Coaching is different from therapy. The two may overlap, their aims may at times be similar, but there is a real difference between the two methods. In this post, I aim to demystify coaching by answering a few common questions.

How do I know which is better for me?

I’ve written before about how coaches need coaching, but there was a time when I tried therapy, too. I went for some time, and I got some good stuff out of it, but I reached a point where I felt stuck.

It was near the end of my divorce, and I was looking for a strategy to deal with a challenging situation. “How does that make you feel?” I remember my therapist asking me. I was annoyed by her question because at that point it was more important to have a plan of action — rather than figure out how I felt about it. I didn’t feel great, and I didn’t want to dwell on it. I was interested in what works. That’s when I became an ideal coaching client.

Coaching is about creating the life that you deserve. It’s about taking your life to the next level of happiness and fulfillment. You can do anything you want with a Life Coach. If your goal is to make more money, we can talk about what’s in the way of you doing it. If your goal is to find a partner, we can work on your mindset — or tweak your dating profiles! If it’s peace of mind you’re after, let’s figure out what your internal dialogue is — and how we can change it from destructive to constructive.

Do you need my treatment history or other medical information?

A therapist is a healthcare provider and would need to see those things.

Coaches, on the other hand, are not healthcare providers and we don’t make diagnoses (however, if we see a destructive pattern, we do try to disrupt it). We don’t describe a person as having a problem, and we don’t see them as broken. Instead, we look at where they are now and where they want to be. We set up a process and system to get to point B.

Is it confidential?

Our work is completely confidential.