Pain Coaching vs Pain Therapy: What’s the Difference?
Why It Matters to Future Coaches
If you’re exploring careers in pain support, you may have come across both “pain therapy” and “pain coaching.” They sound similar—but they are very different roles.
Understanding the distinction is crucial if you’re considering training as a Certified Pain Coach.
What is Pain Therapy?
Pain therapy is a clinical intervention. It is usually offered within healthcare systems and includes approaches such as:
Physiotherapy for rehabilitation and movement.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for pain.
Psychological counselling.
Specialist pain management programs.
Therapies are delivered by clinicians or registered therapists, and focus on diagnosis and treatment.
What is Pain Coaching?
Pain coaching is a non-clinical, trauma-informed approach designed to empower people living with chronic pain. Coaches don’t diagnose or prescribe treatment. Instead, they:
Teach clients about the neuroscience of pain in clear, accessible ways.
Share practical mind-body tools such as breathwork, pacing, and grounding.
Support clients with the emotional impact of pain (loss of identity, stress, low confidence).
Provide ongoing resilience coaching to help clients live beyond pain.
Unlike therapy, coaching is forward-looking, accessible globally, and focused on empowerment rather than treatment.
Key Differences for Professionals Considering Training
If you’re deciding whether to pursue therapy or coaching training, here are the distinctions to keep in mind:
Focus: Therapy treats and diagnoses; coaching equips and empowers.
Training Requirements: Therapy requires clinical qualifications; coaching requires professional-level training but not a medical degree.
Scope: Therapy is clinical; coaching is non-clinical and trauma-informed.
Accessibility: Therapy is often tied to healthcare systems; coaching can be delivered globally online.
Outcome: Therapy aims at treatment; coaching focuses on resilience, self-management, and identity rebuilding.
Why Coaching is the Future
For many professionals, pain coaching offers a faster and more accessible pathway into pain support. You don’t need a medical background—you need emotional maturity, ethics, and the right training.
Because coaching is non-clinical, it complements therapy rather than competes with it. This makes it an ideal choice for:
Coaches expanding into pain support.
Therapists adding coaching frameworks to their practice.
Educators, carers, and wellbeing professionals who want structured tools.
People with lived experience who want to work professionally.
The STILL Method: Accredited Training for Future Coaches
The STILL Method Pain Coaching Course gives you everything you need to start a professional career as a Certified Pain Coach:
Accreditation – recognised by ACCPH & IPHM worldwide.
Practical tools – workbooks, scripts, and frameworks you can use immediately.
Global delivery – live online training accessible wherever you are.
Ongoing mentorship – monthly support calls and CPD to keep building your skills.
It’s the professional pathway for anyone who wants to join the growing movement of pain coaches worldwide.
Final Thoughts: Choosing Your Path
Pain therapy and pain coaching are different careers—but both aim to help people living with chronic pain. If you want a non-clinical, globally accessible, and forward-looking profession, coaching may be the path for you.
By training with The STILL Method, you’ll gain the skills, accreditation, and global credibility to launch your career as a Certified Pain Coach.
👉 Ready to begin? Enroll in The STILL Method Pain Coaching Course or book a free call with Stuart today.
