Coaching vs Therapy

Many people look to coaching as an option to traditional psychotherapy because of the social stigma of the latter opposing to the former. While therapy and coaching both seek to improve a client’s internal, mental and physical experience, a coach is not a licensed healthcare professional who can label and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Though a coach can work with clients who also need the care of a healthcare professional, they will typically only do so in tandem with and at the recommendation of a psychotherapist.

Like a therapist, a coach is dedicated to facilitating growth in a person’s day-to-day life, including self-discovery, actualizing potential, improving interpersonal skills, overcoming inhibitions, goal-setting, and elevating fulfillment in all aspects of life.

A coach may explore a person’s past when doing so may reveal relevant patterns and causes of behavior that helps the client understand, deshamify, and normalize the habits and feelings that may be holding them back from developing new strategies for accomplishing their goals. A coach may explore the social systems in which a person is connected and seek to illuminate beliefs that he or she may be unaware of, beliefs that may have a significant influence and limiting capability on one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Coaching can occur in-person or on the phone and the duration can range from short to long-term, as the client feels is useful. As a foundation, a primary component of our coaching is based on practice, utilizing experiential exercises to foster a deep connection between our minds and our bodies to explore feelings and reactions, to roll-play new communication skills, and to build new habits toward meeting your long-term goals.

We may also recommend reading material and offer homework so that you can practice learned tools on your own time.