December 12, 2023
Thrivology now offers coaching. So what is coaching?
A coach is often thought of in relation to sports. I had several basketball and soccer coaches while playing sports growing up. Tiger Woods and other professional golfers often have a swing coach. An entrepreneur might hire a marketing coach to learn how to market their business online. Corporate CEOs hire Executive Coaches to help them learn how to be a better leader, how to help their team perform at a higher level, or communicate better.
Life coaching came onto the scene in the 1980s, but really grew in the 1990s and 2000s. It began in the area of life planning but quickly added relationships, finances, career and health. Mental Health Coaching has grown out of Life Coaching to specifically address mental health and relationship issues that are not significantly debilitating. Serious mental health issues, addictions, or unresolved trauma would not be served by utilizing a coach. Those issues require the training and skill of a therapist.
What is coaching?
A coach is a guide, a trainer, a cheerleader. They take the positives that are already there and build upon them, or add to them. They help their clients build a vision for their future, organize a plan to get there, and then help find or help build resources to move in that direction.
You may want to make changes in your life, but may not know how to make it happen. This is where coaching comes in. It focuses on creating and working toward goals (transformation). A coach can help you clarify direction, set goals, identify obstacles, and help come up with strategies to move beyond those obstacles.
Mental Health Coaching focuses on emotional and cognitive wellbeing. Signs that coaching may be helpful for you are…
- Easily irritable
- Feeling stuck
- Dissatisfaction with work/career/direction
- Inability to break bad habits
- Lack of fulfillment in your social life
- Blocked creativity
As you can see, coaching can address many of the same things as a therapist. However, there are differences.
The Differences
While there is some overlap in how a therapist and a coach can help, coaching is not therapy. Where therapists have at least a master’s degree, supervised training, and licensing and ethics boards, coaching does not. There are training centers for coaches, but they are not usually at a university. Coaches receive a certificate from these trainings, not a degree or license. States currently do not regulate coaches, however associations are beginning to put forth ethical codes and training requirements.
While a therapist is working to treat or heal mental health disorders, coaches do not treat or heal them. A coach can help you learn coping skills, identify unresolved issues, learn to communicate better, or help you get organized around an issue, etc. Mental Health Coaching is an excellent choice before or after therapy.
Related: The Purpose of Therapy
You may be wondering if coaching is right for you, or a loved one. Give us a call and we’ll be glad to help you figure that out.
CEO at Thrivology
Todd has a Master of Science degree in Marriage & Family Therapy from Harding University and has been a therapist for over 22 years. He has extensive experience with teenagers and families treating relational problems, addictions and behavioral problems.
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