Why Therapy Can't Fix Everything (and how Coaching can Help!)

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[TheDhammaHub]

It is like with learning. Noone can learn "for you" but a teacher can greatly help and direct your attention to weaknesses!

[rickardoberg]

Here’s how I tend to summarize it: if you want to stop falling, use therapy. If you want to start climbing, use coaching.

[DaveJenkins]

Hey there! Counseling psychology student here:

Dr. K, I appreciate you taking the time to establish a broad strokes "scope of practice" between coaches and therapists. I first want to say I believe coaches are essential and needed, and offer a great deal of benefits for those who have the means to utilize them. Although, I do not believe your assessment of the discrepancy between psychotherapy and coaching was wholly represented, nor a fair a representation of the scope of psychotherapy. While I acknowledge my own bias as a psychologist-in-training, I believe the scope of training - at least in counseling/clinical psychology - is far larger than emphasizing pathology.

The "medical model" alluded to in this clip illustrates much of the origin of psychotherapeutic treatment: Treatment of mental disorder or abnormal processes. What followed was a focus on treatment planning and intervention catered towards the goal of treating said disorders. This - in part - was motivated to enhance the relevancy of psychotherapy in the mid 20th century as an applied practice. Currently, schools of psychotherapy have expanded to incorporate not just diagnosis and treatment, but providing opportunity to enhance overall well-being, foster healthy relationships, and work collaboratively to set goals. In counseling psychology, we are trained in a variety of ways, including diagnosis and treatment. We are also trained to counsel clients in meeting them where they are and facilitating a space to process, grow, set goals, and facilitate well-being.

Again, I appreciate you in devoting this space to spread awareness about mental health/wellness, coaching, and psychoeducation. This is so critical and something I do not see done often within psychology (community outreach). I do think - however - the explanation of psychotherapy in this clip was unfairly represented. I am happy to discuss this more if opportunity arises.

[Nassit-Gnuoy]

Idk about y’all, but I think this guy might be a therapist.

[Livfree]

Many therapists work from a wellness model and try to avoid giving a diagnoses if possible. We’re kind of cornered into giving a diagnoses for Medicaid or insurance coverage, but even then many of us try to give the least stigmatizing diagnoses and focus on the strengths of the client and building from there, rather than focusing on the pathology

[lolFlipper]

I enjoy the daily uploads so much, thank you from the bottom of my heart ♥

[theRealMcCoy]

It sure sucks playing an RPG with no direction or quests to do.. meanwhile sometimes a coach, mentor, or therapist could be that quest giver. I throw out a game analogy because your Cecil Harvey analogy is exactly how I thought of it as a child, and it is more valuable today then it ever has been. Our past mistakes, choices do not define us but our current choices, can inevitably influence the course of the journey. Anyone reads this.. find the episode where doc brings up ff2(4) on Cecil becoming a paladin after giving up his darknight ways. its powerful shit. On second thought experience that scene, and game for yourself.

[hungrymusicwolf]

In my 5 or so years of therapy and multiple attempts under both a psychologist and a therapist, I have to agree with the comment that therapy feels like it takes the person out of the equation. People aren't models, if you try to find how the person fits in the model then you're not treating them like a person (disorders/diagnoses or not). If a model happens to fit, great, but if you're focusing on the model then you're not focusing on the person. I happen to be a person that tends to slip through the cracks of every institution or model I apply, so I always got stuck in therapies where we tried everything and nothing would really work.

[xristobalramirezromero]

often times the perception is "Therapy is 'For' the individual- the perception is that treatment is done to someone and for them to reach an end
Coaching feels overwhelmingly like going through "With" individuals to develop understanding and skills to achieve goals.

[michaelbower]

- "Coaching is hiring an entire other human being to teach you how to be a human being, when you feel you cannot successfully human being."

[serehero]

There's something that I still don't understand. While therapists' focus is to treat pathologies, they still do so by setting goals, helping the client get to where they want to go, bring awareness of their thoughts, beliefs, etc.

I still feel like what coaches do, therapists do too, it's just that they have a framework they follow.

[SEMAMAFUL]

Hey everyone, someone currently in a graduate therapy clinical program here. I would suggest consuming what is said in this video with caution. What's alarming here is Dr. K is essentially advertising his OWN service, where non-professionals with 0 qualifications ('coaches') are paid to help people improve their lives in some way. That's scary enough, without the fact that he is implicitly devaluing going to therapy instead of coaching by painting a very simplistic picture of therapy. In this video he essentially implies "if you don't have a pathological mental illness, don't go to therapy". That idea is patently ridiculous; therapists often use techniques like action plans, journalling, etc. to help clients achieve tangible goals.

Dr. K's coaches are called 'coaches' because they legally can't call themselves anything else (because they have no qualifications). One on one coaching, on his website, is 40$/hour. Many therapists who have real clinical training -- in Canada at least, where I am -- operate at sliding rates, and can be booked for around ~60$/hour. Honestly, to me, this whole situation seems sort of fucked up.

[umberdandelion]

It confuses me so much that in the US social workers can be therapists because I'm studying social work in Spain and it has NOTHING to do with therapy. We study some psychology, but at the end we can just help ppl in the social way. To be a therapist you need to study psychology.

[nicoleisabellaspeaks]

Got on the waitlist to become a coach :) Hope it opens up soon!

[EternalTotem]

I liked that t till the defects and the things you mentioned. For so much money. Like y'all say, " for that money I expect perfection."

[nicoleisabellaspeaks]

how are you a psychiatrist and coach?? i am looking at becoming a therapist but coaching looks interesting, but are there ethical issues in having a patient that you coach and treat?

[undeadman]

Therapy is what you use when you want to restructure the rules governing your thoughts and behaviors.
Coaching is what you use when you already have that framework and want to succeed using it.

[elixorvideos]

This is a bit random, but I’ve never really noticed how great Dr K’s hair looks!

[pasteljoy]

From my experience, therapy is not very clinical, all of the therapists I have seen don't know what a personality disorder actually entails, or what psychosis entails. They only know the basics of depression and anxiety and rely on CBT/DBT because those are the ones that statistically work the most for depression/anxiety issues.

[ttech]

Some people need that push so coaches push u while therapy will help that mindset