Coaching or Therapy – What’s Right for You?

Finding the support that fits where you are right now.

It’s one of the most common—and important—questions people ask when they’re ready for change:

“Should I be working with a therapist, or a coach?”

The answer isn’t always clear, especially when both coaching and therapy aim to help you understand yourself better, improve your relationships, and live with more authenticity. But while these two paths sometimes overlap, they’re built to support very different parts of your journey.

And choosing the right support—at the right time—can make all the difference.

This article is here to help you get clear about what kind of support will serve you best right now. Whether you’re navigating a difficult transition, seeking deeper healing, or stepping into the next chapter of your life, the first step is knowing what kind of help you actually need.

The Core Difference

Both therapy and coaching can help you grow, heal, and change your life. But they are built to support you in very different ways.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

• Therapy helps you look at the past—especially where emotional pain, trauma, or old patterns are still impacting you today. It provides a safe space to process difficult experiences and support parts of you that may feel stuck, afraid, or overwhelmed.

• Coaching helps you look toward the future. It’s about discovering what matters most to you, identifying what’s getting in the way, and working with your internal system to move forward in a Self-led, intentional way.

One of the models I use in coaching is Internal Family Systems (IFS). It’s a powerful approach for helping people explore their inner world—especially the protective and reactive parts that may be holding them back. But even within this model, the line between therapy and coaching is important.

If your system is emotionally grounded and you're ready to take action toward personal or professional growth, coaching may be a great fit.
If you're struggling with deep emotional pain, chronic overwhelm, trauma, or unresolved relational wounding, therapy may be the more supportive starting point.

Both paths are valid. One is not “better” than the other. It’s about what’s needed to support you right now.

How to Know What You Need Right Now

So how do you know whether coaching or therapy is the right next step?

Here are a few key areas to reflect on:

🔹 Emotional Regulation

If you’re generally able to stay grounded—even when life gets stressful or emotions run high—you may have the internal stability needed for coaching.
If emotional intensity tends to overwhelm you, or if you feel like you’re constantly reacting or shutting down, therapy can offer the deeper support your system needs.

🔹 Self-Awareness and Curiosity

Coaching is most effective when you’re able to pause and get curious about what’s happening inside. This doesn’t mean you have it all figured out—but it means you’re willing to look inward.
If you find it hard to reflect, or if your system tends to stay blended with protectors like shame, fear, or anger, therapy may be a safer place to begin.

🔹 Motivation and Follow-Through

Coaching works best when you're ready to take responsibility for your inner and outer life—applying insights to real relationships, decisions, and habits.
If you want support but feel stuck, resistant, or unsure how to take action, therapy can help you build the internal capacity to move forward when the time is right.

🔹 The Role of the Past

Therapy is ideal if you’re still deeply impacted by past experiences—especially trauma, grief, or relational wounds that haven’t been resolved.
Coaching is forward-facing: it's for when you're ready to focus on what’s next, not just what’s been.

🔹 What About IFS Coaching?

While many life coaching approaches focus on mindset, accountability, or goal-setting, IFS coaching is different. It leans toward a more compassionate and internally focused process—supporting clients to understand, unblend from, and update the parts of them that may be holding fear, resistance, or outdated strategies.

At the same time, IFS coaching can absolutely include a focus on mindset shifts, accountability, and results. The difference is that these elements are explored through the compassionate lens of the Internal Family Systems model. That means we're not forcing parts to comply with goals—they’re invited into a relationship where they feel seen, understood, and willing to support forward movement.

In that way, IFS coaching can feel more therapeutic, even while remaining focused on personal development, authenticity, and Self-leadership.

There’s no shame in needing either kind of support. What matters is that you receive the right kind of support for where you are now.

The Trap of Stigma – and What Courage Really Looks Like

There’s still a quiet stigma around therapy — particularly among high-functioning, successful people.

Coaching tends to be associated with ambition, performance, and personal growth. It says, “I’m up to something.”
Therapy, on the other hand, is often seen as a sign that something is wrong.

But here’s the truth: recognizing that the past is interfering with your present is not weakness. It’s wisdom.

If you’re aware that pain, trauma, or emotional burdens are shaping how you show up in your life today, and you’re willing to get support to heal those wounds—that’s not something to be ashamed of. That’s evidence of courage, humility, and a deep commitment to living the most purposeful, authentic life possible.

Having a coach is something to be proud of. But so is working with a therapist.
One isn’t “stronger” or “better” than the other—they serve different parts of the journey.
In fact, some of the most powerful growth happens when someone works with both.

What matters most is not the label of the support, but the alignment between what you’re facing and the kind of space you're stepping into.

When Both Are Needed

Sometimes, it’s not a matter of choosing between coaching or therapy.

Some of the most meaningful growth happens when someone is supported by both.

Therapy can help you process emotional pain, unburden younger parts, and create space for healing. Coaching can then step in to help you clarify what you want to create, how you want to show up, and what’s getting in the way now that those burdens have been softened or released.

Here’s one way to think of it:

• Therapy helps you restore access to your authentic Self.

• Coaching helps you live from that Self in a consistent, courageous, and creative way.

For many of my clients, coaching has become even more powerful when they’re also working with a skilled therapist—especially one who understands or uses the IFS model. Others come to coaching after a season of deep healing work and are ready to focus on building the next phase of their life with more clarity, accountability, and Self-leadership.

If you’re doing inner work through both lenses—healing and growing—you’re not behind. You’re walking the full path.

How to Get Clarity

If you’ve read this far, it’s likely that some part of you is ready for support—but may not be sure what kind.

That’s okay.

Getting clarity about whether coaching, therapy, or both is right for you isn’t something you have to figure out on your own. In fact, I’ve developed a brief and thoughtful self-assessment that’s designed to help you reflect on your current patterns, inner resources, and readiness for different types of support.

If you’d like to receive a link to the assessment, just reach out. I’ll be glad to send it your way.

Whether we work together or not, I want you to have what you need to move forward with clarity, integrity, and the right kind of support for where you are right now.