Coaching vs Therapy: Finding the Right Support for Your Journey

Ten years ago, I started working with both a therapist and a coach. I felt guilty about it. My monkey brain took over:

Am I too much?

Do I need too much help?

Shouldn't I be able to figure this out on my own?

Is this just a me thing?  

Eventually, I learned that I wasn't doing too much. I was finally doing what actually worked. My therapist helped me heal from the past. My coach helped me build the future. And together, they helped me create a transformation I couldn't have achieved alone.  

That experience changed everything about how I approach growth, both my own and how I support my clients today.  

Here's what I see now that I didn't understand then:

Most people aren't failing at personal growth.

They're just in the wrong room for what they really need. 

Ever walk into what you thought was the right place, only to realize you're somewhere completely different? That's what happens when people work with a coach when they need a therapist, or spend years in therapy, wondering why they're still stuck on the same goals. You're not getting bad support, necessarily. You're just in the wrong room. 

Since launching Copper Penny Coaching, "Do I need a coach or a therapist?" has become the question I'm asked most often, and I completely understand why. These two professions can look similar on the surface, but they serve fundamentally different purposes and can lead you down very different paths. 

Understanding these distinctions can help get you going in the right direction to determine what level of support you need in this moment.  

The Framework That Makes It Clear: Past vs Future 

Here's the simplest way to distinguish between coaching and therapy: 

Therapy looks backward to heal forward, addressing the past to restore health in the present. 

Coaching looks forward to creating momentum, building on the present to design your future. 

Let's break it down.  

What Therapy Offers 

Therapy is a clinical practice led by licensed mental health professionals. It's designed to help you heal from trauma, manage mental health conditions, and understand how your history shapes your current experiences. 

Therapists specialize in: 

• Diagnosing and treating mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, etc.) 

• Processing trauma and unresolved emotional wounds 

• Understanding deep-rooted behavioral and relational patterns 

• Providing clinical intervention and evidence-based treatment 

Therapy might be right for you if: 

• You're experiencing mental health symptoms that disrupt your daily functioning 

• Past experiences continue to cause significant distress or interfere with your relationships 

• You're working through trauma, grief, or loss 

• You've been diagnosed with a mental health condition that requires professional treatment 

• You need to understand why you think, feel, or behave in certain ways 

The therapeutic approach: Therapists use evidence-based clinical modalities to help you process your past, heal emotional wounds, and develop healthier coping mechanisms. The relationship often involves diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical expertise. 

What Coaching Provides 

Coaching is a collaborative partnership designed to help you achieve meaningful goals and create the life you envision. As your coach, I start from the premise that you're already capable and whole. My role is to help you unlock what's already within you and bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. 

Coaches partner with you on: 

• Clarifying your vision and setting meaningful goals 

• Developing new skills, habits, and mindsets 

• Creating accountability structures that actually work for you 

• Identifying and moving past limiting beliefs 

• Building momentum through consistent action 

• Navigating transitions and major life changes 

Coaching might be right for you if: 

• You're a mid-level manager who keeps getting passed over for promotions and can't figure out what's missing. You know you're capable, but something isn't clicking. 

• You've been talking about starting that business for three years, but something always gets in the way: fear, perfectionism, or just not knowing where to start. 

• You feel stuck in a career that pays well but leaves you unfulfilled, and you're ready to figure out what's next but don't want to make a costly mistake. 

• You have big goals (write a book, switch industries, become a better leader), but you struggle with consistent follow-through and need someone to keep you accountable. 

• You're navigating a major transition (new role, empty nest, divorce, relocation) and need support creating a vision for this next chapter. 

  
  

The coaching approach: I ask powerful questions that spark insight, challenge assumptions that might be holding you back, and hold you accountable to the commitments you make. Coaching isn't about me having all the answers. It's about partnering with you to discover your own wisdom and translate it into action. I don't diagnose or treat mental health conditions; instead, I help you create sustainable forward momentum toward the future you're building. 

