What is Life Coaching?

Dr. Larry Cohen, Therapy and Life Coaching (856) 352-5428 Contact dr Cohen

Personal and professional coaching is now the preferred method for individuals to motivate and move forward toward meeting life goals. I am often asked which is better – coaching or therapy? the two seem similar, but, as I briefly outline below, they are very different.

Therapy or Life Coaching?

Psychotherapy is a method of treating mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. At its core, psychotherapy focuses on alleviating or resolving the symptoms of mental health disorders. Clients report their signs and symptoms, and the therapist uses his or her knowledge of psychological treatments to guide the therapeutic process.

The client and therapist will discuss many areas, such as the client’s history or current circumstances affecting the client’s life. The therapist listens, and provides feedback that may assist the client in re-evaluating their history and addressing current negative circumstances.

Good therapists do not give advice. They assist their clients to see and understand their lives more clearly, and help clients change dysfunctional thinking and behavior. Although we cannot change the past, we can look back and change our perspective on it. This helps the client to resolve past trauma. New ways of viewing themselves, their past, and their present are discussed.

Behavior change and symptom reduction can result, as the client begins to change their way of thinking and seeing themselves, others, and the world. Cognitive therapy asserts that thoughts lead to feelings, and feelings lead to behavior. Change your thoughts, and your behavior will change as well. Psychotherapy can be extremely powerful and life changing.

Coaching is a Partnership

Personal and professional coaching is a partnership of equals which differs from traditional psychotherapy. In psychotherapy, there is an inherent power differential, as the client looks to the therapist for resolution of symptoms. This is referred to as the medical model, where one party is the patient, and the other is the doctor.

Primarily, individuals who come for life coaching are not seeking relief from psychiatric symptoms. Life coaching clients seek inspiration, increased motivation, and assistance moving toward a more successful and fulfilling life.

In life coaching, clients specify the goals they are trying to reach, and with the coach, begin identifying the blocks that are impeding the client’s ability to meet their goals. Together, the client and coach work to remove what is blocking the client from reaching their goals.

Coaches are teachers, sounding boards, motivators, and planners. People who work with a coach are looking to attain personal and professional goals. Many clients will work in psychotherapy while also working in life coaching. Sometimes clients discover that one of the blocks preventing them from reaching their goals requires psychotherapy. For example, when a client is depressed or suffering from anxiety in need of attention.

The Coach’s Job

The coach’s job is to help you clarify and uncover what is most important to you, assist you to identify the goals you want to attain, and work with you on overcoming what is blocking you from meeting your goals. A coach works with you creating plans that lead to goal attainment, and helps you identify and change counter-productive behaviors that may be impeding your success.

Coaching is for individuals who desire greater success in their personal and professional lives. Life coaching, like therapy, is very powerful, and is most often a life-changing experience that leads to greater life satisfaction and fulfillment.

I have worked as a psychotherapist for 25 years, and I have witnessed miraculous changes in those I have worked with. In life coaching, I partner with clients to help them reach their goals. Ultimately, the goal of life coaching is meeting more concrete personal and professional success.