A very practical consideration for many people is that therapy is covered by health insurance, whereas coaching is not. Many coaches charge fees that are similar to what therapists charge. There are instances when it is in the client's best interests for a coach to refer the client for therapy, for a therapist to refer the client for coaching, and for coach and therapist to both work with the client in a collaborative and cooperative manner. As noted above, a coach will refer a client for therapy if the client is experiencing significant emotional problems related to depression, anxiety disorders, issues of abuse or trauma, personality disorders, angry or violent outbursts, rapid mood swings, addictions, and other such problems. Therapy may also be indicated during periods when outside life factors interfere with the client's ability to function and more psychological support is needed, for example during a divorce, separation, death in the family, serious illness, and so on.
Regular exercise is known to produce significant benefits.
The services of a professional organizer can be very helpful with structuring the work and home environment to reduce clutter and reduce disorganization. A therapist might consider referring a client to a coach for a number of reasons. When a client has difficulty following through on the goals set in therapy and the problem is not getting resolved in therapy, a coach can help therapy be more productive. The coach is able to provide more frequent contact with the client, set up more structure in the client's life to help address the therapeutic goals, and improve follow-through. Coaching can also be very helpful when the client needs to learn specific skills such as creating time lines, setting up more structures, and can benefit from the increased accountability that comes from frequent coach-client contacts.