Life coach vs Therapist

They are someone who can help identify and describe current problematic behaviors, so the client can work to modify them. Therapists, on the other hand, analyze their client's past as a tool for understanding present behaviors, their thoughts and feelings, and how they are informed by their past.

Life coaching may touch on these concepts as you break down your limiting beliefs and examine your blueprint, but its ultimate focus is always on the present and the future.

A life coach takes the client's current starting point as an acceptable neutral ground and is more action-based from that point onward. They enable the person to take control of their life and take action to steer it toward their goals.

Therapy tends to be a long-term process in which a client works with a healthcare professional to diagnose and resolve problematic beliefs and behaviors. The idea behind therapy is to focus on past traumas and issues to change self-destructive habits, repair and improve relationships and work through painful feelings.

In this sense, therapy focuses on the past and on introspection and analysis, with the hope of resolving past issues and creating a happier, more stable future.

One of the key differences between a therapist and a life coach is the educational credentials. Therapists are required to meet education and license requirements to provide treatment. Coaches, on the other hand, aren't held to the same rigorous standards. Anyone can say they're a "coach," and expertise can vary drastically.

Another major difference is the annual salary - for example, a life coach averages $45,394 per year compared to a therapist who averages $71,859 per year.