If you love helping people achieve their goals and improve their lives, you may be torn between becoming a therapist or a life coach. When people think of improving their lives, they default to getting therapy, but life coaching can be highly beneficial. As a life coach, you will focus on strategies to help your clients reach their goals.

What is the difference between a life coach and a therapist?

While therapists and life coaches can be great for improving your life, they’re not the same. The major difference between therapy and life coaching is that life coaching focuses on your goals while therapy focuses on mental health.

There are reasons to see a therapist, of course, because they are mental health professionals regulated within the field of healthcare. They require specific schooling and licensing to practice. If someone is experiencing distressing mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, or trauma, they need to see a therapist.

However, if someone is interested in getting unstuck and working towards meeting their goals, they may be more interested in a life coach. A life coach can help a person accelerate their career, replace unhelpful habits with healthy ones, and step out of their comfort zone to experience life.

If you are interested in helping someone open themselves up to new experiences and achieve their highest selves, you may be interested in becoming a life coach. While the life coaching field is unregulated, it doesn’t mean you should practice without certification. Coach Training Alliance’s Certified Coach Program can help you learn the skills you need to develop a thriving life coaching business in six months.

Life coaching and therapy are two different professions with different goals. Therapy is all about looking into your past and healing trauma, while life coaching is about looking forward and taking the next steps in your career and life.