| Self-Help? | | | | shown to be very effective for many of the more |
| It used to be considered a rite-of-passage many years | | | | difficult cases. |
| ago for boys to learn how to fix their own car and girls | | | | Counseling is a healing process, usually talk-based, that |
| to become a wiz in the kitchen. Times change! Cars | | | | occurs in a confidential, safe and trusting environment. |
| are now so complicated that very few people have | | | | The Counselor assists the client in problem solving by |
| the skill, or time, to fix their own car; many women are | | | | listening, reflecting back, exploring deep feelings and |
| so busy at work that they have to struggle to keep up | | | | asking provocative questions. Counseling offers clients |
| with family obligations, let alone the latest elaborate | | | | a unique opportunity to reflect on, understand, and |
| cooking gadgets. | | | | challenge their irrational thinking. The client learns to |
| But while these skills can be learned, today it takes a | | | | accept themselves are as they are through |
| greater level of talent and focus. Today we rely much | | | | understanding and then to make fundamental |
| more on specialists for many of the services we | | | | behavioral changes for the better. The thrust of |
| require. | | | | psychological treatment is to help the client find the |
| So it is with mental/emotional self-help. It is noble and | | | | strength to make these fundamental changes in order |
| uplifting to help yourself, or a friend, through a rough | | | | to cope with their unique challenges. |
| patch, or to have simple curiosity as to your own | | | | Some people think Counselors have white coats, |
| potential for growth. | | | | beards and make their clients lie on a couch. This is |
| Perhaps you know that "something isn't quite right" with | | | | (largely) a myth along with the misperception that |
| yourself, but you are not ready to accept professional | | | | counseling is "just for crazy people", the self-absorbed, |
| counseling; you just want to browse and explore some | | | | or those that think they need many years of analysis. |
| self-help options and get some ideas. Or, you know | | | | On the contrary, people usually seek counseling when |
| something is definitely wrong and you need to seek | | | | they feel that something is "wrong" in their life, they feel |
| some type of relief. You may look for some specific | | | | they need relief but they can no longer help |
| help, or ask friends or family for recommendations. Or, | | | | themselves or go to friends or family. This could be for |
| you may have had, or are in, some form of coaching | | | | interpersonal, work, or other needs. They need to |
| or counseling and you want to augment what you | | | | receive an impartial, objective, and professional, point of |
| learned in the sessions. | | | | view at this point in their life. |
| Perhaps you are fed-up with the way your life is going. | | | | Treatment usually occurs in-person and weekly, but for |
| Or, you may want some useful exercises to combat | | | | many clients with less serious problems, effective |
| negative emotions or bad habits or patterns. You may | | | | counseling can occur online or on the phone and need |
| want to feel lovable or less lonely, build life skills, make | | | | not take a very long time to achieve results. Most |
| better choices, manage your moods better, find | | | | health insurance policies offer coverage for |
| passion or purpose or motivation, be your ideal weight, | | | | psychological counseling sessions. |
| master rejection or stress or self-empowerment, and | | | | Even more recently, some Psychologists are finding |
| so forth. | | | | that coaching can be a very useful adjunct for their |
| While self-help can bring excellent results, we also | | | | patients both before and after psychological counseling |
| have to recognize when we are no longer able to | | | | in order to identify or sustain better behaviors and |
| make progress by ourselves, when we are not getting | | | | thoughts. |
| good help from our friends and family, or when we | | | | How to Choose Professional Help? |
| may have serious problems that need a trained | | | | There are a few basic areas where counseling and |
| professional to help. | | | | coaching differ. The subjects, goals, relationships, and |
| In short: we need to know what types of assistance | | | | treatments are not the same for these two helping |
| are appropriate for our particular circumstances: | | | | modalities. |
| self-help, coaching and/or counseling. | | | | Traditional counseling mostly deals with discovering and |
| What is Coaching? | | | | understanding the client's emotional pain of the past, |
| The human potential movement and positive | | | | while coaching, for the most part, focuses on |
| psychology brought coaching into the limelight in the | | | | stimulating a person's positive emotions as it relates to |
| 80s. Corporations used coaching to manage change | | | | their present and future vision for themselves. |
