Life coaches are to therapists as personal trainers are to doctors.
Working with a doctor usually involves addressing more serious physical concerns than working with a personal trainer. Similarly working with a therapist usually involves addressing more serious mental concerns than would be addressed with a life coach (such as processing trauma or seeking treatment for depression).
Life coaches are like personal trainers for your mental and emotional health: while personal trainers help people optimize their physical health, coaches help people optimize their mental and emotional health through open and judgement-free dialogue.
In short, if you’re looking to improve your life by making positive changes in your life, a coach is an incredible resource to invest in.
But if you’re specifically looking for help with mental illnesses or processing past emotional trauma, you’d likely be better suited by a mental health professional such as a counselor, or a therapist.