Whom Should You Go To – A Psychologist Or Life Coach?

The dawn of the 2000’s bought with it stress and complexity of living. Most of the people today are faced with stress, lack of time and so many other problems the ultimate of which is anxiety and depression. This has lead to the increase in demand for life coaches and psychologists. Life coaches and psychologists as similar as they may sound have different purposes and it depends on each person’s discretion who they would like to take help from; some may need a life coach, another a psychologist while others may benefit from a psychologist and a life coach at different periods of their life.

A life coach and a psychologist both aim at improving the life of their client. A life coach acts as a friend of the client and helps him improve himself. He may suggest different ways that the client can change his behavior as utilizing time better, managing stress and so on. He tries to build a friendship with his client and talks to him in a matter of fact way depending on what he observes and has experienced in life. He could act as a motivator, and personal behavioral guide to him. A psychologist is more a professional who believes on certain established facts and figures. His relationship with the client is a professional one and a psychologist is a guide of his client in developing emotional intelligence to tackle the problems of life.

A very interesting fact is to be noted in the aspects life coach and psychologist deal in; life coach deals in the specific aspect of life a client needs help in like stress management or time management or organizational skills while a psychologist helps his client to deal in life in general. A psychologist teaches you how to deal emotionally better in life. A psychologist is helpful for those having emotional problems.

The process by which a life coach and psychologist help their clients is different. A life coach helps his client set up goals in his life, so as to help him make his life more organized and help him manage his time or stress (which is his problem) better. His focus is more on the present, helping his client to improve himself in the present and earmark on a bright future. A psychologist has his focus on the past trying to unravel pat events in life that has been the reason for present emotions and focuses on help to deal with those developed emotions in the present. So life coaches help in better organization in a specific problem while psychologist depend on better organization and control of various emotions arising in different situations.

It is however very interesting to note that both these professionals aim at promotion of different kinds of intelligence. A life coach believes that the way one behaves is the root cause of his problem in life. He thinks that a person having a stress problem can better organize his activities in life, his behavior towards the people in his environment and lead a stress-free life. Similarly he believes not finding time to do various activities can be corrected by one learning to better organize his time. A psychologist believes our emotions play a vital role in our being a success or failure in life. Once one gains a control in his/her emotions one can be successful in various aspects of life.

Yes, a life coach is practical in life and believes in suggesting certain activities that help to improve the personality of the client in general. He may suggest the use of creative new techniques including creative visualization, meditation, positive thinking and other motivational tips also. These suggestions are not backed by facts and proof. A psychologist uses a very scientific approach based on facts and proofs.

A fair study would have given one an idea about what each of the professional; a life coach and a psychologist do. A psychologist is needed by those who have emotional problems, while a life coach those who find it difficult to organize their behavior to be a success in life. A client who has gone through psychological trauma in childhood or adulthood for a long time and who has difficulty in controlling his emotions which is a stumbling block to action surely need a psychologist. The help of a psychologist to his client is mostly a long-term one. A life coach is a friend and motivator who just plays a role in making the client to get on his feet, organize himself into his goals in life and take action. This may just be for a short term.

So dear friends, be the best judge in selecting a life coach or a psychologist at the right time to help you.