Therapist vs. Health Coach: What’s the Difference?

The Role of a Therapist

A therapist is trained to help you look back—into your past, your story, and the experiences that shaped you. Their role is to walk with you through the deeper “why” behind your behaviors and beliefs, giving you space to process emotions and find peace with things you can’t always change. Therapy provides tools for self-discovery, healing, and learning new ways to cope when life feels overwhelming. It’s a powerful resource for working through pain, trauma, or old wounds that still echo into the present.

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The Role of a Health Coach

A health coach, on the other hand, focuses on where you are today and where you’d like to go next. Coaching is about the “now” and the “next,” helping you get clear on your priorities and create a plan for moving forward. If you check out my About page, you can dive a little into why I got into health coaching!  

Instead of staying stuck in the past, a coach helps you set healthy boundaries, make practical adjustments, and find encouragement in the process. Lord knows we ALL can benefit from that.  

It might look like learning how to organize your days more effectively, building healthier routines around food and movement, or finding clarity in parenting and relationships. Sometimes it’s not as easy as it sounds. That’s why myself and so many other amazing women health coaches out there got started in the first place, is because we know how difficult and alone it can feel.  

Above all, a good coach provides accountability and hope, helping you see that change really is possible.

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So Which Do You Need?

The truth is, sometimes we need therapy, sometimes we need coaching, and sometimes we need both. If you’re processing deep wounds, past trauma, or mental health struggles, a therapist is the right fit. But if you’re ready to take what you already know about yourself and begin making real, lasting changes in your everyday life, a health coach can walk beside you and help you make it happen.

Both roles are about helping you heal and grow—just from different angles. Therapy helps you understand your story. Coaching helps you write the next chapter.I hope this helps. Reach out to me if you’d like to dive into this more.  

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