Coaching vs Therapy — What’s the Difference?
And how to know what kind of support is right for you
If you're seeking support in your life—whether for emotional healing, personal growth, or navigating a big life change—you might find yourself asking: Do I need a coach, or a therapist?
It’s a great question, and an important one. While both coaching and therapy offer valuable guidance and transformation, they are designed for different purposes. Understanding the distinction can help you feel more confident choosing the support that truly fits where you are right now.
Let’s gently explore the difference between coaching and therapy—without the jargon, pressure, or judgment.
What Is Coaching?
Coaching is a collaborative, forward-focused approach that supports you to make meaningful changes in your life. A coach helps you clarify your goals, uncover inner blocks, and build the tools to move toward the life you want—with greater awareness and confidence.
Coaching often focuses on:
Life transitions and decision-making
Mindset and emotional resilience
Career, business or purpose-driven goals
Boundaries, identity, and self-trust
Uncovering and clearing limiting beliefs
The aim is not to diagnose or treat—but to create space for discovery, healing, and growth, especially in areas where you feel stuck despite self-awareness or effort.
Coaching is ideal for people who are functioning well in daily life but want to go deeper—to shift patterns, rewire old responses, or make empowered choices from a more grounded place.
What Is Therapy?
Therapy is a mental health service delivered by a qualified psychologist, counsellor, or social worker. It is often focused on helping people understand and recover from emotional distress, trauma, or mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD or complex grief.
Therapists are trained to:
Diagnose and treat clinical conditions
Process trauma and past experiences
Offer structured therapeutic modalities (such as CBT, EMDR, or psychodynamic therapy)
Provide long-term support for emotional regulation and healing
Therapy is essential when someone is in crisis, experiencing significant emotional pain, or struggling to function day-to-day.
Where Does MAP Coaching Fit In?
Frances offers coaching that incorporates the MAP Method—a neuroscience-based process that gently helps clear subconscious patterns, emotional triggers, and limiting beliefs. Unlike therapy, MAP-based coaching doesn’t involve diagnosis, treatment plans, or delving into trauma stories.
Instead, it offers a calm, non-invasive way to create lasting shifts in your inner landscape, helping you feel more emotionally free, resilient, and aligned with who you’re becoming.
MAP coaching is well suited for clients who:
Have “done the work” but still feel stuck in old patterns
Are highly self-aware but need support shifting subconscious resistance
Are moving through life changes such as separation, reinvention, or burnout recovery
Want support with money mindset, boundaries, visibility or self-worth
Prefer a gentle, emotionally safe process without retelling their whole story
So, How Do You Choose?
Ask yourself gently:
Do I need help with a diagnosed mental health issue, trauma processing, or emotional safety? → A therapist may be the right support.
Am I functioning well overall, but feel stuck, blocked, or disconnected from my next step? → Coaching might be the support you need.
Do I want someone to help me shift internal resistance and rewire outdated beliefs? → MAP-based coaching could be the ideal next step.
You may also choose to work with both—a therapist for clinical support and a coach for inner rewiring and practical forward movement.
Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The most important thing is to choose the support that feels respectful, safe, and aligned for you.
If coaching with MAP resonates, I’d be honoured to support you. You're welcome to book a free discovery call to explore whether it's the right next step.