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The Difference Between Life Coaching and Counseling

Oct 24, 2023
 

Several people lately have asked me what the difference between coaching and counseling is, so I decided to create this post and video to share the differences.  

Here's a synopsis of the video:

Counselors help people heal from past trauma through a variety of healing modalities that have been tested by research to be effective.  They create a safe space for clients to share and process the experiences that have led them to seek help.  Counselors need to earn a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and pass a state and national exam in order to obtain an associate's license.  They then have to counsel under supervision for about 3,000 hours before they can become fully and independently licensed.  Counselors are bound by strict ethical and legal boundaries.  They are more than guidelines and therapists can be sued if they break the laws.

Life Coaches help people who are generally mentally healthy, attain goals for change and transformation.  They are looking for hand holding to make changes that will make them feel better, lose weight, make more money, get the promotion, change jobs or careers, start a new business, stay with or leave their significant other and many other reasons.  Life Coaches do not need any particular education in order to call themselves Life Coaches.  I happen to have some credentials in case you're interested.  Life Coaches are not legally bound by any ethical principles or laws, although many choose to adhere to strict ethical guidelines for the safety and security of the client.  

My daughter happens to be a trauma therapist.  She has a lot of education and continuous studies under her belt.  She deals with people who are really hurting - who want to feel safe in the world so they can enjoy their life.  

I am a life coach and I help women recover their identity, find their purpose, and create a life of meaningful service.  I don't deal with trauma - unless it's a little "t" trauma.  You know...being bullied a bit in school or still believing something negative a teacher said to you 30 years ago.   We can work through those kinds of things with coaching.  

A coach will recommend counseling if she thinks the client needs to process some past trauma in order to move forward.  A counselor may recommend coaching as long as the person presents as mentally healthy and doesn't need to process a hurtful past.

Both services land in the helping profession and both are psychology research based professions.  Reach out if you need any more clarity.  You can contact me here:  www.lisaknellercoaching.com/contact

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