Therapy vs Coaching

Throughout the healing process, coaches and therapists listen to clients' life events and support them as they continue to grow and learn. 

Therapy and coaching both accomplish the goals of helping individuals identify and address behavior patterns, beliefs, and coping mechanisms. Clients are guided through the healing process and presented with possible changes to incorporate to achieve an overall sense of health, wellness, and inner peace as they continue to move forward.

Therapy

During therapy, clients typically work with a Licensed Mental Health Professional to diagnose, recognize, and resolve past trauma. Often, therapists incorporate the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, and Neurofeedback just to name a few. 

Therapists typically try to confront the past trauma and negative emotions and physical sensations associated with it and integrate the experience into the body.

Over time, patterns and themes of behavior and responses to trauma emerge that are either helpful or harmful for the client. This dynamic can happen between coach and client just as it does between therapist and client. 

Therapists take on a medical approach, while coaches take on a support model of care.

Coaching

Trauma Recovery Coaches are Mental Health Practitioners and are valuable assets to a client’s mental health team. 

While working with clients, Trauma Recovery Coaches assist the client in creating achievable recovery goals which are individualized to meet the client’s needs at the time. 

A ‘safe space’ for clients to process and work through emotions is always provided. 

Coaching empowers the client to take their healing into their own hands while being guided and supported every step of the way. 

Throughout this process, coaches will help clients uncover parts of themselves that have been buried by trauma and provide support to them as they begin to take ownership of their future as they reconnect with and rediscover themselves.

Coaches do not treat or diagnose mental health illnesses.

It is not uncommon for clients to receive both coaching from a Trauma Recovery Coach and services from a licensed therapist. Consultation is both possible and encouraged.

  • Coaching is collaborative. Coaches work with clients as peers and goal setting is often client-directed.

  • Coaching does not operate using the traditional medical model.