There is Batman vs. Superman, There is Alien vs. Predator, and There is Mental Health Therapists vs. Life Coaches: What is the Difference Between Seeing a Therapist and a Life Coach?

There is Batman vs. Superman, there is Alien vs. Predator, and there is Mental Health Therapists vs. Life Coaches. What is the difference between a Therapist and a Life Coach? Why should you see a therapist over a life coach? or vice versa?

While it is fair to say that a therapist training does not qualify them to be a life coach, a life coach cannot say they have the equivalent training to be a therapist. There are many misconceptions of what a therapist does vs what a life coach does. So here I break it down for you to make the most informed decision of whom you want to work with and why.  

What is Therapy?

Therapy is part of the development of a therapeutic relationship designed to help you heal, grow, become self-aware, develop skills and coping mechanisms, develop deeper self-understanding. Therapists provide a safe space where you can dive deep into your personal histories and intersectional identities all with the sensitivity and care you deserve at your pace designed specifically towards your needs. In the therapeutic relationship, you are the center of the relationship, not the therapist. A therapist does not tell you what you need to do but works with you to collaborate towards decisions, skills, and actions that move you towards healing and the life you want to live. Therapy works towards becoming the most authentic version of yourself. 

What is Life Coaching?

Life Coaching is designed to succeed at a specific goal. It is designed to help you grow and become effective, or efficient. Life Coaching encourages a space with specific measures to take that hold you accountable towards achieving your goals. A coach helps you work towards achieving a specific goal or theme in your life. Life coaching focuses on become the best version of yourself. 

Basic Similarities and Differences of Life Coaches vs. Therapists

Life coaches draw upon some of the basics of that therapist practice such as self-growth, development, and personal growth. Therapists are extensively trained and qualified to treat mental health conditions, as well as clarify your life goals, and develop skills to overcome them through researched, and evidence based therapeutic approaches. 

Life Coaches do not have qualifications or training in treating or navigating mental health conditions. 

Both involve processes of self-discovery, healing and personal development. 

Ethical Coaches will know that life coaching is not therapy and refer clients who need therapy to a therapist. However, there are grey areas. Such as, when a life coach is working to help you move past an obstacle, or clarify a goal, how can they do this without addressing or uncovering emotional wounds, or inner narratives? 

 Many life coaches end up working through therapeutic issues with their clients, however, they are not trained to do this work. This means that a client who could potentially be dealing with depression, trauma, or other mental health issues may go on unnoticed as the life coach is not trained to recognize the nuances of these experiences, or effectively navigate a client through a mental health crisis. 

If you want to work towards a goal while addressing deeper emotional trauma or barriers, working with a trained therapist may be the best practice for you. If you know what you want and are blurry on the path to get there, a life coach may be the best practice for you. 

Credentials, Licensure and Accountability Differences for Therapists and Life Coaches

Therapists are trained as mental health professionals through extensive education, practicum internships mentored by experienced licensed mental health professional supervisors. When therapists graduate college, they work towards their licensure to reach a certain number of hours underneath a licensed professional working with clients and gaining valuable experience and further education. To achieve full licensure, a therapist must pass a state exam, as well as other criteria depending on different certifications and field specialties. Once a therapist is licensed, their education does not stop there. They are required by state law to earn a certain number of Continuing Education Credits each year to maintain their licensure, all depending on their state laws. This means that a therapist’s education and training essentially continue until retirement, keeping the therapist up to date and accountable to all state laws and regulations, new knowledge in the field, and further developing their expertise. Therapists also can become certified in different therapeutic approaches training to further expand their work. 

Therapists also work with a supervisor throughout their work to process and collaborate to find solutions to best treat their clients and navigate issues such as helping clients file for state benefits, obtain health insurance, and give referrals to other resources that may be beneficial to the client. When you work with a therapist, you have access to more resources. A therapist is able to work with your other health providers as a team under HIPPA law, for more competent and whole care. 

Therapy is a licensed profession with rules and regulations to keep the therapist accountable and the client safe, while Life Coaching is not. This means that therapist must meet specific standards to continue practicing therapy while Life Coaches aren’t required to meet any standards at all. This includes ethical and safety standards. 

While some life coaches are ethical, they are not required under law to do so, meaning there are not many protections in place to prevent unethical crossing of boundaries or harm to the client. 

For example, Therapists under the law are Mandated Reporters. This means that Mental Health Professionals are required to undergo mandated reporters training and act as mandated reporters under state law. A mandated reporter is a professional who is required by law to report reasonable suspicions of abuse, or harm to self, or another. Therapists are also required to work under HIPPA law. HIPAA is an acronym that stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a US law designed to provide privacy standards to protect patients' medical records and other health information provided to health plans, doctors, therapists, hospitals and other health care providers. This means that a therapist cannot just use your story, or information without permission or abuse your information. 