| stemming from downsizing, mergers and acquisitions. In | | | | Coaches are usually more focused on the client's |
| the last decade we've seen coaching take off and | | | | stated, specific, performance or life goals such as |
| provide people with tools to reach not only their | | | | positive functioning, achievement, focused action plans, |
| professional but personal potential and goals. | | | | and specific outcomes. In contrast, Counselors focus |
| The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines | | | | on not always obvious deep feelings and ideas and |
| coaching as the relationship between the Coach and | | | | identifying the causes of dysfunctional behaviors (the |
| their clients which assists people in fulfilling (usually | | | | understanding of which provides insight into positive |
| stated and specific) goals and improving their quality of | | | | behavioral change). They may work closely with a |
| living. A Coach is basically a (trained and experienced) | | | | Psychiatrist, If warranted, for medication management |
| personal cheerleader who encourages, endorses, | | | | which can be quite beneficial in some cases. |
| acknowledges and supports you until you feel | | | | Counseling and coaching differ in the function of the |
| comfortable enough to maintain your goals fully on | | | | client relationship: Counselors are experts and |
| your own. Lifestyle or Wellness Coaches are like | | | | Coaches are co-creative team partners. The function |
| Sports Coaches or Personal Trainers, in some | | | | of change in coaching is to make the process |
| respects, but differ in many other ways. For example, | | | | enjoyable and motivating for the client. In counseling, |
| they focus on helping you become a winner, not | | | | the process of change might be emotionally painful until |
| (usually) on your physical performance, but on lifestyle | | | | the client reaches equilibrium at which time deep |
| and work-related goals. | | | | personal insight and, therefore, behavioral modification |
| Coaching offers clients versatility. Coaches need to be | | | | can be achieved. |
| excellent, active listeners in order to help their clients | | | | There are several other distinctions between Coaches |
| develop insight into their resistances and take the | | | | and Counselors: for instance, the amount of |
| necessary steps toward positive change. | | | | self-disclosure, who is responsible for the outcomes, |
| Most Coaches have some formal training but few | | | | and how payment is treated. With coaching, the Coach |
| carry the ICF Certification at this time. Coaching is a | | | | manages the process but the client is responsible for |
| relativity young field and, as it grows, more Coaches | | | | the outcomes. In counseling, the Counselor is |
| will be asked to comply with ICF by-laws, | | | | responsible for focusing the client's outcomes so that |
| re-certification standards and other requirements. | | | | the client achieves the required self-understanding. |
| Coaching works best before and after psychological | | | | Coaches can take classes and may be do an |
| treatment (if such treatment is needed). It helps the | | | | internship and continuing education, while Counselors |
| client acknowledge their resistance to change and | | | | must show years of coursework, a post-graduate |
| then, what they can do to reach their stated goals. | | | | degree, and pass state sanctioned licensing exams, |
| What is Psychological Counseling? | | | | plus take periodic, mandatory, continuing education. |
| A Psychological Counselor, aka Psychologist, is a | | | | Many psychological counselors hold a number of |
| trained (at an accredited school) and licensed (by the | | | | additional certifications, e.g. Employee Assistance |
| State) mental health professional that may use one or | | | | Programs, Substance Abuse, Eating Disorders, and so |
| more approaches to helping their clients achieve some | | | | forth. Both counseling and coaching can play a valuable |
| level of self-understanding and, thus, behavior | | | | role in helping you achieve your goals when self-help |
| modification. There are many different "schools" of | | | | and friends are no longer enough. All methods have a |
| mental health counseling thought, and many different | | | | useful role to play, and, in fact, work well together at |
| mental health professions that can offer effective | | | | appropriate times. |
| therapy. Today, most Psychiatrists (a Medical Doctor | | | | The full article, available for free at our website, |
| specializing in mental health) focus on symptom relief | | | | contains a very useful "Choice Matrix" that |
| through medication management and usually do not do | | | | summarizes and expands on this material. In addition, |
| much talk-based therapy beyond ongoing medical and | | | | there are many other very practical self-help articles, |
| symptom assessment. The combination of medication | | | | as well as an economical online store for materials |
| management plus Psychological Counseling has been | | | | with greater depth, and self-help exercises. |