How are Coaching and therapy similar or different?

Coaches can help support you on your mental health journey in many ways.

Coaching is a very upcoming industry in the mental health space! Coaching offers some freedom and flexibility that therapy can’t. While both are necessary and needed. Therapists simply cannot meet all the demand. There is so much healing that can happen in a coaching setting that doesn’t require a license.

Some benefits of coaching:

A non-pathologizing approach- Our current disease model is often pathologizing which means that it sees the presence of symptoms and an indicator of disease instead of looking at the root cause. A lot of this is driven by insurance companies that require a diagnosis for coverage. Insurance companies can also dictate the type of care and how a person is treated. Even if a certain approach might be better for a client, therapists can be limited when this is a factor.

Peer Support- Not having a power-differential in the coaching relationship can be very disarming to clients, especially with trauma. Knowing that somebody is also a survivor or advocate can feel very validating and safe. Sometimes the perception that somebody is in a position of power over us can feel very intimidating especially when power positions have been ones of abuse or harm in a persons past.

More accessible and affordable- Therapy can be quite costly most trauma therapists charge typically $150-250/hr on average. Not to mention long waitlists or full.

Thats why many of the top experts are now training paraprofessionals, like coaches in these healing modalities.

Trauma expert Eric Gentry said, “ 80% of the work I do can be done by a paraprofessional.”

Research From The Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, shows that 58% of people that started with symptoms of depression experienced clinical recovery after working with a certified coach. Read Study Here

Many coaches have heavily invested in their education and training. Many Trauma experts are training coaches right alongside Therapists in their trainings.

Main Differences:

Coaches do not bill insurance.

Coaches don’t bill insurance, that can mean more affordable rates. You are not limited in your care to a certain number of sessions. We also are not bound to a states jurisdiction, allowing us to help more people across state lines.

Coaches are not Licensed Mental Health Professionals.

Our advice cannot be considered professional mental health/ and or professional medical advice. We cannot diagnose, treat or cure mental health conditions. We cannot prescribe or recommend any medication nor advise you on treatment. Licensed therapists are equipped to handle severe and serious mental health concerns.

Coaches do not give a diagnosis.

Receiving a mental health diagnosis can feel stigmatizing, labeling, and pathologizing for some people. For others it can feel helpful. Most insurance companies require a diagnosis for coverage. You don’t have to have a diagnosis to work through your struggles, nor heal from trauma.

Coaches are not under a regulatory body.

The coaching industry is not regulated by any governing body currently. We are not held to the same ethical, legal, regulatory standards that Licensed professionals are.