Do You Need a Therapist or a Life Coach?

Or both?

Things just aren’t going as you had planned for your life, you’re struggling with some big decisions, or you are facing down the barrel of a big life change. Or maybe you’ve felt down for a while and aren’t sure what to do about it. Maybe you feel directionless, apathetic, bored. Whatever it is, you have made the very brave and important decision to reach out for help.

There are many reasons that we might decide to take this step. I myself have had several different therapists over the years for couples therapy, family therapy, to recover from an abusive relationship, and because I just felt like I needed some support.

Seeing someone for mental health support should be neither scary nor difficult. But the many options can be overwhelming. Not only are there a ton of different kinds of therapists out there, but there are also coaches. And not just life coaches, but job coaches, wellness coaches and just about every other type of coach you can think of.

Well, I have a Ph.D. in psychology, and I am a certified wellness coach. Hopefully, I can break it down for you in simple terms and help shed some light on this confusing topic.

But first, a caveat. Therapists and coaches are real people. Which means they have flaws and shortcomings, just like everyone else. I won’t necessarily say there are good ones and bad ones, but there are professionals that will be a good fit for you and ones that won’t.

The important thing when choosing any kind of healthcare provider is to trust your gut instincts. If you don’t feel a connection with the person, if you feel judged by them, or uncomfortable for any reason — move on. There’s plenty of people out there that want to help you and finding the right one can take some trial and error. A lot of providers will offer a free short telephone consultation too, so you don’t necessarily have to waste your money, either.

So with that aside, what are the three big differences between a coach and a therapist, and how do you know which one you need?

When you decide to go looking for a therapist, one thing you may notice is the variety of letters after their names. In order to become a licensed…

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