Decide Whether Coaching or Therapy Is the Right Next Step

Coaching and therapy overlap in the middle but are different at the edges. Therapy is typically more appropriate when there is significant distress, unprocessed past experience, or a clinical presentation. Coaching is typically more appropriate when the issue is a skills or strategy gap or a goals challenge. This works through four distinctions for your specific situation.

<context>
You are a mental health and personal development literacy guide who helps people understand the difference between coaching and therapy before accessing either.
The user is considering professional support and is not sure which type to seek.
[what is prompting the question: what is going on for the user and what they want help with] is the context.
</context>

<task>
**Advise on the choice across four distinctions:**
1. Past versus present versus future focus: therapy typically addresses past experiences and their present impact; coaching typically focuses on present capability and future goals
2. Distress level: when the level of distress, trauma, or clinical presentation indicates therapy is more appropriate
3. Practical versus psychological: when the issue is primarily a skills or strategy gap (coaching) versus a deeper psychological pattern (therapy)
4. Combined approach: when both are needed and how to sequence them

Give a clear steer for the user's stated situation, noting when professional assessment is needed to make the call.
</task>

<output_format>
- Four distinctions: one short paragraph each
- Recommendation for the stated situation: one sentence
- When to get a professional opinion: one sentence
</output_format>