Coaching vs. Therapy

Is a coach right for you or is a therapist right for you?

I’ll be going over some key differences between a coach vs a therapist. I feel like I am qualified to guide you through this process since I’ve worked in both arenas.

I started out as a trauma therapist and have over 20, 000 clinical hours of experience. The transition from therapist to coach has been a very exciting journey for me and even though I tried out various avenues of work I can’t get away fro helping others. It is a deep passion and calling for me.

Where to begin?

So let’s start by talking about what area of concern you are dealing with. There are what I describe as superficial issues that can be easily resolved, and deeper issues that have cause for serious concern.

A therapist might be better fit to make a diagnose and come to a solution for an issue more serious in nature but don’t factor out a coach just yet. There are plenty of ex-therapists that are now expert coaches that can help with the more significant issues, however there are guidelines and ethical boundaries that can prevent a coach from walking that concern with you.

The most important question to ask yourself is if you or those around you are in danger. If so a therapist, and more accurately a crisis hotline are where you will want to seek help from first.

If you are needing medication to aid in mood stabilization, anxiety reduction, or a host of various other mental illnesses a psychiatrist will be the correct practitioner for you. Contact your primary care physician for a referral.

On to the concerns that are more coachable will be somewhere along the lines of wanting to level up in work or personal life, you are hitting a road block that is preventing you from reaching your higher goals, you want to have more defined purpose in life, you have little to moderate anxiety, you’d like to have someone to push you outside of your comfort zone and keep you accountable.

A therapist turned coach will know when to refer you to a therapist where as a coach without therapy experience may believe that they can walk through a difficult time with you or hold space when really they can be causing more harm than good if you are in fact struggling with an issue outside of their wheelhouse. 

If you’ve been waiting, now is the time.

If you have been considering hiring a coach or a therapist you’re on the right track. Everyone, and I mean everyone needs guidance and wisdom in their growth journey. You can only go so far alone. Take action and get started as soon as you can. The results will blow your mind.