The Difference Between Life Coaching and Therapy

Is your life in a rut? Do you feel stuck? Do you want something more out of your life? Are you ready for a change? Maybe you should consider life coaching … it is an alte
ative path to change, wellness and success.
I recently read a very enlightening article in USA Today, titled "Life-Coaches – All The Rage." Karen S. Peterson, a jou
alist at USA TODAY, wrote:
"Personal growth is hot. Diagnosis is not. That is one reaso
America has seen a boom in the number of people offering their services as "life coaches." These guides give clients the confidence to get unstuck — to change careers, repair relationships, or simply get their act together."
Ms. Peterson then quoted life coach Laura Berman Fortgang:
"We are not talking about being incompetent or weak. They are everyday, normal people who have their lives together. They realize the value of having somebody to help them think outside the box."
People who seek therapy or coaching are not much different. Both want change in their lives. I want to help you look at the difference between the two.
Is traditional the best answer?
Therapy has been around for over 100 years … since the days of Sigmund Freud. There are many good points about therapy. I know! I was one for over 38 years. I witnessed many patients get help, but many did not. Why?
Therapy?
Therapy's objective is to help a person deal with personal problems and issues that need to be analyzed and solved. The process of therapy is about reflecting on the person's past and seeking the cause of the problem. Therapy assumes that the person has a problem, or mental illness, and is based on a disease model.
Therapy is an answer-oriented process. What does that mean? A person who seeks therapy will tell the therapist his or her problems, and then ask, "What do I do?" The accountability is on the therapist to give the right answer. Inherent in therapy is the key factor of having a good therapist. If you do, then the therapist will give you the right answer or insight, and everything will be okay. With the right answer, the person's life will go forward. In therapy, there is no accountability for the person to do what is suggested. Also, a therapist will focus on events in the person's past which came from his or her family of origin.
A major disadvantage of therapy is based on the medical model. The person who gets involved in therapy gets a diagnosis, a label which will follow them for the rest of his or her life. Naturally, if a person says they are in therapy, another person may think that "there is something wrong" with them. People, in general, assume there was something wrong with the person’s brain, mind or spirit, even if they had worked on their issues to the point of being restored to good health. The shadow of illness is always there.
Another disadvantage is that if a person has a "disease" they must take medicine. Many times, medicine can create its own problems, physically and mentally. Psychiatric medicines are very powerful and can hinder the feeling of emotions which need to be felt in order to be healed. So you see, there are many reasons why people have avoided the therapist’s couch at all costs.
Is Life Coaching an Alte
ative?
Life coaching is a relatively new field. A lot of people raise their eyebrows about life coaching because it is such a new field which is virtually unregulated at this point. Does that mean it is not effective? No. Business leaders, professional athletics, artists and entertainers have known about coaches for ages, and they have used coaches for decades to help them become more successful. Just like therapy, there are good coaches and bad ones. The USA Today article stated:
"Life coaches are a new option for the worried well — those whose lives are only slightly askew. No longer do they need a diagnosis from a psychotherapist who delves into the painful past."
The objective of life coaching is to assist a person in formulating what his or her life intentions are, to uncover deep beliefs which might be barriers to his or her positive movement, and to move forward successfully. Life coaching assumes that the person is lacking a skill to move out of a comfort zone and get more out of life. Life coaching is a teaching experience, just like a sports coach who trains, teaches and directs athletics or a team to win games and work toward having greater confidence and being number one among their peers.
Life coaching is a question and assignment-oriented process. What does that mean? Life coaching is an active process. Learning, instituting suggested change and practice. A person who seeks coaching tells the coach his or her intentions or goals, and then the coach asks, "What do you want to do about it?” The coach might also ask, “What is the one thing you could do today that would radically change your life?" Coaching believes that the answer is in the heart and mind of the person wanting coaching and not in the coach. It is the method or strategy the coach uses which does the help … not the coach himself. The coach is a coach, guide, teacher, mentor, motivator or team member to assist the person in learning new skills to break down blocks that impede performance and success. Accountability is the responsibility of the person … not the coach. In coaching, with the right question and assignment given by the coach, the answers and appropriate action steps will be revealed. The person is consciously accomplishing, following through, and responsible for completing the agreed action plan. If the person follows through and completes the action plan, then positive movement will be achieved.
In sports, the reality has always been that the more an athletic practices, the great his or her confidence becomes in that sport. This is also true in life. A coach can help a person who is having blocks in business, communication, health, job, finances, nutrition, physical wellness, mindset, work, relationships, romance, self esteem, and even spirituality. A block is mostly due to lack of skill. Once skill has been achieved and the person practices the new skills, a higher confidence level is gained. Therefore, why not view life as the accumulation of different sports (areas) in which to become more proficient? As proficiency increases, so does performance.
Gender Differencesr
The USA Today article sited Life Coach Patrick Williams from Colorado,
"Coaching is especially popular with men, who respond favorably to a term from sports. Seventy percent of the caseload in therapy are women; 60% in coaching are men." Williams went on to say "life coaching will change the face of psychotherapy, helping people live a better life without the stigma of needing a diagnosis (disease model) or a visit to a psychotherapist they don't want or need."
Conclusionr
If you feel stuck or blocked in your life, consider what you really need before you choose a path. Both life coaching and psychotherapy have a place. Life coaching is more for a person seeking positive changes and who wishes to enhance their life skills. Sometimes, these folks are called “the worried well.”
If a person has a more serious or long term mental illness-related issue, then therapy should be the choice. Also, if the issues are out of the coach's scope of practice, then it is absolutely necessary for a coach to refer the person to a licensed psychotherapist, social worker, marriage and family counselor or psychiatrist for assessment.
If you have been trying to find the right coach and instead have found only frustration, see if you recognize yourself in these statements.

1. I am unable to complete my assignments and action plan that I committed to do with my coach.
2. I am unable to move forward or develop new skills because I keep focusing on resentments and/or emotional hurt and pain from my past that remain emotional triggers.

3. I just feel disconnected from my life, and I feel I can't control my thoughts or feelings.

If any of these statements resonate for you, you may find your issues are more emotional, and less personal development and goal issues then you would probably benefit from working with a therapist for a period of time.