Difference Between Coaching & Therapy

Service Differences
Coaching
  • Coaching focuses on prevention and maximizing your emotional health.
  • work with healthy clients who are striving to improve their circumstances and achieving their full potential.​ ​
  • Coaching helps clients set manageable goals, then work in partnership with clients to reach them, especially someone who doesn’t know where to start or how to tackle a big change in their life.
  • Coaching is limited in scope and more serious, deeper issues may need therapy.
Therapy
  • Therapy is the treatment of mental health issues and requires a mental health diagnosis.
  • Therapist services can be covered by insurance if the services you are seeking are considered medically necessary by the insurance company.  
  • Therapy focuses on moving people from a state of dysfunction to one of being functional.
  • Therapists work with persons needing help and hoping to identify dysfunction or trauma to heal and resolve old pain.
Differences in Who is Served
Coaching
  • People who are generally healthy but still need support.
  • ​People who are more emotionally stable.  
  • People who want to talk about their careers and what is holding them back or causing them problems on the job.
  •  ​People wanting to improve how they approach relationships. ​
  • Couples wanting to improve communication.
Therapy
  • People looking for mental health treatment.
  • People struggling with an undiagnosed mental health issue.  
  • People struggling with a crisis in their lives.
  •  ​People dealing with chemical dependency or other addiction issue. ​
  • Couples in Crisis or dealing with relational injury.
Differences in Licensure
Coaching
Life coaches are permitted to practice without a license and thus are not required to follow any ethical requirements, do continuing education or have any official oversight.
Therapy
Therapists must meet state licensing requirements which include: A Master degree, a great deal of post master’s supervision and counseling hours, pass a licensing exam, maintain continuing education and follow professional ethical requirements.​
Benefits of your coach being a licensed Therapist

​By seeing a licensed therapist for your life coaching needs, you are working with someone who has advanced training and who’s qualifications have been certified by a licensing board and follows high ethical standards.  You will be getting life coaching and not therapy but you will have the benefit and experience of a therapist who will partner with you in discovering your full potential in reaching your goals and if needed, use my expertise to help you understand when your needs require more than life coaching and get you referred to the appropriate level of support.