Spiritual Coaching vs Therapy in 2024: Your Ultimate Guide

The first key difference between spiritual coaching and therapy is that they both have radically different starting points for how they frame the clients and issues they work with. Therapists typically operate within a disease-based model of mental health that tends to view individuals seeking therapy through the lens of illness. Clients are patients in need of mental health healing. This perspective is heavily influenced by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a publication by the American Psychiatric Association that classifies nearly 300 mental illnesses.

Unfortunately, the DSM fails to account for the fact that individuals who are functioning reasonably well from society’s point of view, can still feel deeply unhappy and unfulfilled at times and require expert help and support on their life journey. Not because they have a disease or an illness that needs treatment, but because, let’s face it, the world we’re living in can be extremely challenging at times.

So many of us don’t get anywhere close to receiving the kind of love, care, and support we need from our families, friends, and communities in order to really thrive here and not just get by. That’s not a “me” problem. That’s a living-on-planet “earth” in this day and age problem.

Not all mental health therapists are aligned with the DSM's pathologizing approach. For example, Dr. Richard Schwartz pioneered Internal Family Systems (IFS), a popular evidence-based alternative therapeutic model that challenges the western world's predominant disease-based perspective on healing.

Now, in contrast to therapy, the starting point for spiritual coaching is that who you are at your core, your sacred divine essence, is always perfectly whole and complete. It’s not damaged in any way, so it doesn’t need to be fixed or healed.

So, if you’re seeking spiritual coaching and experiencing a sense of sadness, loneliness, grief, fear, or disconnection in your life, we see those emotions as a potential doorway and invitation to experience a greater awakening to your soul and divine nature.

If you’re struggling with different beliefs, issues, or relationships in your life, we see those challenges as an opportunity for you to reclaim your soul power and discover a new way of being in the world that is more closely aligned with the infinite love, joy, and peace you already are.

The second key difference between spiritual coaching and therapy is that both fields have completely different areas of expertise. Therapists are experts at diagnosing and treating symptoms of mental health disorders.

Since they are considered to be a mental healthcare professional, therapists are licensed and regulated by their state licensing board. That makes them subject to educational requirements for their profession.

If you’re experiencing any emotional or mental health symptoms that are making you feel unstable or preventing you from properly taking care of yourself or your loved ones, therapists are trained to help you get back on your feet.

Spiritual coaches, on the other hand, are not mental health professionals. They're spiritual experts who can help you reconnect to your inner wisdom and guidance, shift out of limiting beliefs, fear-based patterns, and painful emotions, unlock your creative potential, show up in your full authentic power, and bring your life and relationships into greater harmony and alignment with what truly brings you joy and satisfaction.

Since the nature of spiritual coaching involves a spiritual calling and practical real world training in the school of life, it’s not a career that is regulated by a state licensing agency. So, there are no formal educational requirements a person has to meet in order to be able to call themselves a spiritual coach.

However, there are spiritual coaches, like myself, who have a professional degree or license in another field that requires us to comply with ethical standards for that profession and pass through a strict vetting process of good character, honesty, fairness, trustworthiness, and transparency.

The third key difference between spiritual coaching and therapy is that they both rely on different approaches to helping clients. Conventional talk therapy is known to be quite analytical and mind-oriented, delving deep into a client's past to explore their memories of painful childhood experiences and traumas.

But, not all psychotherapists emphasize the past. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a modern and widely practiced form of therapy that primarily focuses on creating behavioral changes in the present by reframing negative thoughts in the here and now.

There are also powerful alternative therapeutic approaches that are more body focused. For example, Dr. Peter Levine developed Somatic Experiencing Therapy, which addresses trauma related symptoms in the body by focusing on bodily sensations, movements, and the natural self-regulating mechanisms of the nervous system.

Compared to conventional talk therapists, spiritual coaches tend to adopt a more holistic approach to working with clients. For example, in my own spiritual coaching practice, I honor the mind-body connection and use a number of practices and tools to engage not just my client's mind, but also their heart, soul, and body.

Many spiritual coaches also draw on their intuitive side, spiritual gifts, and connection to helping spirit guides as a source of wisdom and empowerment in their work. As an intuitive empath, I'm highly attuned to my clients' emotions and can easily pick up on what they're feeling during our spiritual coaching sessions before they're even conciously aware of it.

And while we don't dwell on the past, spiritual coaches don't ignore the impact of past trauma either. Instead, we teach our clients to feel, process, and release painful emotions, experiences, and limiting beliefs by staying awake to their inner loving presence.

The fourth key difference between spiritual coaching and therapy is that they both have vastly different timetables when it comes to results. In general, therapy can be a lot slower than spiritual coaching for various reasons.

The first reason is that therapy tends to work mainly at one level, the level of the mind, while spiritual coaching is more action-oriented and targets the deepest levels of a person’s being, the energetic and spiritual levels. The second reason is that therapy typically doesn’t have an end date. Whereas spiritual coaches usually set specific goals and timelines for their coaching sessions. This structure helps clients stay on track and focused on their journey

And the third reason is that spiritual coaches often have a niche that they specialize in, which means they're focused on helping a specific group of people who are facing a common challenge. This allows them to develop tailored individual and group coaching sessions, programs, practices, and inner work exercises that can lead to rapid shifts in consciousness and awareness, allowing clients to experience profound changes in relatively short periods of time.

While it might seem like I'm suggesting that spiritual coaching has the upper hand here because of how much quicker it can be than therapy, it’s important to remember that faster isn’t always the best approach for everyone.

Before I show you the final key difference between spiritual coaching and therapy, I want to highlight Dynamic Energetic Healing Therapy. It’s my favorite alternative form of therapy and combines principles of core shamanic practices, energy psychology, and process-oriented psychology. I’ve personally experienced it and seen how incredibly effective it can be in just one session.

While there are therapy groups for certain kinds of issues, most therapy tends to be one-on-one. This helps address privacy concerns, but can also make for an isolating experience as clients can hesitate to talk to their friends and family members about what they discussed or learned in therapy for fear of being judged or seen as weak or flawed.

Spiritual coaching, in turn, consists of individual sessions, group sessions, or a mix of both. Spiritual group coaching programs in particular can help foster a sense of connection, community, and belonging with like-hearted individuals who share similar perspectives, challenges, and dreams.

This is important because although spiritual coaching does not carry the stigma associated with being diagnosed with a mental illness, some people may still feel uncomfortable sharing their spiritual side with others who don’t understand them.

So, now that we’ve explored the five key differences between spiritual coaching and therapy, including different starting points, areas of expertise, approaches, timetables, and client experiences, you’re in a much better position to understand which path is best for you.

I understand that taking action can feel daunting, especially when it comes to your emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. It's natural to feel scared or uncertain. But don’t let fear hold you back.

Now that you have the information you need in order to choose between therapy and spiritual coaching, it’s important to take the next step. The sooner you begin, the sooner you can start getting the help, support, and relief you deserve.

If therapy feels like the right choice, I encourage you to find a qualified therapist who can serve as a compassionate guide on your mental health journey. If spiritual coaching interests you, I invite you to book a spiritual coaching session with me today and reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you for reading, beautiful soul. And always remember, you are loved, you matter, and your light is needed here.