Everyone is allowed to get help where they think they can get it. I’m not here to tell you who to talk to or not talk to, and I’m not here to call out specific people. But we should be well informed when we make our choices, so let’s get well informed, shall we?
This morning I will start a series where I compare therapists and coaches along several dimensions. We’ll start with education. Down the road we’ll look at things like clinical experience, supervision, and ethical practices.
Full disclosure: I am currently a Masters level graduate student in clinical mental health counseling. I am on a path to being a licensed therapist. You may decide that this means I have a bias as I write this.
A degree is more than just “a piece of paper on the wall”. Sorry, but seeing education dismissed and devalued is getting old now. That argument is tired and weak. I’m someone that wrote books, produced over 200 podcast episodes, and created several metric tons worth of psychoeducational content on social media platforms before ever starting my grad program. But even I acknowledge and accept that that education DOES matter. I could deny that fact and take all the money that people wave at me to do 1-on-1 coaching with them. I could defiantly rationalize why it’s OK to do that. But just because we can do something doesn’t mean that we should.
I may know as much as the next guy about the theory and mechanics of anxiety disorders. I may have lots of lived experience in that area. I may be really good at talking about it and teaching the concepts. Exactly NONE of that qualifies me to be responsible for the mental health care of another human being. There is a VAST difference between creating social media content about anxiety and being a face-to-face helper when it comes to mental health. The education I am getting adds not only critical skills and knowledge, but a dimension of awareness that I would have never had without having this experience.
A therapist at the Masters level and above spends a minimum of two years being instructed by experienced clinicians and qualified professors on the methods and practice of counseling and therapy. ALL of my professors and instructors have Ph.Ds AND experience in the field. There is quite a bit to learn. The more you learn, the more you see WHY you need to learn. You don’t know what you don’t know until someone smarter or more experienced than you shows you. Your therapist invested a huge amount of time and money for access to those smart, experiences people so they could be properly prepared to be effective and safe when working with you.
Now let’s look at what happens AFTER your therapist got at least a Masters degree. You might assume that said Masters degree includes intensive training in things like CBT, ACT, DBT, or metacognitive therapy. You would be wrong. That specialization - that training - comes AFTER the degree. So if you are working with an anxiety specialist, that person went through a graduate program for 2-5 years, then spent even more time and money becoming certified in the type of therapy they practice.
As you can see, there’s quite a bit of education involved when you want to call yourself a therapist or counselor, and yes, it matters.
Why?
Because a coach (or “mentor”), on the other hand, requires exactly zero training. Anyone can call themselves a coach at any time for any reason. There are coaching academies and coaching certification programs out there, but they vary widely in scope and ALL are completely optional and voluntary. Those programs are also primarily run and staffed by people that are themselves coaches, so the cycle of under-education (at least in the context of treating mental health problems) perpetuates itself. Coaches do not have to prove competency to anyone. They are not tested or examined. They still don’t know what they don’t know. They do not have anyone checking on them to be sure they know what they need to know. A coach - in the vast majority of cases - is simply not trained at a level even close to what you might expect for someone treating anxiety disorders (for example).
There is literally no barrier in place between anyone with a social media presence and the title of coach or mentor. You could read this article today and decide to open up an anxiety coaching practice tomorrow. Nobody has any way to stop you from doing that. Go do it if you want to. It’s completely allowed. This is 100% true. Think about that.
I do want to acknowledge that I personally know a couple of people with the coach/mentor title that are very well educated in associated areas, and one that even pays out of her own pocket for a clinical supervisor (more on this down the road). No law requires her to do that, but she does it anyway. That is someone that understands that she should be doing the right thing, so she is doing it. Respect! But sadly, this is the exception rather than the rule. I personally know of at least 10 people on Instagram right now that have decided that they are qualified to be anxiety coaches just because they think they are.
I’m not here to tell you who to listen to or who to choose when you’re looking for a helper. I do understand that there are not nearly enough qualified anxiety specialists in practicing today. This is something we will talk about soon. I understand that this may drive you to seek out the services of a coach. You make the call that will work best for you. I am only here today to illustrate one difference between therapists and coaches because I think it’s an important difference that you have a right to know.
Being a well informed consumer is never a bad thing.
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
― Maya Angelou
Every Friday I’ll share one of my favorite quotes. They’ll often have direct application in recovery, but sometimes they’re just generally funny, inspiring, or thought-provoking. I hope you enjoy them.
170. Therapist vs. Coach: Part 1 - Education