Therapist vs. Life Coach
I often get the question about the difference between a therapist and a life coach. There is a lot of overlap in what a therapist and a life coach do, but also some very important distinctions.
Requirements to be a licensed therapist:
I include the term licensed because it’s one of the most important factors in the equation. In order to call myself a therapist and see clients in my office I have to be licensed. What that means is I, or the therapist, has obtained a Master’s degree in a counseling field (psychology, social work, etc.). In the case of a clinical social worker (and it’s similar for the other disciplines) I also had to complete 3,000 supervised hours of therapy at an agency, 100 hours of direct one on one or group supervision with a licensed supervisor, and pass a state test. This all takes time and effort to achieve. It’s not easy to meet these requirements, but it is an excellent and important learning experience.
Requirements to be a life coach:
As of now, there aren’t any legal or regulatory requirements to being a life coach. This isn’t to say that all life coaches don’t have training, as there are programs that exist to train and educate life coaches. However, due to the lack of regulatory requirements, these are not mandatory which means a life coach may have training, or may be simply someone who decides to adopt the title. The training programs also do not have, that I’m aware of, any regulatory guidelines, meaning there is a great variability in what and how much (if anything) is taught.
To further this, the main differences between therapists and life coaches are education, supervision, and regulation. As mentioned above, therapists have to be educated (a minimum of a Master’s degree), complete lengthy supervision, and are overseen by a state board that ensures quality and ethics. Life coaches have none of these requirements. There are some coaching programs that have this as part of them, however once again, not required.
There are two main parts of being a good counselor.
The first is skill and innate ability. Some people are just innately better than others when it comes to empathy, connecting to others, and problem solving. For instance, I’m not sure Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory could ever be a good therapist. This is the area where life coaches and therapists don’t differ much. Both are capable of having this innate skill.
The second is education. This is where the largest difference occurs. As mentioned above, life coaches are not required to have any education (and many don’t).
I do believe that a therapist and life coach both have the potential to help. However, a therapist is much more likely to be able to provide what you need, as well as a wider range of help. If I had to create an analogy, I think going to a therapist vs. life coach can be compared to getting injured. Let’s say you break your arm. You can choose to go see a doctor (therapist equivalent), or your friend who may have broken their arm before (life coach equivalent).
To summarize the difference, I want to iterate that I don’t feel life coaches are all bad, nor are therapists all good. However, the concern I have with life coaches is that there is no regulation and anyone can call themselves a life coach, with or without training. Regardless of who you choose, please do your research and make a good decision. The subjects talked about in therapy or coaching can lead to significant changes in your life. It is never good to have those changes be misguided.