I am often asked what is life coaching and is it like therapy? So I thought I would dive into that this week and share with you the differences I see.
Therapy is a very regulated industry. You have to have a master’s degree, clinical hours, ongoing education and keep up your credentials. Therapists can diagnose depression, ptsd, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and help with suicidal thoughts. Therapists work with psychiatrists to prescribe medication.
Coaching on the other hand, is not a regulated industry. You do not have to be certified to call yourself a life coach. I got certified through the Life Coach School because I loved the tools that they teach and I knew I would be prepared because of the rigorous training I received. I had to coach and get critiqued to improve my coaching skills. I had to take tests over the curriculum to make sure I knew what I was teaching. I have ongoing trainings to keep my certification up to date.
A life coach can sometimes be described as therapy without a diagnosis.
Therapists look for what is wrong or a diagnosis.
Coaching isn’t focused on what is wrong. It is more focused on what is going on now and where do you want to go in the future.
Therapy may take you out of the fetal position when you feel trapped and unable to function to functioning. Life coaching is when you are functioning but you want more to function in your life than where you are.
Typically people seek coaching when they feel like they need a little extra help to be where they really want to be. I have learned that it starts with learning how to change your thoughts. My clients learn all about the brain and how it works and how to work with it instead of fighting against it. I give my clients lots of tools, great questions to ask themselves, and new thoughts that aren’t available to them on their own.
I help my clients reach their goals. If they want to create a business, lose weight, get married, run a marathon, transform a relationship, anything that they are struggling with.
My clients love having an hour each week where I got them. I have the questions; the exercises and I lead them. They show up, talk, learn about themselves, and are held accountable if they want it. Some women can’t wait for their session just to see what will be revealed. Most leave with excitement and things to work on between our sessions.
I have experienced both of these, therapy and coaching.
I got therapy when I was in college. I met weekly with a counselor and we talked through what I was struggling with. I worked through a sexual abuse incident that happened to me as a child, and spent time talking through my family relationships. I loved seeing her. She was a bright spot in my week and when I was done with my time with her I remember thinking I would love to help people in this same way. I always thought I would become a counselor someday. She helped me through a difficult season and I am so grateful for that experience.
I got coached the first time and didn’t know it was happening. The person was just asking me a ton of questions and it was amazing all he could show me from just question asking and getting me to really think through some things that were going on. That was the start to me looking into getting certified as a life coach. And I now get coached weekly and love the clarity I gain from each session. It is a gift I give myself to allow someone to help me sort through my brain.
I often watch the Marie Kondo show or the Home Edit stuff and think wow what a gift to allow someone to come into your space and help you organize your stuff.
I am kind of like that. People let me into their brain and I help them edit it and decide what they want to keep, what they want to get rid of, and what they want to create. I give them tools to continually keep it organized. It is amazing the transformations that take place.
You can see both a therapist and a life coach because the work you do with your life coach can be supplemental to the diagnosis a therapist has given.
I do work with people that take medication but want extra help to find the behavior patterns that they continually take. We look at what isn’t working and we figure out what is really at the root of it all. Typically they find that medication + a life coach really work well together because it is the combination of both that weekly meeting and accountability paired with the medicine that helps for them.
If you think you might be interested in working with a life coach see what the life coach has to share. I have lots of blogs, resources inside my private FB group (single women who love Jesus), and IGTV videos available for you to check out.
You can schedule a free 30 minute consult and see if working with me is right for you. The worst that could happen is you find out we don’t mesh well. But don’t lose hope. If not me, there are many other coaches out there and you can shop around. Find what you are looking for. If I am not a good fit, I want you to find a good fit for sure.
I am a huge advocate for a counselor. If you want some help working through depression, anxiety, abuse, an eating disorder, or thinking you might need medication, check out a counselor.
But if you just need a push and want some extra help, check out life coaching.
Life coaching has helped me to create better relationships with others, create a better relationship with myself, learn how to unconditionally love, deepened my relationship with God, lose weight, create a business, and so much more.
What could life coaching do for you?
Here for you,
Angie
