A life coach, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and others all work with the human self.
They aim to improve individuals’ lives and well-being, but there is a significant difference in their functions and the nature of their work. Each operates differently in some aspects and intersects in others. This is where the differences between them come in. We will take a closer look at the life coach and the psychiatrist to highlight some of these differences.
The life coach focuses on helping individuals identify their personal and professional goals and work on the present moment.
They aim to improve the quality of life, increase happiness, and satisfaction by guiding individuals to take positive steps and change certain behaviors.
They rely on guidance and counseling, using tools and techniques such as asking effective questions, creating action plans, and boosting motivation.
The life coach assists in setting goals and creating a plan tailored to each client based on their capabilities, available resources, circumstances, and the dreams they aspire to achieve, using principles and knowledge gained through their experience in the field, various training courses, and self-education through books relevant to this field.
On the other hand, the psychiatrist focuses on diagnosing and treating psychological and mental disorders, providing psychotherapy and medical treatment for mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and psychological disorders that may be related to past traumas that still affect the individual.
This is where the psychiatrist comes in, as they are a healer who uses various psychological treatments (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy) and may also prescribe psychiatric medications. They must have a medical degree with special training in psychiatry and be licensed to practice the profession.
The psychiatrist deals with past wounds and what the patient has experienced, helping the patient heal from past traumas, whether they be emotional injuries or the loss of loved ones to whom they were deeply attached, driving them to a high level of denial, disbelief, and refusal to live in the present and accept the facts. The psychiatrist’s role is not to guide the client towards future plans and goals.
Although psychiatry and life coaching differ in their tasks and nature of work, they can (preferably) work hand in hand at times to improve individuals’ mental and emotional health comprehensively.
Helping individuals overcome their past with the assistance of a psychiatrist while simultaneously taking practical steps in the present for the future, this collaboration reduces the individual’s vulnerability to psychological disorders again. They will receive support, motivation, and goal-setting from the life coach while overcoming the past and its disorders with the psychiatrist in parallel.
For example, people suffering from depression or anxiety can work with a psychotherapist to assess their mental state and provide the necessary treatment, in addition to working with a life coach to set goals, help them achieve those goals, and improve their quality of life, which may protect them from mental illnesses or relapse.