Any Difference Between a Therapist and Life Coach, Psychologist, and Psychiatrist?

Is there a difference between a therapist and life coach? What about a counselor, life coach, psychologist, and psychiatrist? How are they different from each other?

 In the world of mental health there are a number of professional titles that sound similar, and they can cause confusion to clients, patients, and even other mental health practitioners.

In this article, I’ll discuss:

• The difference between life coaching and counseling
• The difference between a life coach, psychologist, and psychiatrist
• The difference between a therapist and a counselor
• The difference between a therapist and life coach

Life Coach vs. Mental Health Counselor

Understandably, there can be some confusion among clients who are new to therapy. 

They may be unsure whether a life coach or counselor would better be able to address their needs. 

What’s more, many counselors and therapists provide coaching to clients during sessions.

However, when considering the comparison of life coach vs mental health counselor, there is an essential distinction: While some therapists consider themselves coaches, the majority of life coaches are not licensed therapists or counselors. 

And it’s against the law to practice therapy or counseling without a license.

So, Is There a Difference Between Therapist and Life Coach?

Many therapists are branching out into coaching services, and many coaches advertise services that sound a lot like therapy. 

Fundamental Tasks

The most basic difference between a therapist and life coach is in the work therapists and coaches do.

Therapists assess, diagnose, and treat mental illness. As such, therapists often focus their work on identifying and reducing symptoms. 

Coaches motivate and encourage people to achieve specific goals. Because coaching does not involve identifying and reducing mental health symptoms, coaches often describe their work as being more positive in nature. 

Of course, there is overlap—many therapists focus attention on client strengths and resources, and many coaches aim to reduce and resolve the problems that stand in the way of clients achieving their goals. 

Regulation and Licensure

States regulate mental health licensure exams and the licensing process for therapists. Every therapist must have a license or work under supervision. In addition to the training and exams, licensure requires a graduate degree. 

Clients who believe that their therapist behaved unprofessionally can file a complaint with the therapist’s state licensing board which has the power to investigate and discipline licensees. 

Coaching, on the other hand, is largely unregulated. Anyone can call themselves a “coach” and open a coaching business, regardless of training or experience. 

While coaching is a legitimate field with a growing research base and a code of ethics, adherence to that code of ethics is entirely voluntary.

Marketing

Some therapists find that marketing their services as “coaching” allows them to reach clients they would not otherwise reach. For example, some consumers are reluctant to attend therapy, while they are willing to meet with a coach. 

In addition, because of the legal challenges involved with providing telehealth video therapy sessions across state lines (licensure laws are different from one state to the next, with many states effectively not allowing telehealth video therapy to be provided by therapists licensed in another state), some therapists seek to expand their geographic reach by offering services under a coaching framework instead.

Because coaching is less regulated, when therapists are disciplined by their state licensing boards they often subsequently pivot their careers and become coaches. 

A 2016 study of therapists who had been disciplined or had their licenses revoked found that all of those in the study whose licenses had been revoked for misconduct had simply switched to becoming coaches. 

Are you feeling more clear about the difference between a therapist and life coach?

Ultimately, both professions have value, and the work can look fairly similar between therapy and coaching. However, when assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness is needed, that work becomes therapy, and it requires a licensed therapist.

What’s the Difference Between a Therapist and a Counselor?

Before we get too far into the technicalities on this one, let’s just say this up front: Today, there isn’t much difference between a therapist and a counselor. 

The terms are often used interchangeably to refer to a mental health professional trained in healing conversations, one who can assess, diagnose, and treat the full range of mental and emotional disorders

If you want to get technical, though, the terms have somewhat different origins and ever-so-slightly different umbrellas. 

Therapists

A therapist typically means a psychotherapist—someone trained in using psychotherapeutic techniques to treat mental illness. 

Therapists use a wide range of theories and perspectives in that treatment. Many U.S. states consider psychologists, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors to be “psychotherapists” under state law, with some states adding other license types to that list. 

Counselors

A counselor is someone who has specifically studied counseling, which has somewhat different origins. Counseling (as it is used in the mental health world) grew out of the child guidance movement and from research focused on human development. 

As a separately licensed profession, mental health counseling is relatively young, with most state licensure laws taking effect just within the past 30 years. Mental health counselors may have training in areas like career counseling that more traditional behavioral health therapists may not be trained in.

All that said, there is much more overlap than difference between counselors and therapists. And where differences exist, they are tendencies, not guarantees. 

Mental health counselors are generally licensed at the master’s degree level, though some also have doctorates. Some psychologists have degrees specifically in “counseling psychology” and may refer to themselves as counselors. 

What’s the Difference Between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist?

It’s easy to understand the confusion between these two professions. Both psychologists and psychiatrists have doctoral degrees, and both work in mental health care. Additionally, most health insurance plans cover patient visits to a psychologist or psychiatrist.

That said, there are significant differences between a psychologist and a psychiatrist.

Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor with specific training in mental health. Psychiatrists focus on the medical treatment of mental disorders, which occurs primarily through the use of medication. 

Patient visits with psychiatrists are typically fast (often just 15 minutes) and focused on ensuring that patients are taking the right medications in the right dosages to achieve their desired effects. 

While some psychiatrists do psychotherapy, the overwhelming majority do not, choosing to refer patients to outside therapists when it appears that talk therapy would be helpful.

Psychologists

A psychologist also has a doctorate degree, and so also goes by “Dr.” However, psychologists have training specifically in psychotherapy and mental health assessment, and they typically do not prescribe medication. (Though, that said, there are a handful of states where psychologists with additional medication training can earn limited prescribing privileges.)

Psychologists often provide talk therapy in 45-to-50-minute weekly sessions, focused on coping skills, recovering from trauma, and any other specific symptoms or concerns you may bring in. 

Psychologists also do mental health assessments for court systems.

Hopefully, this article helped illuminate the crucial difference between a therapist and life coach and also between a therapist, counselor, life coach, psychologist, and psychiatrist.

How SimplePractice Streamlines Running Your Practice 

SimplePractice is HIPAA-compliant practice management software with booking, billing, and everything you need built into the platform.

If you’ve been considering switching to an EHR system, SimplePractice empowers you to run a fully paperless practice—so you get more time for the things that matter most to you.

Try SimplePractice free for 30 days. No credit card required.

READ NEXT: Can Therapists Provide Telehealth Video Therapy Across State Lines?