COACHING

Coaching

You don't necessarily need therapy. You might just need help figuring out what to do next.

Coaching is a focused, collaborative way to work with me on a specific part of your life that feels stuck, messy, or harder than it needs to be.

Maybe you already understand why you do what you do. You’ve been to therapy. You’ve read the books. You’ve listened to the podcasts. You can trace your people-pleasing back three generations and explain your attachment style over lunch.

You just can't figure out how to actually do something differently.

That's where coaching can be really useful.

We’ll identify what isn’t working, decide what you want to change, and work together on practical strategies that make sense for your actual life—not the imaginary version where you have unlimited time, energy and executive functioning.

Coaching might be a good fit if you want help with:

• Breaking people-pleasing and overfunctioning patterns

• Setting boundaries without spending three days feeling guilty about them

• Building self-trust and confidence

• Decreasing resentment in your relationships

• Saying what you actually mean instead of what will keep everyone else comfortable

• Understanding why you keep having the same argument—and changing your part in the pattern

• Navigating difficult family relationships or estrangement

• Rebuilding your identity after becoming a mother

• Managing perfectionism that keeps you stuck

• Creating realistic systems for an ADHD brain

• Making your life run more smoothly without trying to become a completely different person

• Navigating work stress, career decisions and high-pressure environments

• Becoming more confident in your parenting

• Making a decision you've been thinking about approximately 700 times

• Connecting patterns from past relationships to what’s happening in your life now

• Figuring out what you actually want when you're used to considering everyone else first

The goal isn't to optimize you. It's to help you get unstuck.

Coaching is not therapy.

There can be some overlap in the topics discussed in coaching and therapy, but they are different services with different purposes, boundaries and standards of care.

Coaching is proactive and goal focused. It does not follow a medical model and is not mental health treatment. There is no mental health evaluation, diagnosis, treatment plan or psychotherapy provided as part of coaching.

Here are some important distinctions:

1. Coaching does not include mental health diagnosis or treatment. I am working with you as a coach, not providing psychotherapy or acting as your treating mental health clinician.

2. Higher-risk or acute mental health concerns are not appropriate for coaching. This includes concerns such as suicidal ideation, self-harm thoughts or behaviors, psychosis, active substance-use concerns, active eating-disorder behaviors, or other needs requiring mental health treatment or a higher level of care. Coaching is neither an effective nor an appropriate substitute for that care.

3. We'll determine fit before we begin. During our initial consultation, I'll talk with you about what you're hoping to accomplish and determine whether I believe coaching is an appropriate service for your needs. If therapy or another level of care would be more appropriate, I'll tell you.

4. Coaching records are different from psychotherapy records. Coaching does not involve a psychotherapy treatment plan or psychotherapy progress notes. I maintain basic client information, coaching goals and relevant notes as appropriate to the coaching relationship. Coaching services are not represented as psychotherapy or mental health treatment.

5. Location requirements are different. I provide psychotherapy only to clients who are physically located in Ohio, consistent with my clinical licensure. Coaching is a separate, non-clinical service and may be available to clients outside Ohio where permitted.

If what you're looking for is mental health treatment rather than coaching, I encourage you to work with a licensed clinician in your state. You can search Psychology Today's therapist directory or ask your primary care provider for local referrals.

Not sure which one you need?

That's okay. You don't have to diagnose yourself before you contact me.

Tell me a little about what you're looking for, and we can determine whether therapy, coaching, or something else makes the most sense.