Coaching vs Therapy
While there is some overlap between coaching and therapy, they are NOT the same thing.
Coaching
Generally speaking, coaching is a present and future oriented process that focuses on how a person can leverage their strengths to take action and reach their defined goals. It typically has a clear start and end date, although some people choose to work with their coach without an end in mind because of the value it delivers. In the coaching relationship, the client is the expert on their situation and the coach is a trained professional that empowers the client and will offer suggestions, with the client’s permission, if appropriate.
Therapy
Therapy, on the other hand, tends to be more about learning how to heal from past trauma and better cope with life stressors. Therapy is provided by a licensed healthcare professional, involves the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, and often lasts for an indefinite amount of time. In the therapy relationship, the therapist is the subject matter expert and provides the client with tools and guidance to help with the healing process.
You can get coaching if you’re also seeing a therapist and think it would be an added benefit but coaching is not a substitute for therapy.
If you’re struggling with things like panic attacks, depressive episodes that make it difficult to function or even get out of bed, flashbacks, phobias, thoughts of hurting yourself or others, or similar situations, we’d encourage you to talk to your doctor to see if therapy is right for you. You can also explore these online resources for a variety of different mental health services:
If you need immediate mental health support, you can find help here: mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help cdc.gov/mentalhealth/tools-resources/individuals/index.htm
Crisis Text Line: crisistextline.org
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