The Difference Between Life Coaching and Therapy

Do you wonder what the difference is between coaching and therapy is? Are they the same thing? Do you get the same results from both? And more importantly, which one do I need?

For so long, I wondered what to do, where to start. I didn’t know which one was the ‘right’ one. This is such a common question, but it’s also something more than that; we will address that at the end.

First of all, therapy is past focused. It is digging deep to find the source of the pain. To heal past trauma. It’s finding the stories that you are holding onto, and finding the reasons why those stories were formed in the first place. If you’ve never told your story before, therapy is a great place to start the healing process. To speak and be heard.

Coaching is similar in the way that we find the stories your brain is holding on to. The difference is we don’t go back and relive the past. Instead, we work on how you are thinking about it today that is affecting your life. Coaching is more present and future focused. We believe that the past doesn’t need to determine your future. How freeing is that thought?

There are actually many flavors of both therapy and coaching. Each person has their own style, and you simply find one that suits your needs. Literally, pick one and start. It can feel scary, intimidating. You may worry that you will choose the wrong one. You may worry that the one you start to work with can’t give you what you need.

Do you see what your brain is doing here? Isn’t it so interesting how our brains are so sneaky? All of these thoughts are just thoughts. Completely optional. The wondering of Do I choose coaching, or do I need therapy? Is simply your brain causing confusion so it doesn’t have to make a decision. So that it doesn’t need to take a new step and face something that is unknown.

Believe me when I say that you can’t make a wrong choice, when you are taking steps to heal. If you choose coaching and therapy is what you need, you will be directed there. If the one you choose to work with isn’t a good fit, you will be referred somewhere else. You may not get everything you need in one place, but I am a firm believer in it all being a part of the healing process. And there never being a wrong decision.

The most important thing is to just take that first step.

Whichever one you choose is exactly the right one for you.