Benefits of Life Coaching vs. Counselling
Are you feeling overwhelmed or unsure of your next step? Are you struggling with addiction or trauma? Do you constantly feel uninterested, sad or angry?
All of these are reasons that people seek counselling and/or life coaching. If you’re considering reaching out to a professional, you are not alone. There are benefits to both types of services, and either can help you to identity your strengths and your weaknesses. However, you might not be sure which one is right for you. In this blog, we’ll discuss what each professional will offer you, and the benefits of using these services to transform your life.
What will a counsellor offer me?
Counsellors are qualified professionals who work with people through psychological and emotional issues. Governed by their professional bodies, they are licensed, and have the skills and tools to give you a professional diagnosis. If you see a counsellor, you’ll learn to address and resolve any challenges you may have encountered in your past which are affecting your daily life. Counsellors can work with you on a variety of clinical issues such as:
Substance abuse
Bereavement
Bullying
Anger management
Depression
Unhealthy relationships
LGBTQ issues
Phobia
Self-image
Stress
Suicide
Family life
The benefit of seeing a counsellor is that they can provide counselling and therapy to help you cope with any mental health challenges you may be experiencing. Remember, however, they are not able to prescribe or recommend medication.
What will a life coach offer me?
A life coach helps you clarify your personal and professional goals as well as what may be holding you back from achieving them. Living in the present, life coaching focuses on the here and now. With your life coach, you’ll strategise the best way to navigate any major or minor life change. If you’re taking on a new job or looking to break a bad habit, a life coach can help you seek the greatest fulfilment. They can also help you reframe your life so that you feel empowered to take action: often, those who seek life coaching are feeling stuck and need to get out of their comfort zone in order to cast away certain limiting beliefs. A life coach can be an instrumental figure in helping you to make much-needed changes.
You can find coaching on all of the following topics:
Business
Career and jobs
Dating and relationships
Diet and fitness
Divorce
Family life
Financial matters
Health and wellness
Thus, the way that each individual utilises a life coach – along with the desired outcome – will ultimately differ. Your life coach may support you on your diet and fitness journey while your friend’s life coach may assist them with business decisions. However, whatever the specific outcome is, the goal is very similar. The benefit of having a life coach is that they help transform your life into your chosen vision. Together, you collaborate to work toward a goal that perhaps you never thought possible.
You should walk away from your sessions with a life coach feeling accountable for your life and empowered to take it in the direction of your choosing. Say ‘goodbye’ to feeling stuck and ‘hello’ to feeling excited about the future!
How do life coaches and counsellors differ?
Life coaches and counsellors have overlapping benefits. For example, they both assist people in their daily lives. However, while they are connected, as “helping professionals,” they are not the same.
Counsellors often examine the past to seek a diagnosis and solutions related to emotional concerns. Life coaches, by contrast, work specifically with clients on goals related to the future, to create a new life path. They avoid giving direct advice to clients, while still providing self-awareness, other awareness, and accountability for their goals.