Well+Being Holistic Mental Health
“Emotional Health & Wellness Tips From The Therapy Couch And Other Places”
Therapy Or Coaching: Choosing The Best Fit For You
Let’s begin with therapy. What is therapy?
Therapy, also known as counseling and psychotherapy, is a short-term or longer-term process in which a patient or client works with a licensed mental health professional to resolve problem beliefs, patterns, feelings, behaviors and relational patterns. Therapy tends to focus on past traumas, experiences and issues that are interfering with one’s sense of self and life-satisfaction. Therapy guides patients through the process of self-discovery, uncovering the internal conflicts and dynamics that keep them from having a more satisfying, meaningful and successful life.
Yes, personal coaches and therapists tend to help clients with similar problems, their work is not the same.
What is life coaching?
In life coaching, a client works with a coach who may or may not be a healthcare professional to clarify goals and identify barriers to success in order to create an action plan to move forward. A life coach focuses on where the client is in their life and helps them to create an action plan to work towards their goals.
The challenges that keep us stuck…
When you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed or challenged by a particular situation, or life in general, you may be considering seeking professional therapy or coaching. You have so many options now especially with online virtual therapy and coaching, and of course, helpful websites like Psychology Today, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
Coaching vs Psychotherapy: What’s Important To Know
You have areas of your life where you struggle, but you’re not sure about next steps. Whether you are searching to resolve difficulties for yourself or your relationships, you have options. If you do a quick search for a therapist or coach, you will find quite literally, thousands. Searching for a therapist or coach in New York City can be quite overwhelming. Coaches have many specialities, such as: executive coaching, health coaching and relationship coaching, as just a few examples. Additionally, the field of mental health offers many professional titles that can be equally confusing, such as psychotherapist, psychologist, psychoanalyst, counselor, as examples.
When searching for your guide, you may have noticed that many therapists also provide coaching. Some therapists have received coaching training, while others have not. This is an acceptable practice because coaching is an unregulated field. There is no board exam that must be passed in order to hang a shingle as a life coach. Licensed psychotherapists, counselors and psychologists, who have not been trained to coach, can offer coaching services. The challenge is: many who struggle with mental health issues are often drawn to coaching because it is a non-pathologizing path towards freeing yourself. Which means that coaches can find themselves doing therapy, and regularly cross that line with people who happen to be vulnerable. This is problematic, because coaches who are not licensed in a mental health field should not attempt to provide mental health services. They simply are not trained should problems arise, and they do.
How do you know which is the right fit for you? If you have a history of mental health concerns or trauma(s) that have impacted your functioning, you are better served working with a licensed therapist. They are in the best position to help you heal the root cause of your struggles. If you are a higher-functioning individual, personally and professionally, coaching can give you the help you need. Coaching sessions are highly-focused and designed to offer solutions to quickly help you get your life back on track.