Raise your hand if you can’t help feeling like you’re nuts half the time. If you are one of the lucky few who is completely satisfied, in control and happy with all aspects of your life, then kudos. But if you’re like the rest of us, that hand is way up. Luckily help is out there and it comes in many forms. Psychotherapy has been around in some capacity since the days of Freud. More recently, life coaching has emerged as a profession and the field has grown rapidly in the past 10 years or so. So what’s the difference and how do you know if you need a life coach or therapist? Psychotherapy is performed by a licensed mental health provider and deals with mental, emotional, and interpersonal issues; while life coaching deals more with life transitions, communication skills, and inspiring clients to take action.
Business executive, management consultant and aspiring life coach, Lynn Mitchell tells the American Counseling Association, “Counseling focuses on moving people from a state of dysfunction to one of being functional. But there are many people who are very functional, yet maybe not highly functional or achieving their full potential.” For those people, life coaching might be a perfect fit. While either a life coach or therapist can probably help anyone in need, there’s clearly a large spectrum when it comes to issues and requirements. It’s important to remember that help exists. And to maximize your potential you must understand your options, so here are 15 ways to determine if a life coach or therapist will work best for you.
1. A life coach can help if you are stuck at a crossroads.
Maybe you are having trouble making an important decision about a job, a relationship or a move. A coach can help you weigh out your options, work through the potential results and support you.
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