What's the Difference? (Part 1)
Life Coach, Mentor, Consultant, Therapist: Who Do You Need?
“What’s the difference between a coach and a therapist?”
A very smart woman asked me this question the other day.
After I answered her, I thought there may be other very smart people with the same, or similar, question.
You can certainly find the answers in various search engines, but here’s my take on the differences.
Let’s start with Life Coach and Mentor…
Life Coach
I’m starting with life coach because, well, I am one.
The definition of life coach that I prefer:
“A life coach is someone who helps their clients, and themselves, overcome fear in order to create the life they want.” (Health Coach Institute)
Life coaches help their clients turn fear into truth, which then is turned into their personal power.
You can find life coaches who specialize in everything from careers to finances, from mindset to fitness, from new author to nutrition.
If it’s a part of life, there’s a coach to help someone reach their goals in that area!
Where it gets tricky (in my opinion) is the training and regulations for coaches.
In the United States, like many other countries, there is no regulatory body for life coaches. Therefore, literally any person can call themselves a coach, act like a coach, and get paid to coach.
Because there is no regulatory body, coaches are not licensed; nor are there are standards of ethics or rules for calling oneself a coach. Coaches do not have to be trained or certified, either.
There is, however, a highly recognized and reputable coaching association known as the International Coaching Federation. The ICF has training programs and different credentials are awarded to graduates of their courses who complete the required hours of client coaching, education, and testing.
There are also other reputable coach training programs that offer certifications and are accredited by the ICF. While the graduates do not receive ICF credentials, they can know that they have completed training that is approved by the ICF.
(My dual certifications in health and life coaching came from the Health Coach Institute which is accredited by the ICF.)
Mentor
A mentor is defined as “an experienced and trusted advisor” (Oxford Languages).
A mentor is one who focuses on advising and sharing their experiences to decrease a particular knowledge gap.
My experiences with mentors have occurred when I wanted to do, or learn, something new.
For example, once upon a time I was asked to be a nurse researcher and design and lead a research study. Since this was something I had never done before, I needed a mentor who had done research and who was someone I trusted. My mentor happened to be the same person who asked me to do the study, Amy Rettig!
It was a good thing I liked working with her because the entire length of the study - from idea to publication - went from October 2016 until July 2022!
Like Amy, my other mentors have worked with me as part of our work as nurses. I have never paid a mentor out-of-pocket.
There are some mentors who offer their advice and time as a paid service.
Like coaching, becoming a mentor is not a regulated field of service. Anyone can call themselves a mentor and charge money (or not) for their advice.
Stay tuned for Part 2 where I define Consultants and Therapists.
I’d love to know if there are other titles you’d like me to add to this list of comparisons.
What questions do you have about coaches and mentors that I didn’t answer here?
Oh - I like this - now it makes sense! Thank you Amber!