Life Coaching vs. Counseling: What’s the Difference—And Why I Choose Coaching

If you've ever wondered what the difference is between life coaching and counseling, you're not alone. As someone who is both a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and a life coach, I get this question often—and I love answering it. Because understanding the difference can help you make the most aligned choice for your personal growth.

The truth is, both coaching and counseling offer life-changing support. Both create space for healing, transformation, and clarity. But they aren’t the same. Each serves a different purpose, and what you need may change depending on where you are in your journey.

Let’s unpack it together.

Where They Overlap

Before we dig into what sets them apart, here’s where life coaching and counseling are similar:

• They’re both supportive and relational. Whether you’re working with a therapist or a coach, the heart of the work is a strong, trusting relationship.

• They’re both rooted in personal growth and healing. Each offers tools, reflection, and accountability to help you create change in your life.

• They can both help you get unstuck. Whether you’re processing emotions or making big decisions, these are spaces designed to help you move forward with intention.

Key Differences Between Counseling and Coaching

Here’s where things start to differ—subtly, but meaningfully.

1. Past vs. Future Focus
- Counseling often centers around healing from the past. Therapists help you process trauma, explore childhood experiences, and work through unresolved pain.
- Coaching is more present and future-focused. It’s about where you are now, where you want to go, and what might be getting in the way. We look at patterns and mindset, but not to diagnose or pathologize—rather, to empower change.

2. Diagnosis vs. Direction
- As a therapist, I’m trained to assess for and diagnose mental health disorders. Therapy can address anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more.
- In coaching, the goal isn’t to diagnose or treat mental illness—it’s to offer clarity, direction, and support as you make empowered decisions and take meaningful action.

3. Regulation vs. Activation
- Therapy is often about helping people return to a baseline of emotional regulation and stability.
- Coaching is for those who are generally stable and functioning, but want to elevate, grow, or pivot. It's about activating your strengths and moving into the next level of your life.

4. Role of the Professional
- In therapy, there’s often a more clinical boundary between the provider and the client. Self-disclosure and advice are limited.
- In coaching, I have more flexibility to be human with you. I can share my personal experiences, offer direct feedback, and show up with real-time encouragement. It’s a more collaborative, conversational approach—and personally, I love that.

5. Structure and Style
- Therapy is typically guided by a treatment plan and may follow evidence-based protocols.
- Coaching is more fluid. While there’s structure, there’s also room for creative exploration, voice memos, weekly check-ins, and deep personal conversations. It meets you where you are and supports your day-to-day life.

6. Insurance and Licensing
- Therapy is a licensed, regulated profession and often covered by insurance.
- Coaching is not. While coaches may have training and credentials (and in my case, a clinical background), it’s not a licensed mental health service. This gives us more freedom in how we work together.

Why I Choose Coaching (Most of the Time)

I’m grateful for my background in counseling. It gave me the tools to hold space, understand the nervous system, and walk with people through some of life’s deepest pain.

But over time, I found myself drawn toward a more relational, empowering way of supporting women—especially those navigating the messy middle: rebuilding after a breakup, rediscovering who they are as moms, or starting over after loss.

In coaching, I get to offer guidance and self-disclosure when it feels supportive. I get to say, “Here’s what helped me,” or “I’ve walked through this, too,” without feeling like I’m stepping outside of a clinical role. It allows me to show up as a real person—not just a professional—and to meet my clients with both expertise and empathy.

Coaching lets me connect with women in a deeper, more human way. And that’s where I believe transformation really happens.

So Which One is Right for You?

If you're struggling with mental health issues like trauma, anxiety, or depression, therapy might be the best place to start. There’s no shame in needing deeper healing—that’s sacred work.

But if you're in a stable place and looking for guidance, growth, or someone to help you step fully into your next chapter, coaching might be a better fit.

At Be Bloomed, I’ve created a space that blends the best of both worlds: clinical wisdom with a coaching heart. It’s safe, supportive, and rooted in real life. I don’t just help you talk about change—I help you make it.

Curious about working with me?
I offer free discovery calls so we can explore whether coaching feels like the right fit. No pressure—just a conversation between two humans figuring it out together.

Because you don’t have to do it alone. You were made to bloom.

With love,
Elise
Founder of Be Bloomed
LPC | Life Coach | Real-life human who gets it