If you are struggling with persistent and recurring negative thoughts and/or
emotional challenges, relationship problems, or difficulties coping with life's
challenges, psychotherapy may be helpful. It can also be beneficial if you are
experiencing past trauma(s), anxiety, depression, or other mental health
challenges.

Several practitioner factors should be taken into consideration including their
training, adopted approach and style of therapy, your level of comfort
interacting with the therapist, i.e., the nature of therapist-client relationship,
cultural competence and level of empathy and conceptual understanding of
your unique mental health challenges.

These terms are often used interchangeably, but counseling may focus more on
specific life situations or challenges and tends to be shorter in duration.
Whereas psychotherapy can delve deeper into historical and prevailing
underlying cognitive, emotional and behavioral issues and tends to be a longer
and more methodological process.

The length of therapy varies considerably depending on individual unique needs, specifical outcome desires and current life circumstances. Some people benefit from more solution-focused short-term therapy, while others may need much longer-term treatment based on the multi-layered and multi-faceted nature of their specific individual, couple or familial challenges.

The first session is typically a time for introductions, discussing your individual, couple or family goals and concerns, specific historical and/or present issues and helping to discover and identify the specific individual, couple or familial mental health challenges and the optimal therapeutic approaches to successfully achieve positive interventions and outcomes. It is also an opportunity for you and the therapist to determine if there is a good therapist-
client fit.

Many insurance plans provide coverage for mental health services, but it is
important to check with your specific insurance provider to understand your
specific coverage and/or benefits. Several practitioners also opt to go the self-
pay route based on their specific business model and/or client value
therapeutic propositions.

Professionally trained therapists have been trained in their ethical awareness
studies to adopt and maintain strict confidentiality. As such, they are well aware that all information shared in therapy should not be shared with others without the client’s consent. However, there are exceptions, such as in cases of individual self-harm or others potential life or abuse may be at risk.

You and your therapist can establish clear goals for therapy and track your progress over time. You may also notice improvements in your mood, behavior,
and relationships.

Psychotherapy focuses on addressing diverse mental health conditions,
challenges and past traumas, while coaching focuses on helping individuals
achieve specific goals and objectives that ultimately should lead to improved
performance in the client’s particular area of focus.

Therapists are generally licensed and trained professionals with a master's
degree or above in areas like psychology, counseling or social work. Some
coaches may or may not have formal training, but others have undertaken
rigorous study and training to perfect their craft.

The length of a business coaching relationship varies greatly, depending on the client's goals and the complexity of their situation. Some clients may only need a few sessions to address specific issues, while others may benefit from
ongoing coaching for a more extended period, potentially 6-9 months or longer.

The duration of life coaching duration cannot be predetermined and is not fixed,
but rather depends on individuals’ diverse needs, life goals and objectives
including life purpose discovery and the level of growth and transformation the
client aspires to achieve in his/her life. Some clients may achieve their goals in
a shorter timeframe (1-3 months), while others may need a longer commitment
(6-18 months) while others take years to fulfill their true potential.

There is no “typical session length or frequency” in coaching. Coaching is a
highly contextual personal development process and depends on myriad
situations and circumstances. Individual sessions may range from 30 minutes
to 2 hours. However, based on my decades of experience, they should not
exceed 2 hours. Likewise, session frequencies may vary depending on the
clients’ budgets, the nature of the growth and development desired and the
level of diversity of the coach’s coaching toolkit.

The highest level of commitment is required to achieve positive outcomes in
both therapy and coaching. Commitment may perhaps be best understood on a
continuum ranging from low through moderate to high. There is a correlation
between the level of commitment and clients’ positive outcomes.