy relationship issues, grief or loss. Therapy lasts as long as it takes to heal from the past and treat disorders, while coaching can be just a few months. Therapy focuses on the past (recent or distant) as a means to understand why the patient is how they are, while coaching focuses on the present and achieving future goals from where the client is currently.

 

Counseling is always beneficial. It is also sometimes necessary when working with a life coach! In coaching, if trauma has not been healed, a good coach will recommend you get in touch with a therapist to sort out what is emotionally holding you back, and may postpone coaching until you have the therapeutic help you need.

 

The ICF (International Coaching Federation) on the differences between coaching and therapy:

 

“Coaching can be distinguished from therapy in a number of ways. First, coaching is a profession that supports personal and professional growth and development based on individual-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is forward moving and future focused. Therapy, on the other hand, deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or a relationship between two or more individuals. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past which hamper an individual’s emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with present life and work circumstances in more emotionally healthy ways. Therapy outcomes often include improved emotional/feeling states. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one’s work or personal life. The emphasis in a coaching relationship is on action, accountability and follow through.”

 

If you’re wanting to dive deeper into understanding yourself, the helpers are there for you. And sometimes moving forward requires pausing and looking backward. The following are some guidelines for when to use a therapist versus a coach.

Contact a therapist if:

  • Events from the past are holding you back
  • You’re experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression or another mental health challenge
  • You’ve experienced and are unable to move past trauma
  • You’re experiencing ongoing emotional distress
  • You find yourself in a pattern of dysfunctional relationships

Contact a coach if:

  • You’re ready to get clear about what you want in life and what’s in your way
  • Your goals are to build a certain future (not talk about or heal from the past)
  • You need accountability to achieve your goals
  • You feel you aren’t meeting your full potential
  • You desire a more fulfilling and purpose-driven life

 

The work of self-awareness and self-development is not always easy, but please believe that you are worth it! You need to believe in yourself first – and we are here to help you with that!

If you are interested in coaching, please contact me today!