Life Coaching vs. Psychotherapy

While there is some overlap between life coaching and psychotherapy or mental health counseling as you may have experienced it, they are also distinct in some important ways. 

Psychotherapy and mental health counseling are rooted in the medical model of diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Myriad assumptions follow from this underpinning, among them (a) the presence of psychopathology as the cause of functional challenges and (b) the therapist as expert who has the power to heal the client with the right treatment.

Life coaching, on the other hand, assumes a role-differentiated but otherwise equal partnership with the client in the service of helping them meet their stated goals. As such, it is based on the assumptions that (a) the client’s mental health is essentially stable and (b) the client is ready to “focus forward” to identify the changes they seek to make and to do the related work in conjunction with the coach’s expert guidance.

Psychotherapists and life coaches of all kinds strive to create a client-centered, collaborative partnership with their clients. Both ascribe to the highest ethical and professional standards, including the ability to recognize when the working relationship has uncovered a need for referral to an outside practitioner or service. Both psychotherapists and life coaches adhere to the strictest guidelines for confidentiality.

I currently offer mindfulness-based life coaching. Life coaching can help people meet personal goals of all kinds, including those related to emotional coping skills. It can be the perfect support for some people. For others, psychotherapy or mental health counseling is a better fit.

Choose Psychotherapy if:

• You struggle with recurring suicidal thoughts
• You have received crisis-oriented mental health services within the past 12 months
• You have recently engaged in self-injurious behavior
• You are actively addicted to alcohol, other drugs, or any behavior or habit which interferes with your daily functioning
• You prefer to be given a mental health diagnosis and related treatment plan

Choose Mindfulness-Based Life Coaching if:

• None of the above are true for you
• You are ready to work together toward specific goals and co-create your plan for success
• You like the idea of a creative partnership: I provide the right method, process, and support, and you jump in with both feet, do the work, and take ownership of your outcomes

Mindfulness-based Life Coaching Can Help You Make Changes Fast

Everyone is a work in progress. Once we decide we’re ready to invest ourselves in our personal growth, our goals, and our dreams, there’s no abracadabra, poof!  Rome wasn’t built in a day. Things take some time. By the same token, you might be pleasantly surprised at the power of simple mindfulness practices to shift your perspective, energize your motivation, and clarify your vision. Once you’re inspired, you inevitably move forward in the ways you wish. 

Sound like something you’d like to explore? Contact me and we’ll set something up.