How do I know if I need a life coach or a counsellor?

Coaching focusses on supporting a person to navigate change, which can be especially challenging during these complex times. It offers a person the opportunity to make lifestyle changes for increased wellbeing, understand and develop their strengths to build increased self-awareness and learn new approaches to live a more meaningful life.

Counselling on the other hand focusses on addressing emotional and psychological issues such as depression or anxiety and may include exploring past experiences and traumas.

You may ask, 'will coaching help my mental health?' It is important to remember that coaching is not the same as therapy or counselling, as it generally does not involve diagnosing or treating mental health conditions.

I aim for our coaching sessions to be like a 'breath of fresh air' as we learn to let go, focus in the moment, take responsibility and consider future options. Coaching can be a valuable means for improving mental health, by supporting you to develop positive habits, build resilience, increase your confidence, achieve short term goals and plan for those longer-term dreams.

An important reminder is that coaching is not a substitute for professional, mental health treatment when it is required. Sometimes clients do come to me for coaching and I refer them for counselling and sometimes my clients have already received counselling but are looking for support to take that next step in addressing the imbalance in their lives.