Have you ever left a therapy session and wondered how on earth you would make it until your next session? Have you ever debated before a therapy session what, out of a long line of things, would be most beneficial to work on in the session? Does your mental health problems impact your life in so many ways that you don’t have time to address them all in therapy? Are there things in your life you wish would change but don’t seem important enough to talk about in therapy because other things need to take precedent?
These are just a few of the many scenarios in which working with a mental health coach, alongside a therapist, can be invaluable to you. Therapists are there to help you work on the big stuff. Whether it’s past traumas or depression or anxiety or something else, the therapist is focused on helping you reach a place of recovery and so they should be. It is probably clear to you and your therapist that this is the problem, and this is what you need to work on.
But mental health conditions are brutal on your everyday life. They can impact your ability to take care of yourself, to be successful academically or in your career. They can impair your ability to dream.
In cases of mental health problems, therapists are usually essential to recovery. But they only have so much time. An hour or two a week, while helpful, might just not be enough. It might not be enough support; it might not be enough time to work on your condition and all the ways it is impacting your life right now.
This is where coaches come in. We work alongside your therapist and other treatment providers to give you more support or to work on things that you might not have time to address in therapy. Maybe you want to find ways to manage your symptoms, so they don’t impact your life or your job or your education or relationships so much. Maybe you are working on something specific in therapy and want someone beside you while you practice it yourself. Maybe therapy is so helpful that an hour or two a week just isn’t enough, and you need more support in between sessions. Maybe there’s another issue going on, like a problem with a friend or an upcoming event you are nervous about, but there’s no real time to work on it in therapy because you are so busy trying to recover. Or maybe your mental health condition has robbed you of the ability to dream or to see those dreams as something possible.
Coaches can help in all these situations and more. In my practice I work with the client and their therapist (if they would like me to) to identify where the need is. Do you need more support? Do you want to find ways to manage your symptoms? Is your mental health condition impacting your life and you want to limit the damage it’s causing or learn how to live again? Do you want to learn to dream again or to work on making those dreams a reality? No matter what your needs are, I can help. I am not a replacement for a therapist (in most situations) but I am an excellent addition to your therapy. With me on your team, you and your therapist can work on the hard, big stuff, knowing that you have me to help you with the rest.
Therapy is necessary, effective and beneficial. Therapy plus a mental health coach is life changing. If this sounds good to you, the only question now is “what are you waiting for?” I’m here, I’m ready, let’s do this!
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