What is Coaching: How Does if Differ From Therapy?
If you’ve ever considered working with a coach or a therapist and felt unsure about which one is a better fit, you’re in the right place. The lines between the two can feel blurred, understanding the differences can help you find the approach that meets your needs and serves you best.
What is Coaching
Facilitated by professional coaches, coaching can be applied across many areas of life, whether in your career, personal goals or health and is particularly helpful if you’re ready for a forward-focused approach to change.
Coaching provides a space to explore your present situation and future possibilities. A coach will help you clarify what it is you want to do or feel and uncover what obstacles might be holding you back from that. All while providing support and guidance to build the skills and resourcefulness required.
The process often involves conversations and questioning that examine habitual thought patterns and cognitive biases, uncovering blind spots that shape choices and behaviours. With these insights, a coach can help you experiment with new approaches and make meaningful progress toward what you want.
What is Therapy
Delivered by licensed mental health professionals who can assess, diagnose and treat psychological concerns. Therapists can be particularly helpful if you are working through challenges like; anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties or major life changes. Therapy can also be sought for personal growth and support; you don’t always need a formal diagnosis to benefit.
Therapy offers a space to explore the deeper layers of your inner world and past experiences. A therapist will help you process these influences and make sense of how they shape you. And while therapy often works with your past, therapists can also support you in creating change in the here-and-now to cultivate a greater sense of wellbeing.
The process involves reflecting on the roots of your struggles while developing the tools and coping mechanisms that help you meet day-to-day challenges with more ease and emotional resilience.
The Overlap and the Difference
It’s easy to see why coaching and therapy are often confused. Both provide safe, supportive spaces where you can reflect, gain insight and develop a deeper understanding of yourself. And both rely on a trusting, collaborative relationship with a skilled professional, which research shows is a strong predictor for change.
Timing can also reveal the difference. Therapy often begins when day‑to‑day functioning feels challenged, though it can also be beneficial when things are going well — there is no right time to start.
Coaching, on the other hand, is often sought when you’re functioning but want a forward-focused, goal-oriented approach to move you forward.
It also helps to know a little about what qualifies someone to do this work. Therapists are licensed and regulated by government bodies, ensuring they meet training standards for supporting mental health. Coaching isn’t a regulated industry, which means the quality and depth of training can vary. So it’s important to choose a coach who works ethically and brings the right experience and credentials to support you.
Coaching and therapy can each be valuable parts of your personal growth. Like movement or diet, it’s not about one or the other, it’s about choosing what you need, when you need it.
My Approach: Where Psychology Meets Coaching
My work as a coach is grounded in both psychology and coaching. With a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, I draw on principles from positive psychology, neuroscience, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness and bring years of experience supporting people with complex mental health challenges in other roles.
This blend makes my coaching both empathetic and practical, informed by psychological understanding and empowering you to act on what matters. I help you get clear on your goals, understand how your thinking patterns may be guiding you away from the life or version of yourself you want and provide tools to help you take action, supporting you with warmth and accountability along the way.
Women come to me for coaching because they want to reclaim their voice, overcome the self-doubt that holds them back and create a life that feels aligned with who they are. You might, for example, find yourself struggling to speak up in meetings, trapped in a cycle of self-criticism, or constantly questioning your decisions. In our work together, we examine the thought patterns that keep you stuck and apply practical strategies, from challenging cognitive biases to practising self-care, so you can start responding mindfully and take intentional steps toward building the life you want.
Which One Is Right for You?
If you’re experiencing anxiety, low mood, emotional patterns that feel heavy or unresolved, or you simply need a safe space to talk, heal and grow, therapy can help you make sense of those experiences and develop strategies to support your mental wellbeing.
If you're feeling stuck, sensing you’re not living in a way that reflects who you are or what you want, and you’re ready to look forward, coaching can help you identify what’s holding you back and begin living in alignment with the vision you have for yourself.
Curious about what’s possible? Let’s talk. Book your free 20-minute discovery call.
Coaching vs. Therapy: Making an informed decision on which is right for you?