Therapy vs Coaching

The space between therapy and coaching

Because life happens

The difference between therapy and coaching

There are plenty of discussions on the topic of therapy versus coaching (see Jane’s blog post as a starting point). Although the areas of overlap between the two disciplines are ever-increasing (especially outside of the United States), traditional distinctions between the two concern:

Focus: Therapy has traditionally been more focused on the client’s past, while coaching focuses more on the client’s future.
Education: The practice of therapy requires the minimum of a Master’s degree and supervised practice to obtain qualifications. Coaching requires no specific qualifications and certification options are purely voluntary.
Funding: Therapy may be private pay, but in many cases may be paid for by health insurance, or (in countries with nationalized healthcare) through the public healthcare budget. Coaching is nearly always paid for privately, by the individual client or by their sponsoring organization. Paradoxically, despite the difference in qualification levels of therapists vs coaches, coaching usually commands a significantly higher price-point.

Regulations in the US

The most pertinent distinction between therapy and coaching in the United States is that therapy is considered to be a healthcare service requiring an ICD-10 diagnosis, even if the service is being paid for privately.

Therapy is heavily regulated at both the state and federal level, and as the law currently stands, therapists should only be offering therapy in the state(s) that they are licensed to practice. Although advances in telehealth make many of the state-by-state restrictions cumbersome and impractical, state regulations and inter-state co-operation have a long way to go catch up with what is technologically possible.

The majority of regulatory concerns regarding therapy across state lines come down to a therapist’s ability to intervene if a client should be in danger of harming themselves or others. However, it has always been Jane’s position that any client struggling with suicidality or self-harming behaviors should be seen by a therapist in a clinic environment, rather than by someone in solo practice (as Jane is).

Whether Jane is offering therapy or coaching, in person or online, if she feels that a client is in need of greater support than she can provide, she will always refer them to local services to ensure they are receiving the level of care that they need.

Therapy with Jane in Minnesota

Jane is a licensed marriage & family therapist (LMFT) in the State of Minnesota. Minnesota residents who participate in sessions while they are physically in the State of Minnesota are eligible to receive full therapy services, which includes a diagnosis, treatment plan and submission of sessions to insurance if they choose.

Therapy with Jane in Canada

Jane is a registered marriage & family therapist (RMFT) in Canada. She is also currently in the process of registering her credentials with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counselors, which will allow clients to use healthcare dollars towards her services. Unlike the US, a diagnosis is not necessary to receive therapy in Canada.

Whether the service in question is therapy or coaching, if Jane feels that a client is in need of greater support than she can provide, she will always refer them to someone who can offer the level of care that is needed.

Therapeutic Coaching

Therapeutic Coaching is a constellation of all of Jane’s services informed by her training in therapy, coaching and energy psychology. Therapeutic Coaching is available to residents of any state in the US, any province in Canada, or anywhere else in the world.

Therapeutic Coaching is especially helpful to coaches and healing professionals who have done a considerable amount of work on themselves already. Yet frequently, the passion to encourage and support others in a coaching or healing capacity stems from our own childhood trauma, which sometimes needs deeper healing than a traditional coaching model can provide.

Therapeutic coaching clients do not receive a diagnosis and sessions are not eligible for use with insurance or healthcare dollars. Any clients whom Jane deems to require a greater level of support than the therapeutic coaching model is designed to provide will be referred to receive therapy that is local to them.

Akashic Healing with Jane

Akashic Healing is the place where Jane brings all of her experience as a master trauma therapist together with her own spirituality and the spirituality of her clients. The result is a sacred return to healing and wholeness, whatever has happened in this life, or in lives gone by.

Akashic Healing is available to those who know how to ask – wherever you are in your journey and wherever you are in the world.