Are Mental Health Coaches Replacing Therapists?
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby is a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, board-certified coach, AAMFT clinical supervisor, host of the Love, Happiness, and Success Podcast and founder of Growing Self.
Imagine waking up one morning, logging into LinkedIn, and seeing job postings that make your heart sink—companies hiring mental health coaches instead of licensed therapists. And not just hiring them, but paying them a fraction of a therapist’s salary. That’s exactly what happened to me, and let me tell you, I nearly spit out my kombucha.
At first, I thought, Surely, this is a mistake? But as I kept digging, I realized this wasn’t just one rogue job posting. It was part of a growing trend—one that could redefine the landscape of mental health care and impact our profession in ways we can’t afford to ignore. If you’re wondering what this means for you, your clients, and the future of therapy, you’re in the right place. In my latest episode of Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists, I break it all down—and more importantly, we talk about what we can do about it.
Mental Health Coaching: The Wild West of the Therapy World
If you’ve been in the therapy world for more than a minute, you already know this: becoming a licensed therapist takes years of education, clinical training, supervised hours, and ongoing professional development. We don’t just wake up one day and decide, You know what? I think I’ll help people process trauma today.
Mental health coaching, on the other hand? No standardized education requirements. No clinical oversight. No ethical board. And yet, more and more companies are putting coaching services in front of clients as if they’re equivalent to therapy. And let’s be real—most consumers don’t know the difference. They see mental health coaching and think, Great! This is cheaper and faster than therapy! (Yikes.)
Mental Health Coaching vs. Therapy
Therapy is for clinical issues. Diagnosable conditions like anxiety, depression, PTSD—you know, the things we spent years studying and training for. Coaching, by definition, is not clinical treatment. Coaches are supposed to focus on non-clinical personal development, like goal-setting and motivation. But what happens when someone with trauma walks into a coaching session, thinking they’re getting therapy?
They might not get the support they need. Or worse, they might get bad advice that does real harm.
Corporate Cost-Cutting & The Rise of “Coaches”
Why are companies leaning into mental health coaching? Simple: money. Hiring coaches instead of therapists means they can:
- Pay significantly lower rates (think $25-$30/hour instead of $100-$200/hour for licensed professionals).
- Avoid licensing and liability requirements.
- Scale mental health services quickly without investing in quality care.
And here’s where it gets really concerning: These same corporations are marketing mental health coaching as equivalent to therapy. So clients—many of whom have real clinical needs—think they’re getting professional help when they’re actually talking to someone with a weekend certification.
That’s not just misleading. It’s dangerous.
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What Can We Do About It?
I’m not here just to sound the alarm—I’m here to talk about solutions. And therapists, we have options.
1. Get Clear on Your Value Proposition
We need to educate ourselves and our clients about the difference between therapy and coaching. Be prepared to explain:
- The specialized training, ethical guidelines, and evidence-based methods therapists use.
- Why therapy is the gold standard for mental health treatment.
- How coaching, when done ethically, can be an adjunct to therapy—but not a replacement.
2. Advocate for Industry Standards & Regulation
Right now, coaching is the Wild West. Anyone can call themselves a coach, and that needs to change. Advocating for clear legal and ethical boundaries between therapy and coaching—especially when it comes to mental health—is critical.
3. Reclaim Coaching as a Modality for Therapists
Here’s the thing: Coaching isn’t the problem. Bad, unqualified coaching is a problem. When done ethically, evidence-based coaching can be an incredible tool for non-clinical clients. And who better to provide it than licensed mental health professionals? Instead of letting self-appointed “coaches” dominate this space, therapists should lead the coaching industry with integrity.
Becoming a Certified Coach as a Therapist
I know this is a lot to take in, and if you’re feeling fired up (or just a little overwhelmed), you’re not alone. But here’s the good news—you don’t have to navigate this alone. I’ve put together a free masterclass: The Therapist’s Guide to Coaching just for therapists like you who want to understand how to ethically integrate coaching into their practice. In it, I’ll walk you through the right way to use coaching as a tool for personal and professional growth—without crossing ethical lines or compromising your therapy practice.
And if you’re still mulling over these big shifts in our field, I invite you to dive deeper into the conversation with me. Check out past episodes of Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists—we cover everything from industry trends to practical strategies for growing your practice while staying true to your values. You can also come connect with me over on LinkedIn, where I love engaging in meaningful discussions (and, let’s be honest, the occasional debate) about these critical issues.
The future of our profession is in our hands. Let’s make sure we’re shaping it in a way that honors our expertise, protects our clients, and ensures ethical, effective mental health support for all.
Xoxo
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby
P.S. Know a therapist who needs to hear this? Share this article with a colleague or your professional network. Let’s keep this conversation going!
Resources:
Corrie, S., & Parsons, A. A. (2021). The contribution of coaching to mental health care: An emerging specialism for complex times. In Emerging conversations in coaching and coaching psychology (pp. 60-77). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315114514-5/contribution-coaching-mental-health-care-sarah-corrie-andrew-parsons
Aboujaoude, E. (2020). Where life coaching ends and therapy begins: Toward a less confusing treatment landscape. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(4), 973-977. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1745691620904962
Bluckert, P. (2005). The similarities and differences between coaching and therapy. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37(2), 91-96. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00197850510584241/full/html
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