A lot of people don’t appreciate the difference between a therapist and a life coach. While both of them are there to help you get insight into your personal life, they are in fact worlds apart.
However different they may be, one isn’t better or worse than the other. Your circumstances will decide which is better at that moment.
Which one should you choose?
The circumstances that require you to go to therapy or life coaching can differ. For example, you could have been through something traumatising and are unable to move forward, in which case you need to see a therapist; or you just need the right strategy to move forward in life, in which case you need to see a life coach. Sometimes, you might even need both.
What a life coach can do for you
A life coach sets the person, that they are coaching, up with the necessary techniques and skills they need to be able to take control of their life. They take the person’s present state of mind and provide them with a long-term action plan to achieve the results they want from life rather than regular sessions.
A life coach would be able to provide you with guidance by clarifying your personal and professional goals and creating a strategy to help you achieve those goals. They can work to improve your communication skills, financial independence and security, or your work/life balance. They can also help you start or grow your business.
The benefits of life coaching
With a life coach, you get to choose what you want to work on. You are immediately able to identify your goals and actions. A life coach holds you accountable for your own success and failure. They cheer you on at every step of the way. You also gain greater self-awareness.
What a therapist can do for you
A therapist is a health-care professional that focuses on past traumas in addition to issues to change self-destructive habits, repair and improve relationships as well as work through painful feelings.
A therapist focuses their conversation on ways to help you recover from past traumas. They can help you explore why your past relationships didn’t end well. They can also help you work through depression and anxiety with the necessary medication.
The benefits of therapy
A therapist works with your cognitive, emotional and interpersonal relationships to help you manage your emotions and learn to see them from a different perspective. It can give you a sense of how other people see you and how your feelings and emotions are affecting your everyday life.
Simply talking to a therapist and letting everything out that you have been keeping inside can be cathartic. It often leaves you feeling like a weight has been lifted off your mind as you start to let go of feelings you have been holding on to.
It is important to understand the difference between therapy and life coaching before you invest your time and money into them. Both therapy and life coaching require specific and very different circumstances, making neither of them better than the other. In fact, they are often used together.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
If becoming a life coach is something that you would like to do, then you need to have a look at our Life Coaching Certification. For more information, please follow this link.