Deciding Between Therapy and Life Coaching

Should your child see a therapist or a life coach? If you’re looking for answers and solutions to help your child thrive, this might be a question that’s weighing heavily on your mind.

Here’s an idea - why not both?

Although therapy and life coaching are often viewed as two distinct types of services, they can be combined for some seriously life-changing results.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is Therapy?

Therapy, sometimes referred to as psychotherapy or counseling, is a long-term process in which a client works with a healthcare professional (usually a psychologist) to diagnose and address problematic behaviors, beliefs, relationships, and responses.

The goal of therapy is to address past traumas in order to repair relationships and stop destructive habits.

Therapy is highly introspective and addresses mental health. You or your child might see a therapist for issues related to issues like anxiety, trauma, or depression. It’s a good choice for a child who has a problem that he or she can’t cope with alone - and that problem is affecting how he feels or acts.

What is Life Coaching?

While therapy focuses primarily on the past with the ultimate goal of improving future outcomes, life coaching focuses more on the present.

Life coaches generally do not have mental health training and are not medical professionals. The ultimate goal of life coaching is to help you learn how to set and achieve personal goals.

For kids, life coaching is all about mindset development. Chances are, your child isn’t working toward a big promotion or running a marathon any time soon. However, life coaching will help your child learn his or her identity and shift the limiting beliefs that hold them back in life.

While therapy is meant to address problems that your child has faced in the past, the goal of life coaching is to teach kids how to use the power of their own minds to create self-esteem, leadership, happiness, and confidence.

The Benefits of Combining Therapy and Life Coaching

Therapy and life coaching aren’t just for grown-ups - and they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, combining therapy and life coaching is a great way to get the best of both worlds.

Improves Resilience and Self-Confidence

According to the World Health Organization, depression is a leading cause of illness and disability for kids aged 10 to 19 years old. That data is staggering.

An effective approach to dealing with these sorts of issues is to combine therapy and life coaching. Therapy can help a child work through any past trauma or problems while life coaching can show the child the answer to the question, “what’s next?”

By opening the door to all the possibilities that exist, life coaching and therapy when used in tandem can improve a child’s ability to overcome challenges. In doing this, it can give a necessary boost to his self-esteem, too.

An Approach That Works from the Inside Out

In our results-driven society, we tend to be hyper-focused on the “next big thing.” How many goals can we score? What kind of grades can we get in school? How many likes can we get on Instagram?

Unfortunately, although these results do matter, they don't always do much when it comes to building self-esteem. They’re too superficial and based on external validation.

Life coaching, especially when combined with a personally-tailored therapeutic program, can help a child build their self-esteem from the inside out. Their self-worth will be built on who they are not, not what they know, can do, or have achieved.

Helps Develop an “Inner Compass”

So many parents struggle with helping their kids figure out how to be their own person. From making good decisions to standing up in the face of injustice, having a strong inner compass is necessary if your child is going to be successful and happy in life.

A targeted approach that combines therapy and life coaching can help. It will help your child learn how to live his or her life with intention - rather than just drifting through each day.

Dialogue, Support, and Personalization

By combining life coaching and therapy, it’s possible to talk through what’s stopping you (or in this case, you child) from meeting his goals and making changes that will improve his life.

There’s a constant network of support for healing and guidance.

Misconceptions on Therapy and Life Coaching

A common misconception about life coaching is that it’s just another form of therapy, but that’s not the case. Though they can be part and parcel to each other, life coaching assumes that there’s a baseline level of emotional well-being.

As we mentioned earlier, life coaching relies on the present rather than looking back at the past (which is the hallmark of many therapy programs). A life coach works with his or her client to define a future vision and come up with a tactical plan to achieve certain goals.

A good life coach will understand the models of change - something that a good therapist does also. The approaches can be similar, too, as both are often evidence-based and rooted in positive psychology.

Another misconception that people have is that life coaching is a lot of mumbo jumbo - anyone can be a coach since it’s not something that requires a medical license.

However, a good life coach will be certified and above all, experienced. Most have extensive training that will help them address their clients’ unique needs.

Your Next Steps

If you’re ready to consider therapy and life coaching programs for your family, you’re in the right spot. With all kinds of benefits and virtually zero downsides, these programs could be just what you need to get life-changing results.

At Developing Young Minds, our care is individually personalized and designed by licensed coaches, therapists, and psychiatrists. Your family will receive the best possible child-centered care, making it easy for you to navigate the mental and behavioral health needs of your child.

Perhaps your child is feeling lost, isolated, and unsure of her next steps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe self-confidence is an issue. Perhaps there’s some trauma to overcome in order to create and meet future goals.

Whatever the case may be, Developing Young Minds’ unique therapy and life coaching programs can help get your family on the right track.