Therapist vs Life Coach? Important differences You need to know.

What's the difference between a psychologist and a life coach?

1. The first difference between a psychologist and a life coach is their areas of focus.

Mental illness, mental health disorder or behavioral health problem, refers to a wide range of conditions that affect an individual's thoughts, feelings, moods or behavior. Mental disorders are typically associated with significant distress or impairment in one or more areas of a person's life, such as work, school, relationships, or daily activities. Psychologist focus on assessing your symptoms on that end of the spectrum and work to determine a diagnosis. On the other end of the psychological spectrum is optimization this has been called many things, obtaining a state of happiness, self-actualization, peek performance. This is where life coaches focus their efforts.

2. Session Content: Both types of sessions ideally start with a discussion of your treatment or coaching goals and a good review of your current state but since a life coach focuses on non-clinical performance or behaviors, guidance provided in session focuses on how to move you forward toward your goal. A session with a psychologist will focus first on the assessment and diagnosis of a mental health problem. Psychologists use this diagnosis as the basis for selecting an evidence based treatment for that problem.

3. Cost: Wellness is not currently considered “medically necessary” it is not a medical treatment so medical insurance won’t cover it for the most part.

4. Education & Credentials: Psychologists are considered medical providers there are specific expectations about education and training associated with being a psychologist that are absent in the life coaching space.

Being a life coach does not have a specific degree requirement and there is no standardized degree or training program that serves as a prerequisite for becoming a life coach. Many life coaches choose to pursue training and certification to enhance their skills and credibility with clients whereas psychologists relay on their credentials

5. License to Practice: Just like medical doctors, Psychologist are required to be licensed by a state or territory here in the US in order to practice. At a minimum you know that all a licensed clinical psychologist have completed a specific course of study, have completed a minimum number of supervised hour and a state licensing body has confirmed that they are cleared to practice

There is no national or state credentialing body life coaches although there are several independent credentialing bodies that provide additional formal qualifications for someone who wishes to work as a life coach including the International Coach Federation (ICF) Certification.

6. Ethical Requirements: The APA has clearly defined ethical standard for all psychologists regarding things like informed consent, confidentially, and dual relationships. Some certifying bodies for life coaching also have ethical standards as conditions to their continued credentialing but with a fragmented system and so much variability in the life coach certification the consumer should be aware of potential differences in ethical standards and requirements.

Should you seek the services of a psychologist or a life coach?

The main difference between clinical psychologists and life coaches is that clinical psychologists are trained healthcare professionals who diagnose and treat mental health disorders, while life coaches help individuals set and achieve personal and professional goals.

If you are dealing with issues like depression, anxiety, disordered eating, seek the services of a psychologist. If you’re not quite sure if you’re having a mental health problem my recommendation is still to seek the services of a mental health professional. It is possible that you are having a normative reaction to an abnormal situation in may be in need of a little support.

If you don’t know if can answer one more work email from, you’ve been on and off your calorie tracking (like me) or you have been obsessing over your script of the differences between a psychologist and life coach with has prevented you from posting your video on youtube…all of these are great things to explore with a life coach. The whole process feels a lot less clinical more chill vibes and this process can be very beneficial for those looking for some general guidance or looking to move from good to great.

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Disclaimer: The information provided here is for education and entertainment purposes only. Although I am a licensed clinical psychologist, the content of this video is not intended to diagnose or treat anyone and should not be mistaken for any level of medical advice. The view and opinions presented are my own and do not represent the official view of my employer(s).