Therapy vs. Coaching: Finding the Right Fit for Healing

Have you ever wondered if therapy is the only path to healing? In this episode, I challenge conventional thinking by exploring the key differences between therapy and coaching. Discover why coaching may be the right choice for some, how it focuses on results and empowerment, and how it transformed not just my clients’ lives but my own as well. Tune in to uncover whether coaching could be your next step toward personal growth!

In this episode, I cover the following:
1. The fundamental differences between therapy and coaching for personal growth.
2. How coaching can provide results and empowerment in healing.
3. Real-life examples of transformative changes through coaching.

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💗 Dr. Steph
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www.brave-method.com

Chapters

• 0:03 Healing Through Coaching vs. Therapy
• 7:41 Finding the Right Path to Healing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

I'm Dr Steph and I want you to know that you do not have to suffer from anxiety or explosive emotional reactions like lashing out. You are not, in fact, broken, and I'm going to show you how to have the ultimate control over your reactions so that you are unstoppable. Welcome to the Broken to Brave podcast. Welcome to the Broken to Brave podcast. Welcome back. Oh, I hope that your week is off to a great start and that things have been good for you lately. I know it can be so busy in November and December. If you did not have a chance, listen to the episode from last week where I talk about boundaries, it can get so easy just to get caught up in what we quote unquote should do or what we feel obligated to do. So if you missed that one, go back. It's pretty quick. Listen to it and take action Now.

Speaker 1: 1:04

When it comes to healing, many people think of therapy as the best or even the only option. But what if coaching could be more suitable and a more effective choice for your needs? In today's episode, I want to talk to you about the key differences between coaching and therapy and why coaching may be the better option for some women who are seeking healing. I'll tell you about a client first. She started working with me this year after struggling with anxiety and panic attacks for 12 years prior. She had been in therapy for that entire time frame but had not made substantial progress in healing and despite going to therapy twice a week for 12 years, she continued to feel deeply anxious and was having one to two panic attacks per day. Yes, you heard that right After working together inside of my group program for just six months, her anxiety was at an all-time low and she was no longer struggling with those reoccurring panic attacks and she had even shared that a couple months went by without a panic attack. Now, when I think of the progress that she's made and that other clients of mine have made, it brings tears to my eyes, witnessing them live a life that felt completely unattainable for years. Just it does two things for me One, because they're getting that result. It puts the biggest smile on my face. But two, I also feel really sad that so many women and people have struggled and are struggling when they don't need to, when they can get healing in a group.

Speaker 1: 3:04

I want to emphasize and point out that she was. The therapy she was in was one-on-one. The work with me was in a group. I have seen so many women limit themselves because they think that they need therapy and they think that they need one-on-one. But that is often not the case and it ends up being far more affordable. Those sessions I think she told me they were $125, $125 each one of them, twice a week for 12 years. Think about that. That's more than $100,000. I think it's like $150-something thousand dollars when how many other people are in that place and they could heal for a teeny, teeny, teeny, teeny, teeny, teeny, teeny, tiny fraction of that.

Speaker 1: 3:57

And I just want to get the word out there more, because that part of it it does bring up feelings of sadness, I don't know. Okay, I think you get where I'm going, but let's keep going. So I just want to talk about the differences between therapy and coaching so that you can make a decision for yourself. Now, every single therapist is not the same. Every single coach is not the same, but these are general differences.

Speaker 1: 4:22

Therapy is often focused on diagnosing and treating mental health conditions, exploring past experiences and understanding deep-rooted psychological patterns and issues. Coaching tends to be more future-focused and action-oriented where it's geared toward achieving personal growth and specific goals. It doesn't diagnose or even dwell deeply on the past, but instead helps you move forward. Now I am a psychologist and a coach and because of that, I tend to use a blend of both. However, I do not provide any diagnoses at all and I do stay action-oriented to guide you to achieve your goals rather quickly. And I understand that diagnoses can help some people feel seen and understood, but I've also noticed that it isn't a necessity for getting better and for healing. Now there are a few specific situations where coaching may be a better fit, so I'm going to walk through those First.

Speaker 1: 5:29

If you want results, coaching may be a better fit. If you're looking to create tangible changes in your life, it may be suited for you. If you want strategies, accountability and moving from where you are right now to where you want to be, that is how coaching works. If you want to be future focused, then coaching is ideal. If you feel ready to work on your present and your future without rehashing trauma from the past, it's the go-to. What I've done is I have experienced a great deal of trauma, and so have many of my clients, a great deal of trauma, and so have many of my clients, and despite that, many are unaware that they are making mistakes currently in the present day, every single day, every single week, and that those mistakes are actually actively preventing them from healing and feeling better preventing them from healing and feeling better. And so what coaching focuses on is shifting how you're showing up right now so that you can achieve your goals and be the woman that you want to be. Third, coaching also focuses on empowering you.

Speaker 1: 6:45

Coaches often encourage at least I do self-discovery and taking ownership of your personal development journey, and clients tend to feel I've had several people actually use this word incredibly liberated when previously they felt stuck. You do not have to feel stuck. I will share that. I personally worked with several therapists from childhood into my 20s and I consistently walked away feeling either disappointed or neutral at best. And I worked with my first coach a little over a decade ago and was blown away by the shifts that I experienced, and since then I have only worked with coaches because it was that much better for my own healing, and this has repeatedly been the experience of my clients as well.

Speaker 1: 7:41

Now I am not going to say that a coach is always the best fit, because that's not true, but what I will say is, if you've been in therapy at least twice a month for three or more months and you do not feel at least 30% better, it may be time to look elsewhere. Ultimately, what I want you to do is trust your intuition, and it is okay to try something different. It's also okay to continue doing what you are doing. If you're interested in learning more about working with me specifically, send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook with the word Academy and I will have a no pressure conversation with you to see if we're a good fit to work together, and I'll let you know if I don't think we are, because I have told many people we're actually not a good fit to work together and that's okay.

Speaker 1: 8:32

All right, that's it for today. I'll talk to you soon. Thank you so much for listening today. Are you ready to finally heal and break free from anxiety, including symptoms like replaying interactions, fearing, making mistakes, imagining worst case scenarios and constant worrying? If so, dm me the word free on Instagram at Dr Stephanie Lopez and I will send you a link to my completely free class to officially ditch anxiety.