Coaching vs. Therapy
There are a lot of different ways and methods of healing and receiving the help we need, it can be overwhelming and confusing. A lot of my clients have a hard time distinguishing the difference between coaching and therapy. I assure you they are very different. Let’s explore.
The main difference between these two modalities is what they focus on. Therapy focuses on the past and how those thoughts and feelings are influencing your present behaviors. Coaching focuses on current problematic behaviors to modify them and create new results. It may sometimes touch on the past when dealing with limiting beliefs that hold us back, but ultimately looks at where you are now and where you would love to be. Commonly referred to as “the gap” by most coaches.
Tony Robbins defines it this way: What is therapy? Therapy, also called counseling or psychotherapy, is a long-term process in which a client works with a healthcare professional to diagnose and resolve problematic beliefs, behaviors, relationship issues, feelings and sometimes physical responses. The idea behind therapy is to focus on past traumas and issues to change self-destructive habits, repair and improve relationships and work through painful feelings. In this sense, therapy focuses on the past and on introspection and analysis, with the hope of resolving past issues and creating a happier, more stable future.
What is life coaching? In life coaching, a client works with a coach who is not a healthcare professional to clarify goals and identify obstacles and problematic behaviors in order to create action plans to achieve desired results. The main way that a life coach vs. therapist works is that the life coach takes the client’s current starting point as an acceptable neutral ground and is more action-based from that point onward. A life coach enables the person receiving treatment to take control of their life and take action to steer it toward their goals. https://www.tonyrobbins.com/coaching/life-coach-vs-therapist/
Most coaches are not licensed to diagnose clinical illness and prescribe any medications, although I have begun to see many therapists who are certifying as coaches and are then able to diagnose and prescribe meds as needed. If you are suffering from severe depression or anxiety you may want to see a therapist before investing in a Life Coach. If you can find a therapist that is also a Life coach, you may want to take that route. Coaching can definitely help lift the burden of some mental energies and a good Life Coach will know if a therapist is needed and send you to a good one, before or during your coaching program.
My coaching program is unique in that I deal with some mental illness and dis”ease” in a holistic way with energy medicine and removing low vibrating frequencies so your body, mind, and spirit can restore and balance, enabling your system to facilitate healing on all levels. We can get to the core of a symptom of a problem and reset the mind and body. There are times, however, that you may need to see a professional and I do not hesitate to recommend one.
A coach will mentor you, guide you, and hold you accountable to your life mission and what it is you want to attract. Most have been through a crisis and overcome big things and feel the calling to help and show others how to do the same. It is not necessary to find a coach that has been certified, it is more important to find the coach that you connect with on a deeper level. This is why most coaches offer a free strategy call to see if you and they are a good fit, so take advantage of these calls when searching for a coach.
A therapist is there to act more as a doctor and diagnose illnesses with overall mental health being the goal. Therapy sessions are very unstructured and guided by the client. The therapist is there to assess your mental health and prescribe a medication or kind of therapy that will aid in recovery.
I hope this article has helped you to see that both practices are here to help a person make positive changes in life and progress forward to be more productive. Both Coaching and Therapy can help in different ways and doing both will aid in an even better outcome, if needed.
Making the decision on whether to hire a coach or a therapist is personal. It helps to come from a perspective of whether you need help and direction from a medical standpoint for your mental well being or do you need someone to guide and inspire you to move forward and close in the gap of where you are now to where you want to be in life. Remember the decision is personal and you have your own intuition to help guide you as well. Listen and follow it, it will never lead you astray.
Julie Carlisle combines a powerful background of healing modalities and transformational experience to bring a wealth of knowledge, tools, and holistic understanding of life.
Julie deeply believes in the power within each of us to overcome our health issues and what our ingrained belief systems may label as impossible. Her ultimate purpose is to help her clients heal physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
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