Is there a difference between therapy and coaching? How do I know which one is right for me?

July 20, 2021

Life is a long, rocky road with many ups and downs -but for some, overcoming obstacles and challenges can be trickier than it would be for the average person. If you’ve decided to seek outside professional help, you may have trouble discerning what type of help is right for you. Do I need a coach? Or do I need to seek a therapist instead? While both therapy and coaching provide solutions and are beneficial for clients, there are some key differences.

One key difference is that a psychotherapist Is trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses, which includes treatment for anxiety, depression, PTSD, eating disorders, and other types of mental disorders. This type of treatment involves focusing on emotions, perceptions, behavior and uncovering your past. Psychotherapists hold post graduate degrees in psychology or counseling, and require licensure through state psychology or licensed professional counseling boards.

Coaches, on the other hand, help you with your personal and professional goals. While they may have specialized skills and training and/or belong to professional coaching associations, they do not require a degree or license, and are not overseen by a governing board.

Coaching will help you build skills and improve performance, keeping you on task with daily goals and obstacles. Coaching helps you deal with common problems that many children and adults face such as procrastination, tardiness, not meeting deadlines, emotional outbursts, disorganization, forgetfulness, and impulsive decision making. But when there’s an underlying issue or mental disorder that hinders a person’s ability to improve upon these skills – then there may be a need to speak to a psychotherapist instead. Either way, both coaches and psychotherapists will be able to track a patient’s progress and determine if another course of action is necessary.

Another key difference is pricing. Since psychotherapy requires extensive training and licenses, it may be a bit more costly. Coaching will have a set structure and program length, while psychotherapy may require ongoing treatment with less clear “start and finish” points.

Typically, you would find coaches and psychotherapists at different business locations – but Woodlands Behavioral Health and Wellness Center offers clients both these services. There are various different types of treatment and services provided by both coaches and psychotherapists.

Psychotherapy includes:

Psychoanalytic therapy, which focuses on identifying repressed early childhood memories that are affecting the client’s thinking, behavior, and relationships in adulthood.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which focuses on modifying dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and thoughts by identifying a client’s negative or irrational beliefs that are influencing their behavior.
Behavior Modification therapy, which focuses on eliminating unwanted behaviors such as tantrums, and learning new behaviors such as resolving conflict through talking. Positive reinforcers change and maintain these new behaviors.
Interpersonal psychotherapy, which improves the quality of a client’s interpersonal relationships and social functioning to help reduce their distress by teaching strategies to address interpersonal deficits, help patients manage unresolved grief, and cope with difficult life transitions such as divorce.
Family systems therapy helps individuals, especially adolescents, resolve their problems in the context of their family units, by helping family members work together and better understand how their actions affect one another and the family unit as a whole.

Coaching services include:

Executive Leadership Coaching which helps professional clients achieve career goals in the workplace.
Executive Skills Coaching, which focuses on teaching strategies to compensate for executive functioning skill deficits in organization, planning, time management, working memory, initiating and completing tasks, and emotional and impulse control.
Life Coaching, which focuses on providing support, guidance, and skills training to help clients achieve specific goals in their personal lives.
Health Coaching, which educates clients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, and teaches them skills to help manage their illness more effectively.

So how do you decide which type of therapy or coaching is best for you? Assessing the type of services you need may seem overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. The Woodlands Behavior Health and Wellness Center provides a complimentary consultation with a professional to help you determine your best course of action, as well as guide you through selecting a provider who will best fit your needs. This is highly recommended before starting your coaching or therapeutic journey.

To find out more about these programs and other services offered a The Woodlands Behavioral Health and Wellness Center, review our website at www.addwoodlands.com or call us at 281-528-4226 to schedule a Complimentary Consultation.

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What to do when your child bites or hits

April 11, 2025

One of the most difficult aspects of parenting toddlers is knowing how to manage the behaviors they exhibit as they learn to communicate their feelings. For many parents, biting and hitting are at the top of that list. Read on for tips on what to do when your child bites or hits... Self-talk . Say to yourself, “I don’t like that they bit/hit and hurt someone else, but I can teach them other ways to express their feelings.” Empathy. Ask yourself, “Wouldn’t I have a hard time expressing myself when I’m mad or upset if I didn’t have the language to do that, or the ability to problem solve in non-aggressive ways? I know how my child feels!” Teach . Young children learn very early that their hands and teeth are powerful weapons that elicit an equally powerful reaction when used. However, this can cause lots of problems for you and your child. The key is to teach your child that biting and hitting hurt and there are other ways to express feelings without hurting others. Tell yourself, “I can teach my child how to respect others and use words to express feelings. I know it will take time and patience, but they can learn.” When your child bites or hits, provide a brief teaching statement, such as “No bite. Biting hurts” and give them a word or action within their skill abilities to replace the biting. For example, “You can say ‘no hug’ instead” or “you can walk away.” When you do this, you are teaching your child how his behavior affects others and what else they can do instead. Reinforce. Practice by setting your phone timer for 5 minutes (or longer or shorter, depending on how long you think your child can play with another child without your motivating praise) and say, “When you have played gently with Jack until the phone timer sounds, we can read your favorite book together. You are getting along so well.” Offering a reward as an incentive for self-control discourages conflict. Praise. When children (even siblings) are getting along, it’s important to praise their effort frequently. Simple statements, such as, “Good taking turns,” or “You are playing so nicely together,” reminds them of the goal of getting along vs. fighting. Teach compromise. When conflict arises, say, “Let’s find a way to let both of you play with that toy. I’ll use my phone timer to tell us when it’s your turn to play with it.” Your child can learn patience as they wait their turn, as well as problem solving and compromise—instead of biting or hitting. What not to do: Don’t hurt your child. Biting/hitting back and spanking are all behaviors you don’t want them to learn, so don’t use them. Don’t overreact. Getting upset when your child bites or hits keeps you from problem solving. Keep yourself calm by using calming self-talk. Say to yourself, “This is a problem we can solve. I just need to stay calm to do it.” Don’t threaten. Threatening your child creates fear but doesn’t teach the behavior you want. Instead, simply say, “Let’s work on ways you can get what you want without hurting someone.” Source: Behavior Checker from the Raised with Love and Limits Foundation

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