Coaching vs. Therapy

Therapy and coaching both provide a safe space for clients to identify and address behaviors, beliefs, relationship patterns, and coping mechanisms.

Therapists are the trauma surgeons and paramedics of the mental health community. Operating in a medical model of care, therapists (or psychologists, psychiatrists) have the skills necessary to help when a client requires diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. For individuals struggling with mental health crises or suffering from active suicidal ideation, therapists – with their expertise and experience – are best suited for providing care when we’re at this stage of our journey. 

Trauma recovery coaches operate in a client-led, support model of care. At the center of trauma recovery coaching is providing trauma informed care rooted in safety and trust. Trauma informed care recognizes the client as a valid and valuable member of their own recovery team and provides clients with opportunities for collaboration and mutuality. By defining their own recovery goals, clients are empowered with the choice and voice to identify what and how they want to change. Coaches seek to validate our clients’ experiences, offer insight and guidance, and provide support and encouragement to help them reach their recovery goals. 

Clients can move between therapy and coaching based on their need and preference. It is also not uncommon and can be highly effective for clients to seek both coaching and therapy at the same time. 

Here’s a list of what coaches do and do not do: 

What coaches do:

  • We provide education about trauma and recovery. 

  • We work with clients as equals and peers (not as superiors). Coaches function as guides and mentors. 

  • We empower our clients with choice and voice, and operate in a trauma informed support model of care. 

  • We help clients set recovery goals, helping them map out a path that brings them closer to leading the life they want to live.

  • We primarily focus on the present and future – to help clients understand how trauma is impacting them today and how to build a life they wish to lead. We revisit past traumas only to gain understanding of why or how current challenges came to be. 

What coaches do NOT do:

  • We do not operate in a traditional medical model. We do not pathologize and instead approach the client as an individual who is having a normal reaction to an abnormal experience. 

  • We do not treat, diagnose, or assess the client’s mental health.

  • We do not prescribe or give advice about medication.

  • We do not work with clients who are at risk of harming themselves or others.

For more information on the differences between coaching and therapy, please visit the IAOTRC’s website here.