Therapists are also required to provide informed consent. Informed consent is a process of communication between you and your health care provider that often leads to agreement or permission for care, treatment, or services. Every client has the right to get information and ask questions before entering treatment

Therapists are also required to provide confidentiality under HIPPA law. Confidentiality is the keeping of another person or entity's information private. Mental Health Professionals are required by law to keep information shared by a client or patient private, without disclosing the information, even to law enforcement, except under certain specific circumstances as outlined by mandated reporting. 

Suicidality and Mental Health Crisis

Another important distinction between life coaches and therapists is the handling of suicidality, suicidal ideation and mental health crisis. A therapist is thoroughly trained in navigating and distinguishing between suicidal thoughts, suicidal behaviors, and intent to act upon these thoughts and behaviors. A therapist follows procedures and regulations to assist a client who is suicidal in navigating these feelings and working towards a positive outcome. If a client threatens suicide, a therapist is trained in handling the situation. This involves development of a safety plan, building out support systems the client feels comfortable with, checking in with the client regularly and following up on these thoughts actively and consistently in session. This also can included medication management with a psychiatrist based on the clients comfort. If the situations worsens and a client notifies the therapist of intent to carry out a plan, a therapist is also required by law via mandated reporting to contact the appropriate authorities to preserve the client’s life if the client is placed in a life or death situation. This is very nuanced and specific work. 

While Life Coaches may have the option of becoming certified by the International Coaching Federation or Center for Credentialing and Education, they are not required to do so to practice coaching and are not held to the same ethical and professional standards as therapists. Many life coaches choose not to pursue certification as they provide a specific service that pertains to their life experience.  While therapists go through internship practicum training under supervision at school, limited permit supervision and training after graduation, and gaining hours towards licensure, taking a state board exam, and maintaining their licensure through continuing education credits and supervision, a life coach does not have extensive training, supervision, and guidance. A life coach begins, most of the time, based on their own life experience, which I will describe a bit later on. 

Licensure is permission to practice legally, a certification is an acknowledgment of ability. Because a life coach does not have licensure, there are certain protections for the client that is not available. If a therapist, does you harm, you are able to file a complaint with the licensure board and state, which may lead to a therapist’s license being revoked. Revoked licensure is very difficult to reclaim as the therapist is reviewed by the ethics board and state departments. The same can be done for a certified life coach, however, nothing prevents them from working as a life coach without certification. 

What a Life Coach Provides vs. What a Therapist Provides

Life coaches provide targeted advice and premade packages that are not always unique to the individual’s needs or life experiences. They are not formed upon researched and evidence-based approaches. Therapy is an individualized process in collaboration with the client’s unique life experience and needs and uses evidence-based techniques. Therapy focuses on the client-therapist relationship and works as the client being an expert in their own life, as we work to unpack unhelpful narrative, past traumas, and practice healing coping skills to work towards a more integrated and authentic self and minimize or reduce symptoms. A therapist may use healthy self-disclosure as relevant to the client’s life experience, without interjecting their own world views, life experiences, beliefs, biases, and preconceived notions into treatment. A therapist considers socio-economic, cultural, interpersonal, racial, and gender identities that intertwine with the clients lived experience. A therapist also works independently outside of the client-therapist relationship to work through inner biases, and deconstruct systems such as internalized white supremacy, racism, western cultural biases and their own identities. 

The Life Coach as “Confidence Influencer”

A life coach inserts themselves into the equation as the main factor. In most cases, the life coach focuses on meeting a need that they themselves have already “overcome”. They advertise themselves as the ideal “hero model” that the client can become and aspire to if they purchase the life coaches’ services. They target a person’s vulnerabilities while selling the solution for a short-term workshop that cannot possibly meet all the nuanced needs of your individual situations in a one-size-fits-all model. While some life coaches may give more individualized packages, most of the time they are specifically advertising meeting a specific goal. If your issue is outside of the life coach’s scope of understanding, you may not be receiving the support you need. Effectively life coaches give advice on what actions to take as the coach draws upon their own life experience. 

The therapist is not the “hero model” in therapy. We encourage your authenticity of self wherever you are at and becoming more of who you already are. In therapy we do not give advice based on our own achievements of overcoming’s, we work to find the best practices for your individualized situation drawn upon our professional knowledge and therapeutic understanding.  Therapy is not advice. Therapy is active facilitated healing focused on the client and what is happening in your life, not in following the steps of a premade workshop. 

Cost of Therapy vs. Life Coaching. 

The cost of therapy vs life coaching can be very similar, however, there are many key nuanced differences.

Sliding Scale & Insurance Vs. Fixed Packages and Rates 

Life coaches provide their services in a few ways, by the hour, in a fixed number of sessions in packages for a fixed rate, in installments, monthly workshops or “masterclasses”. 

Therapists provide their services weekly, or biweekly, charged per session with the ability to end at any time. 

Life Coaching is not covered or reimbursed by insurance. 

