Trauma-Informed Coaching vs Therapy: What's the Difference?

Trauma-informed coaching is a coaching approach that integrates an understanding of how trauma affects people into the coach's framework — without crossing into therapy territory. The coach doesn't treat trauma. Instead, they recognize its presence, create safety in the coaching relationship, and adjust their methods accordingly.

According to the International Coaching Federation, trauma-informed coaching is grounded in neuroscience, nervous system regulation, and relational presence. It means understanding that a client's stress responses, avoidance patterns, or difficulty taking action might be rooted in past experiences — and holding space for that reality without trying to "fix" it clinically.

This matters because the data on trauma prevalence is stark. The CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2011-2020) found that 63.9% of U.S. adults reported at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), and 17.3% reported four or more ACEs (CDC MMWR, 2023). If you're coaching adults, you're almost certainly working with people who carry trauma history — whether they've disclosed it or not.

The original CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE Study (1995-1997), which surveyed over 17,000 participants, established the foundational finding: almost two-thirds of participants reported at least one ACE, and of those with at least one, 87% had two or more (CDC). Adults with four or more ACEs showed a 12 times higher prevalence of health risks including depression, substance use, and suicide attempts.

This doesn't mean every coach needs to become a trauma specialist. It means every coach benefits from understanding trauma's footprint so they can work more effectively — and know when to refer out. For a deeper comparison of these two professions, see our guide on life coaching vs therapy.

Here's the line that matters most: trauma-informed coaches recognize trauma's influence. They don't treat it. This isn't a technicality. It's the fundamental ethical boundary of the profession.

As licensed therapist and coach educator Sherry Gaba, LCSW, explains: therapists are the front-line workers of mental health care and operate under a medical model of care, while coaches operate under a support model. Therapists work with and treat trauma; trauma-informed coaches do not treat trauma.

What trauma-informed coaches can do:

Create a psychologically safe coaching space. Use pacing, choice, and attunement to build trust. Recognize trauma responses like freeze, fight-flight, dissociation, or emotional flooding when they show up in sessions. Adjust their approach — slowing down, offering grounding techniques, avoiding re-triggering. Support clients in building resilience and moving toward goals despite their trauma history. Refer out when a client's needs exceed coaching's scope.

What trauma-informed coaches must never do:

Diagnose PTSD, C-PTSD, or any mental health condition. Conduct trauma processing or exposure work. Use clinical interventions like EMDR, cognitive processing therapy, or prolonged exposure. Explore traumatic memories in detail as a therapeutic technique. Position coaching as a replacement for therapy when clinical treatment is needed.

The ICF's first Core Competency — Meeting Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards — requires coaches to demonstrate the ability to refer clients to another support professional as needed (ICF Core Competencies, 2025). This isn't optional guidance. It's a credentialing requirement.

A useful framework from CaffeinatedKyle.com: the client is in the driver's seat while the coach is a watchful co-pilot. Trauma-informed coaching anchors work in the present — not the past — focusing on how trauma is affecting the client today and what forward movement looks like. If you need a full breakdown of what coaches can and can't do compared to therapists, read our coaching vs therapy guide.

Knowing when to stop coaching and start referring is the most important skill a trauma-informed coach develops. The ICF has published a formal white paper — Referring a Client to Therapy: A Set of Guidelines — that calls this "not only appropriate but ethically necessary" when a client's needs fall outside coaching competencies.

According to Coach Training EDU, coaches should observe the level of a client's impairment: when the problem gets in the way of everyday functioning — professionally, personally, or socially — you should make a referral to a mental health professional.

Here are the red flags that signal a client needs more than coaching. Some require immediate action. Others call for a thoughtful conversation about adding a therapist to the client's support team.

There's no single "trauma-informed coaching" credential recognized industry-wide. No international coaching accrediting body formally certifies programs specifically for trauma-informed coaching standards. But several reputable training options exist, and the landscape is growing.

Here's what's available as of 2026, organized by the credential pathway they support. If you're starting from scratch, see our guide to coaching certifications for the foundational credentials you'll want first.

Moving the Human Spirit offers what it describes as the world's first ICF-accredited trauma-informed coaching program. Their Level 1 certification provides 106 live contact hours and qualifies graduates to apply for ICF-ACC credentials. They also offer a 40-hour CCE program (approved by ICF, NBHWC, and UKIHCA) for coaches who already hold a credential and want to add trauma-informed training (Moving the Human Spirit).

Coach Training World offers a Trauma-Informed Certified Coach (TICC) program providing 23 ICF CCEs (18 Core Competencies, 5 Resource Development). It's a shorter add-on option for already-credentialed coaches (Coach Training World).

The Centre for Healing offers a free trauma-informed certificate for coaches — a self-paced introductory option for coaches who want foundational knowledge before committing to a paid program (The Centre for Healing).

International Association of Trauma Recovery Coaching (IATRC) offers a certification with an enrollment fee of $3,100 for the 2026 cohort ($700 deposit with 6-month payment plan available). Note that this is a trauma recovery coaching credential — not an ICF-accredited coaching program (IATRC).

For coaches considering the health and wellness angle, the NBHWC credential combined with trauma training is increasingly popular. Programs like Toivoa Coaching offer a 12-hour trauma-informed specialty certificate specifically designed for NBC-HWC holders, focusing on trauma-sensitive strategies within the NBHWC scope of practice. For an overview of all ICF credential levels, see our guides on ICF-ACC and health and wellness coaching.

You don't need a trauma-specific certification to start practicing with more awareness. Here's what trauma-informed coaching looks like in daily practice — practical changes that respect the scope boundary while making you a more effective coach.

Build safety into every session. Trauma-informed practice starts with the environment. Be predictable: start and end on time, follow through on what you say you'll do, and give clients control over pacing. The Ignite Global Trauma-Informed Coaching Competency Framework emphasizes that coaches should honor agency, pacing, and choice in every interaction.

Learn to recognize nervous system activation. When a client suddenly goes quiet, becomes agitated, loses their train of thought, or seems "checked out," those can be trauma responses — freeze, fight, flight, or fawn. You don't need to name the trauma. You just need to notice the shift and slow down. A simple "I notice we hit something important there — would you like to pause?" can make a big difference.

Stay present-focused. Trauma-informed coaching anchors in the present. If a client starts going deep into a traumatic memory, gently redirect: "I hear how significant that experience was for you. In our coaching work, I want to focus on how it's affecting you today and what you want to do about it moving forward." If they need to process the past, that's what therapists are for.

Build a referral network before you need one. Every trauma-informed coach should have a list of trusted therapists, counselors, and crisis resources ready before a referral moment arrives. Many coaches and therapists work collaboratively — the therapist handles clinical issues while the coach supports goal-oriented work. This isn't an either/or. For more on building your professional foundation, see our guide to becoming a life coach.

Know your own limits. Working with clients who carry trauma can be emotionally heavy. Supervision, peer support, and your own self-care practices aren't luxuries — they're professional necessities. Burnout in trauma-adjacent work is real, and coaches are just as susceptible as anyone. This is especially relevant for coaches in adjacent specializations like grief and loss coaching or health and wellness coaching, where trauma disclosures are more common.

For more on the regulatory landscape and what's required where you practice, see our life coach requirements guide.