Life coaching has evolved into a prevalent form of modern day counseling. It has also achieved a place on the internet along with online therapy. Life coaching differentiates from therapy in that it usually focuses on providing advice to the client and motivating him or her to achieve the goals which the life coach and the client have discussed and agreed upon. It is less focused on the processes of the psyche as well as the client's past and is not always geared towards one's emotional well-being. Life coaches motivate the client to engage in life and utilize their talents to the maximum degree. Sometimes processes within life coaching intersect with therapeutic processes, other times they do not. Nevertheless, online life coaches are creating a greater presence on the web. Just as with online counseling, online life coaching is here to stay.

Online life coaches will utilize the same forms of communication as online therapists do and will almost always provide their services at a fraction of the cost of traditional life coaching services. It is important for any potential client to use their discernment and decide for themselves which form of treatment model one wishes to engage in, be it online counseling or life coaching. If one is seeking self-insight, emotional healing, and improving their relationships than one would likely seek out an online therapist. If one is striving to diversify their employment opportunities, accomplish a previously failed desired goal, have a desire for someone to motivate them to improve their physical well-being, or other things of this nature than an online life coach may be more suitable.

A potential limitation of online coaching is that unlike some forms of online therapy, online life coaching is very task oriented; this means there are homework assignments and actual actions that must be completed by the client throughout the course of the sessions. Now, such task oriented processes are indeed employed in some forms of online therapy, but not all theoretical approaches to online therapy utilize them. When one is conducting sessions online it is more difficult to persuade and commit the client to completing the assignments. It is easier for a client to avoid accountability for their lack of completing the assignments when the counselor or coach is not in their direct physical presence. Furthermore, many life coaches will pro-actively work out the tasks with the client themself to ensure they are completed. Unless the coach or online therapist can meet the client in person, he or she can only instruct the client to follow through on their commitment.

Whether seeking out an online life coach or therapist it is important take a good deal of time to do the necessary research into any potential online therapist or coach so an appropriate determination can be made before entering into the collaborative working relationship that both professions require. Some online counselors offer both online counseling and online coaching services so it is important to bear this in mind as well. Like online therapists, online life coaches must adhere to strict ethical guidelines concerning client confidentiality and safety. It is important that a client receives in writing that the online life coach follows such guidelines and provide recourse for the client should the coach deviate from them.

Robert Morse, M.A. is the sole operator of the e-therapy service website http://rmetherapy.com He can be contacted by email at contact@rmetherapy.com or by telephone at (800) 313-1169.