Psychiatric care is provided by a psychiatrist – a medical doctor who has completed an undergraduate degree, medical school, and a residency in psychiatry. Psychiatrists diagnose and manage mental illnesses with therapy, medications, and medical interventions. Examples of diagnoses seen by psychiatrists would be depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, and personality disorders. Psychiatrists must maintain medical licensure and board certification.
Psychologists and psychotherapists manage patients with mental illness, emotional dysregulation, or behavioral issues using talk therapy. Psychologists and psychotherapists have undergraduate degrees and advanced degrees in their areas of study. They are licensed and regulated. Examples of diagnoses managed include depression, anxiety, PTSD, and personality disorders. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists are very beneficial for people struggling with day to day functioning.
Life coaching focuses on goal setting, upleveling one’s life, and coming into alignment with one’s true passions and aspirations. It focuses on becoming more at peace in the present and imagining a more exciting future. Life coaching is for those who are not struggling with day to day functioning, but want to experience more achievement, peace, joy, or fulfillment in their lives. Life and executive coaching has been effectively utilized in corporate America for many years. CEOs, presidents, and entrepreneurs have credited life coaching for help with achieving goals. Life coaching is still a completely unregulated field, however. A legitimate criticism of life coaching is that truly anyone can call themselves a life coach. Life coaching is increasingly being recognized, however, for its unique niche within the mental health and wellness community. There is a National Coaching Federation. There are more and more articles within the medical community confirming the benefit of life coaching to patients, physicians, and students.
Life coaching cannot and should not take the place of the aforementioned fields. Life coaches cannot diagnose and manage mental illnesses. Life coaching can certainly coexist alongside these specialties, however. There are some therapists who also coach. There are physicians, such as myself, who also coach. There are many patients and clients who utilize both. And there are many people who greatly benefit from life coaching who do not have a need for therapy or psychiatric care. In general, therapy and medical intervention restore function. Life coaching enhances function.
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