What Is Mental Health Coaching?

Your mental health is vital to your well-being. That’s why taking time to check in and re-center yourself is crucial. Seeking out mental health care to help you envision your future or coach you through a rough patch doesn’t need to be complicated. You can reach out to a mental health coach whenever you need guidance with an event, situation, or emotion.

What Is Mental Health Coaching?

There are several different types of coaches. Maybe when you think of a coach, you think of someone who helps a person in a specific situation. For instance, a soccer coach teaches and guides players in the game of soccer, and a life coach focuses on coaching someone through daily life. However, you may benefit from a mental health coach when you need help dealing with emotions like depression or anxiety.

Mental health coaches are there to help you rethink your behaviors while emphasizing your strengths and goals. These coaches center their guidance on helping people with issues that affect their well-being. The purpose of a mental health coach is to touch on therapy but not to treat or work with mental health disorders. Coaches in this field think of their treatment not as a psychological way to address mental health issues but as the path to identify and develop clarification for life goals, modifying behaviors, and learning life skills.

What Do Mental Health Coaches Do?

When you reach out to a mental health coach, the coach will partner with you to form your care plan. The coach will guide you to discover what you can do. As you’re learning your strengths, your coach will share their insight by supporting and holding you accountable as you work on a goal or change in life. You’re in control of your progress. 

An example of your and your coach’s role is learning how to drive. A coach is like a Driver’s Education teacher. They will hand you the keys, sit beside you, and guide you through the steps, but leave the driving responsibilities to you.

When you work with a mental health coach, they will focus on the following areas of your life:

• Creating goals:

  You may have a general idea of what you want to do or change in your life. However, if you don’t have a clear plan to achieve your goal, you may lose interest and abandon the goal. A mental health coach will collaborate with you to define and create a clear, concise goal plan.

• Your success plan:

  Clear goal plans can provide you with the guidance needed to achieve your goals. However, even the best plans can see little success if they don’t reflect your strengths. Your partnership with your mental health coach will include identifying and integrating your skills into the goal plan.

• Being accountable:

  The success of reaching a goal also relies on being held responsible for your goal. This is why you will need short and long-term plans. For example, if you say, “I want to do a headstand by September 12th of this year,” you have set a clear goal. Your goal states precisely what you want to do and by what date. Setting smaller goals like taking 20 yoga classes to strengthen your core so you can do a headstand are short-term goals. If you don’t achieve a goal, your coach will review with you where things went off track and guide you back.

• Finding your inner strength:

  Your mental health coach creates structure, motivation, and inspiration for you while you’re working through your struggles. Sometimes a simple “Hi” or time spent listening to you can help you re-center, find your inner peace, and keep you on track.

Are Mental Health Coaches Therapists?

No, mental health coaches are not therapists or counselors. Therapists undergo intensive schooling and training to help people struggling with their mental health. In addition, therapists or psychiatrists have the training to help those with mental health disorders like bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder. In some cases, counselors or psychologists will work with psychiatrists, doctors, or social workers to help their clients.

What Is the Difference Between a Coach and a Therapist?

Therapists and mental health coaches take different approaches when working with their clients. A few main differences between a coach and a therapist include: 

• Therapists guide you to look at your past to identify obstacles or issues. Your mental health coach will focus on the present.

• A person in therapy may need extensive time to work on their mental health issues. However, mental health coaches can provide solutions in a short amount of time.

• When you begin therapy, more profound issues, like past trauma, influence your behavior. Mental health coaches target healthy ways to change or improve your life.

• Therapy can revolve around a specific issue or event. In comparison, mental health coaches may rely on a more holistic approach to help you achieve wellness.

Mental health coaching is a healthy way to address behaviors or feelings you want to change in your life. Unlike therapy, mental health coaching centers on healthful approaches to issues affecting your well-being. A part of their role in changing or growing is to help you clarify what you want. Throughout your change process, a mental health coach is there to provide you with the support, motivation, inspiration, and guidance you need to achieve your goals. Do you think you could benefit from the expertise of a mental health coach? SokyaHealth’s coaches are here to listen to you, motivate you, and guide you as you’re trying to make a decision. Our easy-to-access online platform makes getting the care you deserve fast and efficient regardless of your location. You can create the atmosphere or space you need to feel comfortable during your session. We are here to answer your questions. Call us today at (877) 840-6956.