Frequently Asked Questions

What is Life Coaching, and how is it different from Counseling?

Life coaches help the clients they work with focus on identifying and moving towards personal and, at times, professional goals. Through focused coaching support, clients can learn healthy and helpful ways of navigating challenges and creating a life they feel excited about.

It may be interesting to learn that life coaching is rooted in clinical theory, often drawing on the work of Dr. Carl Rogers, Dr. Alfred Adler, and Dr. Carl Jung.

Rogers, Adler, and Jung saw individuals as fully capable artists of their lives and frequently involved their clients in goal setting and life planning. These are all tenets and approaches in today’s life coaching methods.

Coaching takes the best of those approaches, along with a new type of assistance for clients, such as:
• Working with the client to help them define life dreams and goals.
• Form a plan to foster and grow the client’s skills and talents.
• Assisting the client navigate difficult challenges in reaching their goals.
• Teaching tools and providing materials to assist the client.
• Helping the client with focus and accountability.
• Providing structure, encouragement, and support.
• Providing intentional and empathetic listening

Experienced coaches have similar qualities to counselors: coaches listen, observe, encourage, and customize their approach to individual client needs.

However, there are differences between coaches and therapists. For example, a life coach partners up with the people they work with to help the client improve and enhance the quality of their lives in helping the client move forward.

A therapist works with and treats clients with emotional challenges, mental illness, trauma, grief and loss, and relationship issues. A therapist often draws on the client’s history to help the client heal. This also improves the quality of the client’s life. Coaches do not diagnose or treat psychological or medical disorders or conditions.

Additionally, a life coach works actively with the client to create solutions and strategies; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful. Often, the coach provides support so the client can further develop their inherent skills, confidence, and creativity.


Through specific strategies and skills, the coach helps you define your goals and create the life you envision. Coaches help you focus, provide direction, and compassionately challenge, motivate, and celebrate with you.


Like therapists, life coaches support their coaching clients via in-person, Zoom, or phone sessions to help the client create their best personal and professional lives. The Light Coaching Program uses a HIPPA-compliant Zoom platform.