Trauma Coach or Trauma Therapist?
Have you seen the option for a Mental Health Trauma Coach instead of a Mental Health Trauma Therapist? It's supposed to be a better option than going to a trained mental health counselor. But buyer beware!
Many people find a Trauma Coach an attractive option because it promises an opportunity to get support without using a feared medical label. It's reasonable to not want to use a label when you are feeling vulnerable.
You will sidestep a label, but there are more compromises you will also be making that you may not realize. In this article, we will explore when a therapist is a good idea and when a coach is a good idea for Trauma Recovery.
When Is A Coach Is A Great Idea?
When it does not relate to mental health care.
First off, you should just know that it’s illegal for any coach to claim to treat or diagnose a medical condition of any kind. This is because they have no formal training in the complexities that these conditions bring.
So if any coach is advertising in this way you should be questioning how that choice reflects their legal and ethical scruples.
Coaches have no mental health training. They have no medical oversight or legal or ethical obligations to you as the consumer. They are not using evidence-based techniques which means, while you may like how they make you feel, they don’t know how to resolve the trauma in a way that lasts.
Great Roles for Coaches
Career Coach
Exercise Coach
Nutritional Coach
As an Addition to the Mental health care team
Coaches are good for motivation when a person is clear on what they want to accomplish and just need someone to keep them on track and not veer off course.
Why a Mental Health Trauma Therapist is a Safer Option
The recovery process from a traumatic event is complex and multilayered. When you decide to tell someone about what you have been through, you are emotionally vulnerable to manipulation and abuse of power. When mental health is involved, taking the risk of who plays a supportive role in your care is just not worth it with a person who has no training or legal oversight.
It takes years of practice and supervision to address trauma effectively and ethically. The subtle nuances of care require oversight by an experienced therapist. Additionally, the therapist providing care is required to monitor their own challenges as the caregiver so their personal issues do not impact the client’s recovery. This whole technique and training is at the core of mental health care to protect the client. A coach is not trained in this level of care and can not provide this level of treatment. If they claim to they are breaking the law that says they are not allowed to diagnose or treat mental health. More importantly, they are lying about who they are and what their training is to you and risk your safety.
If you have any mental health struggles, I highly urge you to first go to a counselor. If it turns out to be no major issue, then hire a coach to help motivate you to meet your life goals.
Other Ways a Coach and Therapist Are Different to Help You Make The Best Choice For Your Care
Payment and Fees
A coaching model of payment is capitalistic first vs. a licensed mental health model of payment model is a “do no harm” first.
So you would expect that if you work with a coach that you will be paying less than a counselor who has been trained in evidence based approaches and legal and ethical oversight by the state. Nope you may even pay more!
Confounding to me is that Coaches often charge more for a subpar level of training, care, and protection. This is made possible because a large part of coaching training is how to market oneself. They are taught the tricks of consumer psychology that lead a consumer to feel they are getting a higher quality of care when in many cases they are not. They know how to make a client feel deprivation, urgency, or scarcity so they will be willing to pay more. So just go in with your eyes wide open and your thinking cap on. :)
Fee Structure: Pay at the point of service vs Pay for all sessions before you receive care
Coaches will often ask for a financial commitment that requires you to pay for a month or more in advance before you have received that care. In a licensed mental health care clinic you will not see this model because it undermines the patient’s autonomy to choose when they see a counselor and when they do not. Licensed counselors are trained to monitor the dynamic of the power imbalance that naturally occurs in counseling when a client comes to a counselor to discuss their private vulnerable issues. Finances can be a power imbalance so care is taken to avoid any feelings of coresion. It is recognized that the client is on the more vulnerable end of the dynamic and therefore intentional legal and ethical structures are put into place to protect the client. Thus, a client would have no financial risk if they wish to discontinue care with a counselor.
A counselor knows that seemingly small gestures like suddenly cutting off care due to a financial issue are unresolved contractual issues are unethical and would be harmful to a person’s trust in getting care in the future from them or anyone else. Thus, the care is continued while the issue is addressed in a way that honors the client’s vulnerability. A Coach in contrast is not likely trained in this issue and does not need to think or care about this issue. Their solution would be to cut off care with no discussions. At the end of the day they are business with no obligation to the medical ethics of “Do No Harm.”
Legal and Ethical Oversight
There are no state or national standards of care that a coach is required to follow. A licensed mental health professional in contrast is a health care professional first and must conduct their practice by the tenants of “Do No Harm” at its core. There are legal and ethical obligations that a provider must maintain in order to keep their license or to keep their business open. If there is any negligence the consumer can file a complaint to their licensing board and have their experience investigated, if there is negligence a provider will have their license revoked for malpractice.
In contrast, if you are hurt emotionally in some way by a coach there are no governing bodies to hold them accountable. You can complain, but that coach can keep on coaching.
It is also important to note that some licensed providers who lost their license due to negligence can open back up shop as a Coach. A consumer would never actually know that history because there is no obligation on the coach to share it.
Education
Coaches learn how to motivate a person. That is very different from identifying how to treat and resolve a mental health condition.
There are no state or national standards of education that a coach is required to follow. Coaches are not trained in mental health identification or treatment. In fact they cross a legal line when they advertise to do so. They are not allowed to advertise or practice mental health treatment or diagnosis. Although many do cross that line in advertising because they know there is not enough enforcement to hold them accountable and the risk is worth it since they will likely convince a consumer to work with them long before they are held accountable.
Mental health care is complicated and the risk of further emotional harm is real in the hands of an untrained professional. Counselors are required to get a master’s and learn about mental health conditions for two years. Then their work with clients is overseen by a licensed clinician for approximately 2 years before they can work on their own. A counselor knows that seemingly small gestures can cause harm in a therapeutic setting. A coach is not likely trained in this issue and does not need to think or care about these issues. At the end of the day, they are business first.
Coaching can be a great resource for motivation when a person is clear on their goals and is not also grappling with mental health challenges. Mental Health Counselors are highly trained in the nuances and complexities of how mental health issues present in a variety of people and how to pick the evidence-based skills that will resolve the issue most effectively.
Would you like more support in figuring out which is the best option for you? If so, I highly recommend sitting down with a Licensed Mental health care provider at Shade Tree Family Counseling to help you sort through it all.
Begin Healing From Trauma With a Trauma Therapist in Salt Lake City, UT
If you're looking for deeper healing beyond surface-level strategies, working with a trauma therapist in Salt Lake City, UT offers the professional expertise and compassionate care you deserve in trauma therapy. A therapist at Shade Tree Family Counseling can help you address the root causes of your trauma, offering personalized techniques for long-term recovery. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to determine if trauma therapy is the right for you.
Meet with a skilled trauma therapist.
Begin to manage your past trauma in healthy ways.
Additional Services at Shade Tree Family Counseling
At Shade Tree Family Counseling, our commitment is to the well-being of your entire family. Beyond offering EMDR-Trauma Therapy for those ready to heal from past trauma, we provide specialized individual teen counseling for anxiety, depression, and other challenges. Additionally, we offer Teen Group Therapy, giving teens the chance to connect with peers who understand their experiences. To learn more about how we can support your teen, visit our blog for more insights!