Coaching
versus
Therapy

Coaching is future focused. It is a collaborative process where we identify and emphasize your strengths in order to meet your specific goals. It is about making an action plan to bridge the gap between your current and ideal life.

Therapy is usually past orientated and explores underlying emotions and issues that impact your current behavior and prioritizes healing. It can be a hierarchical relationship where the counselor holds advanced degrees to address mental health concerns. They are highly regulated and bound by laws and code compliance whereas coaches have more freedom of autonomy and process. The insurance industry had created barriers for therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists, who struggle with overwhelming case loads and time consuming red tape. Life coaching practitioners can be a solution for bridging the gap. In an ideal world, an individual could work with both a therapist and a coach with complementary approaches

Can people with mental health issues benefit from coaching? Absolutely. Coaching can have therapeutic qualities and be transformative. However, if you are dealing with mental health conditions such as severe depression, or thoughts of self harm or harming others, it is crucial that you seek professionals in the medical or psychiatric field first.