Side-by-Side: Coaching vs Therapy

Aspect	Therapy	Coaching
Primary Focus	Past to Present	Present to Future
Starting Assumption	Something needs healing	You're capable and ready to grow
Professional Requirements	Clinical license required	Certification varies
Core Goal	Emotional healing & mental health	Achievement and transformation
Relationship Dynamic	Clinical provider/patient	Collaborative partnership
Typical Questions	"Why does this happen?"	"What do you want? How will you get there?"

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Can You Work With Both at Once? 

Yes, and many people do! In fact, combining therapy and coaching can be incredibly powerful. 

My Experience Working With Both 

For ten years, I’ve worked with both a therapist and a coach simultaneously, and it transformed my life. My therapist helped me understand and heal from trauma, giving me language for my experiences and clinical expertise for complex mental health challenges. 

My coach helped me regulate my nervous system in real-time and access my own wisdom. She didn’t give answers; she coached me to discover what I already knew but couldn’t see. 

What made it work: they communicated with each other. With my permission, they took a complementary approach. My therapist helped me understand why I struggled; my coach helped me practice showing up differently. 

I won’t pretend every session felt profound. Many days, I didn’t want to show up. But I showed up anyway, and those sessions were often the most beneficial. I was held accountable and gently pushed beyond my comfort zone at my own pace. 

Did I feel guilty? Absolutely. I questioned whether I was “too much.” But that guilt was part of my old pattern, believing I should handle everything myself. Working through that became part of the work. 

The result: clinical healing plus forward-focused growth created momentum I couldn’t have built alone. You don’t have to choose between healing and building. Your therapist helps you understand your past; your coach helps you create your future.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

How to Make It Work 

• Be transparent. Tell each professional you’re working with the other. Good coaches and therapists see this as positive. 

• Consider coordination. With appropriate releases, they can communicate about your progress. Even occasional alignment is powerful. 

• Clarify roles. Bring clinical symptoms, trauma, and deep healing to therapy. Bring goals, action plans, and future-focused work to coaching. 

• Trust the process. Some sessions feel more impactful than others. The cumulative effect over time creates transformation.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

How to Know What You Need Right Now 

A quick decision framework: 

Consider therapy if: You're dealing with mental health symptoms, past trauma, or emotional patterns that are significantly impacting your quality of life or relationships. You need clinical support to heal and stabilize. 

Consider coaching if: You feel generally healthy and stable, but you're stuck, unclear about your direction, or ready to grow. You have goals but need support, accountability, and a thought partner to help you achieve them. 

Still not sure? Ask yourself: Am I trying to heal from the past or build toward the future? Your answer will point you in the right direction. 

MOST IMPORTANTLY & ABOVE ALL ELSE  

Your needs aren't static. What's right for you today might change six months from now, and that's completely normal. Many of my clients come to coaching after completing therapy work, or they begin therapy while we're working together because something surfaces that needs clinical attention. There's no shame in pivoting as your needs evolve. 

A Word About Getting Curious at Any Age 

I've worked with people in their 20s and in their 60s. What I’ve noticed is that we sometimes carry beliefs from earlier generations or the environments we grew up in, that asking for help is a weakness or that by a certain age, we should have everything figured out. 

Let me be clear: seeking support, whether therapy or coaching, isn't a sign you've failed. It's a sign you're still growing. And guess what? How HUMAN is that??  

Some of the most successful, fulfilled people I know are the ones who stay curious and continue investing in themselves, regardless of their age or stage of life. 

If you grew up in a generation where "you just dealt with it" or "you didn't air your problems to strangers," I want you to know that getting support isn't indulgent or self-absorbed. It's an act of courage and self-respect. And it's never too late to invest in becoming the person you want to be. 

Ready to Take the Next Step? 

If you've read this far, chances are you're at least curious about what coaching could do for you. Maybe you're stuck on a goal that matters. Maybe you're ready for a change, but don't know where to start. Maybe you just need someone to help you see what you can't see on your own. 

I work with people who are ready to invest in themselves and do the work, not just talk about it. If that sounds like you, let's have a conversation about where you are and where you want to go. 

Schedule a complimentary consultation call

and we'll figure out together if coaching is the right next step for you. 

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