Therapy versus Coaching: Which is right for me?
Counseling deals with helping people get well. The focus of counseling is healing wounds from past emotional traumas from life experiences or relationships. A counselor engages with the client in order to diagnose the problem to bring them to emotional and psychological wholeness.
Coaching is future focused. It is not fixated with the past. Coaches enable clients to take control of their lives through actionable strategies for the improvements and goals the clients want to see manifest in their lives. A partnership to create thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment.
What are the benefits of Therapy ?
There are a variety of benefits that can come from therapy, and they tend to be individualized. Therapists are there to provide levels of support, teach certain skills, and help patients discover new coping strategies for things like anxiety, depression, stress, or even creative blocks. You don’t need to have some kind of ‘major disorder’ to find usefulness from a therapist. In fact, if you’re simply looking for personal growth in any aspect of your life, you can typically find the skills and resources through therapy to help with family problems, marital issues, and more. Essentially, a therapist offers a different way of looking at things – perhaps a perspective you haven’t yet considered, which makes it easier to point you in the right direction, and find the solutions you’re looking for in life.
Of course, therapists can’t just ‘fix’ everything on their own. It’s about using those resources you learn in your everyday life that can really turn things around. Still unsure about what therapy could do for you? Let’s take a look a few examples of some common benefits:
– Grasping a deeper understanding of who you are
– Identifying your goals and dreams
– Obtaining the right skills for bettering your life’s relationships
– Learning resources to put an end to the issues that brought you to therapy
– Managing problem areas in your personal life, like anger, stress, depression, etc.
– Creating new patterns of behavior for yourself
– Changing your problem-solving perspective
– Boosting your self-esteem and confidence
What are the Benefits of Coaching?
Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to:
-Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
-Encourage client self-discovery
-Formulate client-generated solutions and strategies
-Hold the client responsible and accountable
Life coaching is an intentional relationship where a coach supports a client in developing vision and goals for their life and utilizes multiple strategies to empower the client to use their personal power to discover their own solutions.
The nature of a coaching relationship is empowerment and accountability. It is assumed that the client desires to see real change in their lives. The coach, as a change expert, empowers the client to take control of their lives, fulfill their potential, and reach their goals.
Coaches challenge, stretch, push, and hold the client accountable all the while communicating an affirmation of “I believe in you.”SUPPORTING, AFFIRMING, & HOLDING ACCOUNTABLE GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Can I get through this on my own? Will it be worth it to obtain services?
There isn’t a person alive who doesn’t experiences challenges of some kind throughout their life. Some people can simply get through them better than others, and even then, it’s never a bad idea to have additional support and understanding when it comes to the obstacles you’ve gone through. In all actuality, therapy and coaching will be more successful and is ideal for people who understand themselves enough to realize they actually could use some help, instead of denying it. Noticing that your life isn’t necessarily where you want it to be is a big realization and admittance, and taking the steps to change that for the better is something to be incredibly proud of. You’re taking the first step down an incredible path that can lead to long-lasting benefits for the rest of your life, even when challenges come up again.
What is telehealth?
Telehealth is a HIPPA compliant video service in which the provider and the client communicate via video link. This can save time and assist with traveling issues. This service is a convenience for everyone involved and often is favored by clients.
What can I expect from my services?
Just like the reasons for therapy or coaching are different for everyone, most people can expect different experiences. The good news is that your services are completely individually-focused, which is why everyone can get something different out of it. Generally, your life, your history, and any relevant insights will be important to the specific discussions, but in a very personal and individualized manner. Sometimes services can be focused on a specific need, in which case it’s a ‘short term’ solution, while in other cases, many people go to services regularly, each week, to simply look for more personal growth.
Services are a participatory experience. The more you involve yourself in the process, the better results you’re bound to see. It’s a practice in everyday living, in which you take what you learn from the session, and apply it to your life. Therefore, it’s important to be mentally prepared to make those changes in your life, and desire new perspectives on things.
How should one consider medication vs. therapy?
While medication has been proven to help with many different disorders, it has also been proven that time and time again, it simply isn’t enough. Medication often treats the symptoms of a problem, without getting to the root of solving it, which is where therapy comes in. The decision to take psychotropic medications or not, is a highly personal one, and your personal wishes will be honored. If in the course of treatment, you decided you might benefit from medications, I will refer you out to an appropriate provider.
People are turning more and more to holistic and natural alternatives to treat mental, physical and spiritual issues. I fully support alternative options such as essential oils, chiropractic and massage care, yoga, diet/exercise and nutrition options to improve your well being. I can refer you to professional holistic providers in the area for further consultation.
Do the topics in each therapy session remain private?
As with any doctor/patient agreement, your privacy is of the utmost importance. Wisehart Counseling Services providers understands the vulnerability and openness that must come from each patient in order to really get through and make changes so that services are successful. That takes a lot of trust, and that needs to be developed over time. Prior to your services a informed consent will be available to all of the patients. It is your choice if you’d like to have your information shared, but this can only be done with your written consent. Nothing you share in your sessions is to be told to anyone else, with the exceptions of suspected abuse of any kind or if the provider has any reason to believe their patient may hurt themselves, or others. These situations are a matter of law as counselors and coaches are considered to be Mandated Reporters.