Coaching vs. Therapy
If you’re reading my newsie each week, you’re likely either a) curious about therapy, coaching, and/or personal development work, b) already fully immersed in the world of therapy, coaching, and/or personal development work, or c) have no idea why you’re reading this and would rather be sleeping. If option c) — please unsubscribe and take a little nappie!
My hope here is to help you decide when to utilize a therapist vs. when to utilize a coach. This is part of a larger series I'll be writing.
I have a sense that you're starting to have more people in your life referencing their coach in every day conversations. With the focus on mental health on the rise, it’s of no surprise to me when I have clients coming to me saying, “my friend Sally hired a coach for the last few of years and swears it has changed her life. I wonder if coaching would be something I would benefit from, too?”. There are tons of Sally’s out there in the world. People who came across a coach sometime in their life, hired them, and have never looked back. These people are similar to vegans and those who do crossfit — they can’t shut up about it (I’m guilty of both of those at different times in my life, so I can make that joke).
Similar to Sally, there is a growing group of people who utilize a therapist and are just as vocal about how it's changed their life (also me 🙋♀️). There’s a whole separate post somewhere in there on the shift in perception on mental health that has been taking place over the last couple of decades, and especially the last few years. We’ll stick to the initial topic at hand for today.
If the idea of these two professionals are new to you, you likely find yourself wondering, “do I need a coach or a therapist?”. Honey, I’m here to tell you IDK 🤷. Partially kidding. Keep in mind this is my personal opinion from my own journey, my community’s journey, and the data points I have from working with my clients. If you’re still with me, you likely value my opinion, so here we go.
If you’ve never experienced coaching or therapy, there is room for both in your life.
Here’s how I describe the split to my clients:
Therapy is looking at the past, healing traumas, essentially asking the “why” behind who you are and how you move through this life. If you feel as though you're sitting on a landmine of "why"s — I'd suggest starting the search for an amazing therapist.
Coaching is looking forwards, moving towards goals; essentially the “what” and “how” of your future ideal self. If you are in a place where you’ve done healing on the past / have an idea of the “why” and are ready to take action in figuring out what next — queue the coach!
Everyone loves a good example, so here ya have it...
CC is in a career she used to identify with, but has a sense she no longer does. She recently has found herself crying every single morning while driving to work, and in the bathroom at work, and outside of the office, and likely on the way home.
She hires a therapist. She and the therapist work on why she is in her current situation. Why is she crying every day? Why is she working for a company and leadership team she does not identify with, in the least? All the “why”s.
She also hires a coach. She and the coach identify what it is she really wants to be doing with her time here on this spinning ball. They come up with how she’ll get to the immediate next step, as well as the bigger ticket steps.
CC ultimately leaves her miserable career, moves to an environment that is sunny and happy, starts surfing, and starts her own business. Life is good.
What questions do you have as it pertains to coaching vs. therapy? Reply and ask away! I'm genuinely curious!
Next week I'll be writing on what topics are good to bring to your therapist and what topics are good for your coach.