Coaching vs. Counseling: Differences & Similarities

Understanding the Differences Between Mental Health Coaching and Therapy

When it comes to mental well-being, it can feel like choosing between a gourmet dish and your favorite comfort food. Both have their perks, and depending on what you need, you might just want a little of both. Coaching and therapy offer valuable, distinct benefits. It’s important to recognize that neither approach is inherently better than the other. As Christians, we can embrace both as part of our healing journey, each contributing to our growth in different ways. Whether you’re looking to heal from past emotional wounds or work on personal development, both life coaching and therapy can complement each other to support your well-being.

Common Ground:

1. Focus on Healing and Growth: Both mental health coaching and therapy are rooted in helping individuals heal and grow. Whether you’re working through past struggles or striving to become the person God has created you to be, both paths guide you toward emotional and spiritual health.

2. Confidentiality and Trust: Confidentiality is a key element in both life coaching and therapy. Trust is built so that you can share openly about your experiences and struggles, knowing your thoughts will be respected and protected in a safe space.

3. Goal-Oriented: Both practices are goal-focused. Therapy might focus on emotional healing, while coaching is more focused on setting personal goals. Both are designed to help you move forward in your life with purpose and clarity. Coaching heavily relies on goals and progress, and while therapists can provide life coaching, they don't always have each session as goal-oriented as a coach might because they are most often offering therapies to treat deeper or different issues.

4. Holistic Approach: Both holistic therapists and holistic coaches are all about mind, body, and spirit. Think of us like your wellness trifecta: if one part is slacking, we’re on it. We might not be able to help you find your lost keys or your favorite sock (that's a whole different mystery), but we’ll be there to help you find clarity and peace.

5. Supportive Relationships: Both therapy and life coaching involve a supportive relationship between the client and the professional. This relationship provides the space and encouragement needed to help you move through challenges, make positive changes, and reach your goals.

   
   
   
   
   
   

The Unique Strengths of Each Path:

1. Scope of Practice: Therapists are like the emotional detectives, diving deep into your psyche to uncover hidden truths. Coaches? We’re more like your personal cheerleaders, helping you set goals and celebrate every win—even if that win is simply getting out of bed in the morning. (No judgment here, we’ve all been there!)

   
   

   Therapists are trained to address deeper psychological issues, such as trauma, mental illness, and emotional struggles. They diagnose and treat mental health conditions. Life coaches, however, are focused on personal development and helping clients achieve specific goals. While therapy dives deep into emotional healing, coaching focuses on how to flourish and move forward. A coach won't be diagnosing and treating someone, but they can work with people who already have diagnoses. For example, if a person with a mood disorder comes to a life coach because they have a goal of decreasing stress in their life, the coach may help them with that. However, they are not executing a treatment plan for anxiety -- they are helping them with the goal of decreasing stress.

   
   

2. Training and Expertise: Therapists undergo years of schooling, clinical training, and licensure to treat mental health conditions or to help family systems. Life coaches are often certified through training programs but are not licensed to diagnose or treat mental health issues. Life coaching is ideal for individuals looking to enhance their personal development, strengthen relationships, or achieve specific life goals. Some life coaches, like myself, have a BS in Psychology from an accredited university which positions us a little bit better (in my opinion) to help you compared to coaches who don't have any formal education or certifications. While education isn't everything, it is certainly a great benefit. A good coach (or therapist) should continue staying up to date on tools, research, and techniques.

3. Approach to Challenges: Therapy often focuses on understanding and healing from past wounds. It provides an opportunity to explore emotional struggles and develop coping strategies. Life coaching, in contrast, is mostly present and future-focused, helping individuals set actionable goals, develop healthy habits, and work through obstacles to reach their aspirations. It may be that pains from the past come up in a coaching session, but the coach isn't looking to provide trauma treatment. The coach might use that valuable insight to formulate a plan that works for the client in addressing their goals so that they have better success.

4. Regulatory Differences: Therapists are licensed and regulated by state licensing boards which ensures they adhere to professional and ethical standards. Life coaches, while often certified by respected coaching organizations, have less formal regulatory oversight. This gives coaches more flexibility to offer personalized services tailored to the individual. However, I will say that, sadly, because coaching isn't the most regulated field, I have seen a lot of coaches who are looking to just make some quick cash off of people. Make sure that the coach you're working with is in it for the right reasons before you ever pay them a penny of your money or your time.

5. Methodology: Therapists use evidence-based therapeutic methods to address mental health issues, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or talk therapy. Life coaches use strategies to help clients set goals, establish new habits, and break through barriers. Coaching tends to focus on practical tools for achieving personal success, whereas therapy focuses on healing emotional pain. Coaching can include tools that are pulled from certain modalities of therapy. For example, coaches may use cognitive behavioral techniques and strategies, but not therapy. Since I have a BS in Psychology, I use a lot of different techniques that are inspired from different therapy modalities, but I don't provide the therapies.

   
   

A Balanced Approach

Whether you're headed to therapy or life coaching, just remember: it’s not a competition. It’s more like a tag team of support, each one stepping in to help you at different points in your journey. Therapy helps you clear the emotional clutter, while life coaching gives you the roadmap to your best self. Together, they’re like a power combo—think peanut butter and jelly, but with more breakthroughs and fewer crumbs.

If you're focused on making positive life changes, improving relationships, or pursuing personal goals, life coaching can be a great option. It empowers individuals to move forward, breaking free from limiting beliefs and embracing a fuller, more intentional life. Therapy, on the other hand, can be a powerful tool for working through unresolved emotional issues.

Ultimately, whether you seek therapy or coaching, both can help you take steps toward the abundant life you were created for. These practices work hand-in-hand, and it's entirely possible to benefit from both, depending on where you are in your journey.