If you’re a licensed therapist in California who also offers coaching, you’ve probably wondered: Can I put both services on my website? It seems like a simple question, but the answer has some important nuance — and getting it wrong could put your license at risk.

Let’s break it down in plain language.

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First, Why Does This Even Matter?

Therapy and coaching might feel similar — both involve a professional helping someone work through challenges, set goals, and grow. But legally, they’re very different.

Therapy is a regulated healthcare service. In California, you need a license (LCSW, MFT, LPCC, or Psychologist) to provide it, and your work is governed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). You have legal duties around confidentiality, mandated reporting, and professional ethics.

Coaching is unregulated. Anyone can call themselves a life coach or business coach — no license required. There’s no licensing board, no mandated reporting, and no state oversight of the practice itself.

This distinction matters enormously when it comes to advertising.

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What the Rules Actually Say

The California BBS doesn’t have a specific rule that says “thou shalt not put coaching and therapy on the same webpage.” What it does say is that your advertising cannot be:

• False
• Fraudulent
• Misleading
• Deceptive

That’s a broad standard, and it’s intentionally so. The BBS expects you to use professional judgment — and to err on the side of clarity.

Additionally, as a licensed therapist, you must identify your licensure status in any advertisement. This applies whether you’re advertising therapy, coaching, or both.

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The Core Problem with Mixing the Two

Here’s where things get tricky. When a licensed therapist advertises coaching and therapy side by side — especially on the same page or under the same business name — it creates confusion for potential clients. And that confusion is where your liability lives.

A prospective client browsing your website might not understand the difference between your “$150 therapy session” and your “$150 coaching session.” They might not realize that the coaching relationship doesn’t carry the same legal protections as therapy. They might not know that your coaching work isn’t covered by their insurance, or that they can’t file a complaint with the BBS if they feel harmed.

From the BBS’s perspective, any confusion you create is your responsibility to fix — because you’re the licensed professional.

There’s also a scope-of-practice issue. California’s licensing boards have taken the position that when a licensed therapist offers services, those services may be subject to board oversight even if you call them coaching. In other words, slapping a “coaching” label on something that looks and feels like therapy doesn’t necessarily put it outside BBS jurisdiction.

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So What Should You Do?

Here’s the spectrum of approaches, from most conservative to least:

Option 1: Separate Everything (Gold Standard)

Create two entirely separate businesses — one for therapy, one for coaching. This means:

• Separate business names (e.g., “Jane Smith, LMFT” for therapy and “Flourish Coaching” for coaching)
• Separate websites
• Separate intake processes and paperwork
• Separate informed consent documents that clearly explain the nature of each service
• Separate billing and business entities (often an LLC for the coaching practice)

This approach is the cleanest from a regulatory standpoint. There’s no ambiguity, no risk of confusion, and if the BBS ever questions your coaching work, you have clear documentation that it was kept separate.

Option 2: Separate Sections on One Website (Middle Ground)

If building two websites feels like too much overhead, you can use one website with very clearly delineated sections — but this requires extra care. You’d want:

• Distinct branding or visual separation between the therapy and coaching sections
• Clear language on each page explaining what type of service it is and what that means for the client
• Separate intake forms and consent documents accessible from each section
• Your license information displayed in the therapy section

This can work, but it requires more thoughtfulness in execution. When in doubt, less ambiguity is always better.

Option 3: Therapy Only, Mention Coaching as an Add-On (Least Advisable)

Some therapists mention coaching services casually on their therapy site without meaningful separation. This is the approach most likely to draw BBS scrutiny. We’d steer clear of this one.

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The Most Important Thing: Make the Difference Clear to Clients

Regardless of which approach you take, clients need to understand — before they sign anything — exactly what they’re signing up for. Your informed consent documents should spell out:

• Whether the service is therapy (regulated) or coaching (unregulated)
• What protections apply (or don’t) in each context
• That coaching is not covered by insurance and does not carry the same confidentiality requirements as therapy
• That coaching is not a substitute for mental health treatment

When clients understand the difference, you’ve done your job — and you’ve protected yourself.

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A Quick Summary

	Therapy	Coaching
Regulated in CA?	Yes (BBS)	No
License required?	Yes	No
Insurance billing?	Often yes	No
BBS can investigate?	Yes	Possibly, if you’re licensed
Recommended separation?	Separate business, website, and paperwork

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Bottom Line

There’s no California law that says your coaching and therapy services must live on separate websites. But the spirit of the rules — and your ethical obligations as a licensed clinician — point strongly in that direction. The safest and most defensible approach is clear, complete separation.

If you’re not sure how to set this up, that’s exactly the kind of thing Helena can help with. We work with therapists in private practice to build the administrative infrastructure that keeps your business running smoothly and your license protected.

Have questions about structuring your practice? Get in touch with us at Helena.

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Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have specific concerns about your advertising practices, we recommend consulting with a California healthcare attorney or reaching out to the BBS directly.