Empowerment Coaching

Coaching is about breaking through barriers (often emotional or cognitive) to achieve your goals, while therapy is traditionally targeted towards treating mental illness, functional impairments affecting individuals and relationships, and emotional self-care. Emotions are a significant part of both coaching and therapy as are addressing core beliefs creating challenges in your life.

One service is not better than the other and whether you should be seeking therapy or coaching really depends on your specific needs. The main difference between the two services is that therapy tends to be problem-focused on symptoms of mental illness or relationship problems. Our therapists typically create problems-based treatment plans with their clients that are working toward a goal of mental health improvement.

On the other hand, coaching is naturally goal-focused. Our coaching clients usually cannot identify any symptoms of mental illness or none that are causing a signifiant functional impairment and are looking for support to reach a personal life, career or relationship goal. Coaching clients may be  (or become) aware of limiting beliefs or emotional barriers, but these barriers are not mental illness.

At Mindful Springs, all of our coaches are also therapists, which means you will get an expert in mental health and an expert coach who can quickly identify if there may be mental health issues presenting that are creating barriers to your goals. We'll also be prepared to refer you to a mental health professional to address these issues if needed, often within our own practice which will make your experience more efficient, effective, and collaborative!