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Imagine you woke up this morning with a nasty knot in your shoulder. I’m talking a K-N-O-T.
You know, the kind that no amount of aspirin and gentle stretching is going to release.
(Let me tell you, I may or may not be speaking from experience here! Haha! I totally am.)
You know you need some help and support to get back to feeling your best. Who are you going to call?
(If you said Ghostbusters, that would be incorrect, but I love you for it!!!)
Maybe you call your massage therapist to make an appointment.
You know she’s going to be amazing at helping to loosen up that sticky spot, which will help you get back on track.
She’s also the best at helping you think about why those knots creep up when and where they do—did you spend too many hours sitting at your desk last week? Have you been slouching when you’re driving? Did you overdo your last gym session?
And she’s always got solid advice for how to recognize when you’re on the verge of one of those knots and what strategies to use—stretches and foam rolling and heating pads—to keep you moving forward.
Or maybe you call your doctor.
Over the last couple of months, you’ve noticed that you keep having trouble with the same spot in your shoulder and wonder if there may be something deeper going on that you need to address.
Maybe you’ve had some trauma to that shoulder—it’s the same one that you hurt in a rollerblading accident back in the 90s—or maybe you’ve got a family history of arthritis.
Your doctor is always wonderful at helping you get to the bottom of what’s causing your discomfort, and she offers you really smart options for how to manage your pain and heal your body.
Or maybe you decide to make two appointments.
You know that your massage therapist is going to be able to help you make a plan of action to take the pressure off that painful spot and get you back in fighting shape, but you also want to talk to your doctor about this problem that seems to be chronic.
The choice really comes down to your personal goals and what you sense is going to help you most. Having that choice is empowering.
And guess what? It’s never a final decision. You can always adjust the plan to make sure you’re taking care of yourself in the best way possible.
Okay, so what if I changed the scenario a little...
What if instead of a knot in your shoulder, I was talking about anxiety instead? Should you work with a life coach? Should you see a therapist?
Should you do both? And what’s the difference?
I’ve got you, friend! Let me talk you through it…
Coaches
Coaches help you get grounded in the present and create future-focused goals. You might talk with a coach about things that have happened in your past, but only as it relates to goal setting and unlearning habits.
Coaching isn’t about unpacking your past, it’s about helping you live fully in the moment and developing strategies to help you build a bright future.
Some things to know about coaches:
Role: Coaches are partners. They share perspectives, strategies, and resources that can help you set clear goals and identify obstacles that are getting your way. Then they empower you to take action to build healthier habits!
Training: Some coaches might have certifications, but they don’t have to be certified to work with clients because coaching is really about supporting you in discovering and creating new habits. They also may have a variety of specialty certifications based on their areas of expertise.
Strategies: Coaches help you set life or career goals, they help you identify thought patterns that might be holding you back, and they help you work towards becoming more self-aware while discovering what it means to you to live your best life. We introduce you to new approaches and work alongside you to help you stay accountable to yourself. Coaches do not diagnose or treat mental illnesses.
BTW: If a coach tries to offer you a diagnosis, please know, this is a big red flag. Coaches can be amazing partners, but assessment and treatment of mental disorders is outside the scope of our training. Trustworthy coaches are respectful of the differences between what we offer and what licensed therapists do, and we know that trying to diagnose our clients is unprofessional, unethical and, honestly, dangerous.
Time frame: Working with a coach can be a relatively short-term thing. The goal of coaching is to help you develop sustainable habits so that you can implement them in your life and then continue building toward your goals on your own. That means that coaching programs can be as little as ninety days but probably no more than a year.
Of course, as you go, you may find it helpful to revisit coaching. When you’ve got a new goal or feel like you need to check in and revisit some past stumbling blocks, your coach can help you refocus and establish a new plan to get back on track.
Therapists
Therapists help you dig into past experiences that are making a significant impact on your present. Therapists can help you get a greater understanding of how things like past trauma have shaped your brain, which can help you start the process of healing or learning to manage chronic mental health challenges.
Therapy can also help you uncover subconscious thoughts and beliefs that may be negatively shaping your present reactions and relationships.
Role: Therapists are licensed healthcare professionals who are equipped to help patients work through complex mental, emotional, and psychological challenges.
Training: The requirements for becoming a licensed therapist can vary by state, but it generally requires an advanced degree, completing thousands of hours of supervised clinical hours, passing licensing exams, and taking regular continuing education courses over the course of a career.
Strategies: Therapists can diagnose conditions and disorders, and they use these diagnoses to help develop a treatment plan that helps them structure your therapy appointments and the strategies they use to help you move forward. In fact, many therapists have been trained in very specific, research-based approaches that help guide them in supporting and helping their patients reshape their thought processes and behaviors.
BTW: In case you didn’t know, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and many other licensed therapists do not prescribe medications. Only licensed medical doctors can do that. So when you’re working on stuff that requires medication to help treat your brain chemistry, your therapist might suggest you talk to your primary care physician or to a psychiatrist (physicians who are specially trained in the science of mental health and psychological disorders) to talk about whether pharmacological support might be a good option for you.
Time Frame: Depending on your needs and the approach your therapist uses, you may meet with them over the course of months or even years. Relationships with therapists are often long term because the goal is not only to help you reduce the symptoms that brought you to therapy but often also give you time to develop new neural pathways to help you maintain the gains you made with your therapist.
The big takeaway here is that coaches are partners who help you accelerate your growth, and therapists are licensed professionals who help you heal from unresolved trauma. Both approaches can be rewarding, helpful, and life-changing.
And just like working with both a massage therapist and a doctor can help you take great care of your body, working with both a coach and therapists could be really helpful in caring for your mind.
In fact, sometimes your coach and your therapist can even collaborate to help you work towards your mental-wellness goals. (But keep in mind, that’s a personal choice that you get to make!)
And remember, whether you choose to work with a therapist, a coach, or both, that decision is never set in stone. You can always choose to explore a new path as you embark on this growth journey. There may be times when working with one, both, or neither is what’s right for you. You have the power to make that call.
Here’s to healing from the past, living a peace-filled present, and developing strategies that help us live our best lives in the future.
You deserve it all!
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