Counseling vs Coaching
What’s the Difference Between Counseling and Coaching?
Counseling vs Coaching. They are both used in regard to wellness these days. So, what’s the difference between them? How do I know which one is right for me? A governing body regulates counseling in each of the United States. The laws and regulations of the counselor boards state that counseling is the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders. Counselors are required to have a master’s degree in counseling and to have been supervised for many hours along the way so that they have proven to be equipped to provide that service. Counseling addresses a place of ‘stuckness,’ if not a place of great pain that might cause us to be stuck in certain unhealthy behaviors and painful emotions.
Coaching, on the other hand, is when we need a lesser degree of guidance. Perhaps there are areas we’d like to improve, and we could use a voice of experience and some tips, tools, and strategies to improve our ways of relating to moving into greater freedom, joy, and peace. Just as we might seek out a coach if we are trying to improve an athletic skill, but a doctor if we are suffering from pain that prevents healthy activity, so a coach can provide tools a person can use. Still, a therapist/counselor would be the one to provide the equivalent of medical care for an emotional wound.
Within the world of counseling, nowadays, people are more and more familiar with trauma therapy. There are many different methods of approaching trauma with varying degrees of results. If you are looking for a trauma therapist, I encourage you to ask the therapist for testimonials from clients they’ve treated. Just because someone treats a certain problem does not necessarily mean they do so effectively. You have a right to be an informed consumer, even as a client. Intensive trauma therapy is a way of making greater gains in the therapeutic process because of the momentum that an extended number of therapy hours can provide. That is, you can get on to the place of peace, joy, and freedom faster by putting in the time upfront.
Suppose a therapist is a Christian counselor or a Catholic counselor. In that case, you can open the areas where your spiritual life might be stuck because of emotionally painful experiences. Still, it is never the role of that counselor to force or pressure you into their religious views. Counselors of faith ought to always receive you with compassion regardless of your spiritual views.
The Lord wants His people free. Don’t be afraid to seek the freedom, joy, and peace He has for you!
May the Lord give you peace!
Margaret
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