Coaching vs Counseling

In both, I focus on helping couples and individuals work through their issues in ways that direct them toward healing.

In both, I invest in knowing my clients and helping them gain insight into current patterns and clarity of future change.

In both, I direct recommended steps toward change, often in the form of exercises to be completed outside of sessions.

Both services are managed through the same secure client portal system.

The per-session rate for both services is the same.

Coaching services are intended as an alternative for people who do not live in Indiana.

Coaching is a conversation with a professional, but the records and files I keep are typically less comprehensive than with counseling clients.

Insurance does not reimburse coaching sessions. Although I do not bill insurance providers directly, Indiana residents may be able to submit their bills for partial reimbursement if their policy allows.

Coaching focuses on advice, education, and skill-building to help an individual or couple. I will not diagnose you. If issues being addressed go beyond the scope of coaching (especially if there is a need for in-office therapy or the use of tools appropriate for counseling), I will recommend that you seek help from a counselor in your area.

Although I follow the same ethical standards in coaching as I do in counseling, there is a difference in how the counseling profession views those roles. Coaching sessions would not be bound by the same privacy standards as therapy. (Although I view confidentiality the same in both counseling and coaching, a court may not.) Coaching does not carry the same level of responsibility as counseling (to pass you to another caregiver if necessary, for example). In all, counseling requires a higher degree of responsibility for the therapist than coaching does for the coach. However, I approach both roles with the same sense of professional duty.

As part of the coaching process, I may recommend interaction with someone other than myself. This may be another counselor or an individual/couple who I believe will provide additional help in your situation. You will always know this ahead of time, not “surprised” to find yourself interacting with someone other than me.