A lot has been written lately on the differences between therapy and coaching.  Or between counseling and coaching.  There may be differences on some levels, but I find that much of it is simply splitting hairs so that one modality seems better than another; so that you will buy one product rather than another.

The product I am offering is assistance and support.  The fact that I am licensed tells you that I have completed a masters level degree program, and that I continue to study and develop those very skills that make me effective in providing you with assistance and support.

My clients come to me to make change in their lives, to develop self-awareness, to better understand their own potential. We use whatever tools are needed to make those changes a client wants or chooses to make.  If something in your past keeps you from being successful now, then we will look at your past.  If you want your future to look different, we will look at today to see where changes need to be made.  If you are sad or anxious, we will look at ways to eliminate those difficulties.  This is typically called solution focused therapy, but it works just as well when I call it solution focused coaching.  With this kind of work, my client chooses our direction, chooses the goals, and decides when he or she has achieved as much as is desired at that point in time.     

If we choose to call the work we do together coaching, we are not required to maintain confidentiality; we can hold our sessions by telephone if you prefer; and you will not have a diagnosis – a label defining a mental health issue.  If you are seeking counseling, my behavior will not be different, I will use the same tools, but I won’t conduct our sessions by telephone as a personal choice.

So, you decide: 

• Would you prefer coaching to help out with some life issues? 
  
• Are you more comfortable with the concept and confidentiality of counseling?