What’s the difference between life coaching and therapy? They both support personal growth and emotional well-being, but they’re built on different foundations and serve different purposes. Hypnotherapy, can also play a unique role in the process. Let’s break it down.

Life Coaching: A Present-Focused Partnership

Life coaching is all about working together to move forward. It’s a collaborative, co-creative relationship where coach and client walk side-by-side. Rather than focusing on what’s “wrong,” coaching starts with the assumption that you’re whole, capable, and already have wisdom inside you, and we unlock that, together.

• Coaching focuses mostly on your present and your future
• We clarify goals, identify what’s getting in the way, and build strategies to overcome those blocks
• Emotions are seen as natural responses to life, not symptoms to fix
• Lasting change happens when clients discover their own answers, not just follow advice
• It’s empowering, and it helps you turn challenges into wins

There’s no diagnosis or treatment plan. Instead, it’s about helping you align with what you want most, and walking with you as you get there.

Therapy: Healing the Past

Therapy (or counseling) is usually more focused on the past, especially trauma, wounds, or unresolved emotional pain. It’s similar to a doctor-patient relationship where the therapist provides clinical expertise to help guide a healing process.

• Therapists often diagnose mental health conditions and create treatment plans
• Emotions are often explored as indicators of deeper psychological patterns or unresolved experiences
• The therapist is seen as the expert, and healing often comes through insight and professional guidance
• It’s especially helpful for people who are in acute emotional distress or working through trauma

Therapy is incredibly valuable when there’s a need for deep emotional healing. But it’s different from coaching in both its structure and its goals.

Where Hypnotherapy Comes In

Now, here’s where things get really interesting.

Hypnotherapy blends beautifully with coaching. It offers a gentle, effective way to tap into the subconscious, the part of you that holds patterns, beliefs, and blocks that you might not be fully aware of. While coaching works at a conscious level, hypnotherapy goes deeper to uncover the roots behind what’s holding you back.

When combined with coaching, hypnotherapy can help:

• Clear subconscious blocks that keep you stuck
• Reframe limiting beliefs
• Access inner wisdom and insight faster
• Align your subconscious with the goals you’re consciously working toward

It’s not about going back to re-live trauma. Often, it’s about gaining clarity, releasing old patterns, and stepping more confidently into your desired future.

What Clients Often Want to Know

If you’re new to this kind of work, you’re not alone. Here are a few things that tend to come up for prospective coaching + hypnotherapy clients:

You don’t have to know exactly what you want to work on.
Many people come in with a vague sense of being stuck or off-track. That’s more than enough. We’ll clarify things together.

This work meets you where you are.
Whether you’re navigating a big life shift or just want to feel more like yourself, sessions are tailored to your pace and priorities.

You stay in control the whole time.
Hypnotherapy isn’t something that’s “done to you.” You’re relaxed, aware, and in charge throughout the process.

You don’t need to rehash painful memories.
While past experiences may come up, we focus on healing and insight, not staying in the story. We move at a pace that feels safe.

It’s not about being “fixed.”
You’re not broken. This work is about reconnecting to your own wisdom and clearing what’s in the way of living fully and freely.

Sessions often lead to surprising insights.
You might come in to work on one thing and leave with a new perspective on something much deeper. That’s the power of tapping into the subconscious.

In a Nutshell:

Therapy is about healing the past.
Coaching is about building the future.
Hypnotherapy can help bridge the gap, allowing for deeper, faster transformation.

As a certified hypnotherapist and life coach with a master’s degree in counseling, I bring both depth and practicality to the work we do together. While I don’t currently offer psychotherapy or counseling, what I do offer is a powerful combination of life coaching and hypnotherapy: A supportive, forward-focused approach that helps you access your inner wisdom, clear blocks, and move toward a more aligned and fulfilling life.

Our work together is designed to meet you where you are and guide you into where you want to be.