 Therapy is covered and reimbursed by insurance vis out-of-network benefits. I go into much more detail about Out-of-network benefits here. Please read to have a full understanding of cost difference. 

Most therapists who are out-of-network will offer and advertise sliding scale pricing to better serve the community. These rates can be dropped as low as 50% off standard fees. Many Therapists, I included, also maintain an open conversation on money. If circumstances change and you need to change your rate, a therapist can work with you for continued care to be more comfortable with your finances. 

As far as my knowledge and research goes, I have not seen such sliding scale offerings on Life Coach’s websites, however, I cannot say that this practice is exclusive to therapists or eliminate the possibility that Life Coaches do provide a sliding scale that is not directly advertised. 

If a client buys a package but finds halfway through the process this is not for them, there is not always the ability to cancel and be refunded the canceled sessions as part of the package. These packages can range up to $2000. On top of that, there is no possibility to be refunded by insurance for life coaching.  

In therapy, you lead your care. If you feel at any point therapy is not for you anymore, or would like to change providers, you are free to do so at any time, with the possibility and open door of restarting with the same therapist whenever you feel ready or choose to do so. You have the ability to negotiate rates, as well as work with your insurance to have the services covered, or have your cost reimbursed via your out-of-network benefits. 

In the long run, this can lead to you spending more money on life coaching services vs. therapy as with life coaching there is no possible reimbursement from insurance. 

In the case of wanting to continue seeing a life coach consecutively, some life coaches work on cycles, meaning that you may have to wait a few weeks before continuing work with your life coach. With a therapist, care is continuous based on your needs.

Why Life Coaching Can Be Harmful and Perpetuates Stigma in Seeking Help for Mental Health Issues 

Many coaching services target a specific vulnerability of a person and pose themselves as the idealized solution to the issue. Picture the white woman healer in a boho lace top telling you to love yourself through your hurt. This perpetuates the issue of toxic positivity and avoids healing the heart of the issue by providing band-aid solutions. Coaching is not always effective in processing life experience and making real effective change. Some coaching is extremely predatory of people’s vulnerabilities and blames the individual for not “bossing up” and “getting a handle on their life”. While therapy helps you take personal responsibility, we do not do so in the hopes of achieving a “live, laugh, love, girl boss, boss babe, alpha male” capitalistic ideal. We want you to have human experience and emotion, not a capitalistic one. 

Coaching may fall into the trappings of toxic positivity “inspirational porn”. This was originally defined for the disabled community as media portrayals that evoke or share the following qualities:

·       Sentimentality and/or pity

·       An uplifting moral message, primarily aimed at non-disabled viewers

·       Disabled people are anonymously objectified, even when they are named.

While well-intentioned, it can be exploitative of people’s pain or stories.  Inspiration Porn provides kind of superficial pleasure and gratification for the viewer, while objectifying, often harming the mostly passive subjects being looked at.

No one should fearmonger you or promote self-pity in you into working with them. Most of the time these messages are coupled with “Do this and be Happy!” or “Take my workshop and achieve your dream life!”. 

Sorry to say, these are unrealistic expectations. In therapy, we work towards realistic doable goals and outcomes.

Coaching can have the attitude of Nikes “Just Do It.” But what about those who deal with depression, or anxiety disorders, dissociation, trauma responses, obsessive-compulsive intrusive thoughts and behaviors who can’t “Just Do It.” For those of us, there is therapy. 

Coaching focuses on the “problem” and works to “fix the problem”. This isn’t always the most strength-based model when approaching real mental health issues or life obstacles. Coaching seems more socially acceptable as a route to deal with your concerns and issues, while Mental Health Therapy services as stigma around “having something wrong with you” or being weak for “needing therapy.” Coaching poses itself as an empowering place, while therapy invites you to work through what’s going on, to get to a place of empowerment and self-understanding. Coaching can be an act of avoidance in dealing with your mental health issue.  

Coaching can actively hinder people’s access to competent care and resources for the issues while supporting the stigma surrounding mental health services. In this form, coaching has no place or standing of comparison to therapists.

In coaching, if trauma or depression comes up, it may go unnoticed by the untrained eye of the coach. There may even be re-traumatization by the coach towards the client through the act of “breaking through the barrier”. In these instances, coaching harms more than hurts. In these instances, advice or step taking isn’t needed, therapy, understanding, and gentle processing is. 

Someone may feel more comfortable seeing an unlicensed life coach, vs a trained mental health professional because of the stigma of their mental health. It is the responsibility of the coach to refer a client out to therapy if it best fits their needs, however, they are not held under any requirement to do no harm if they are not certified. 

If you need guidance on a very specific thing, such as starting a business or getting fit, a coach can make sense. However, if you are feeling unsure, or lost, not knowing what steps to take, feeling consistent anxiety, or unhappiness, and generally being stuck. A therapist may be a better fit for you. 

I have outlined the key difference between therapists and life coaches, I hope this helps you on making informed decisions on your care.