Therapist vs Life Coach Simplified

Besides experience and qualifications, the person you deal with in the case of mental or physical health needs to resonate with the person needing the guidance or treatment. No use in seeking help from a person you do not connect with.  Secondly you need to take into consideration what you want to achieve out of these sessions. Are you seeking to understand yourself better, except past traumas or are you looking for a practical way to get past or through a difficult time in your life?

Therapist:

A licensed Professional with a degree working in the mental or physical health industry. All Therapist are not qualified in all fields of therapy but can refer you to a professional in that field. Therapy is a specialised field and is rather expensive. Fortunately, most Medical Aids support these treatments depending on your health plan.

Types of therapy:

*Cognitive Behavioural

*Play

*Animal assisted

*Dialectal

*Physical

Therapy can be done individually or in family or group settings and they will help you to set goals and then help you to achieve them. Your treatment could be short or long-term.

What would a therapist help with?

*Depression

*Substance abuse

*Behavioural disorders

*Eating disorders

*Anxiety

*Physical or mental Abuse

Where does therapists work, and do they do the same job as a Psychologist and Psychiatrists?

 Therapists work in large companies, schools, care facilities, group homes and hospitals. They can be Counsellors or welfare workers that also have the qualification to make a health diagnosis, develop a treatment plan and refer you for further psychological assessment if they feel you might need medication or more specialised treatment. They are not always Psychologists or Psychiatrists unless they have the additional qualification for it. The main differences between a Psychiatrists and a Therapists are their level of training and education. The main differences between psychologists and therapists involve their approach to treatment. The biggest difference between a Psychologist and Psychiatrists is that a psychologist is not a medical doctor and can not prescribe medication. Medical aids usually support all these directions of treatment.

Flipside – The Life Coach Route

If you are going through a difficult time in your life, have limited funds or do not belong to a medical aid, a life couch might be a perfect option for you.

Life Coach:

A trained wellness professional that helps people reach personal, emotional or career goals. Having a coach is like having a personal trainer for your mind. Many Coaches focus on a specific area of expertise so it is important to find out if they can help you with your unique challenge. They might have had personal experience in that field and see it as a calling to help other people through that challenge. They focus more on the future instead of intensively looking into your past. Good Life coaches will refer you to a medical professional if your problem falls out of their field of expertise or if you need medication.

Does it resemble therapy?

It resembles therapy because it is focussed on you and your problem. They too can help you face your fears and help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. It differs because a therapist deals with an inaccessible area of the psyche and unresolved issues of the past. A coach is focussed on the clients’ wants and their future with some references to the past to understand reoccurring patterns.

Type of problems or goals a life coach can help you with:

*Self-esteem

*Lack of direction/Indecisiveness

*Feeling stuck because of personal loss

*Resentment

*Career difficulties

*Chronic stress

*Relationship & family orientated stress management

*Repeating destructive patterns

There are no right or wrong, it is a personal choice of what kind of treatment serves your welfare in that specific moment in time.