For over 30 years, individuals with a range of psychological issues have received Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) from Beck Institute. Thousands of research studies have demonstrated that CBT is the most effective treatment available. Our expert therapists not only provide compassionate care, they also train other health and mental health professionals around the world.
We are also pleased to offer CBT-based wellness coaching that helps clients make long-lasting changes in their eating, exercise, sleep, and screen time and address many other non-clinical issues, like procrastination, organization, public speaking anxiety, relationship and career problems, among others.
Are you wondering whether therapy or coaching is right for you? Both offer support, guidance, and tools for change. Understanding the distinction between CBT therapy and cognitive behavioral wellness coaching can help you determine which approach would be better for you.
When CBT Therapy is the Right Choice
Your CBT therapist will first assess you to determine your diagnosis so they can create an individualized treatment plan based on your characteristics and preferences and on what research has demonstrated to be effective. They’ll share this plan with you and ask you for feedback, to make sure that it seems right to you. Their goal will be to get you better as soon as possible and to keep you well. You may benefit from therapy if one of more of the following are true for you:
- You are dealing with issues that are painful and have a significant impact on your life.
- You have a diagnosed mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, an eating disorder, or another condition that requires evaluation and evidence-based psychological treatment.
- Your health and/or mood-related concerns are connected to past trauma or other significant psychological factors.
- You are unsatisfied, feeling hurt, or unseen in your relationships.
- Your self-worth is deeply tied to your body image or personal or professional achievements, or other aspects of your life.
- You use unhelpful coping strategies to manage your mood, health, and stress, such as isolation, perfectionism, overcommitment, substance use, bingeing, purging, restricting food intake, self-harm, compulsive habits, or avoidance.
- You need to address or learn to better cope with obstacles that impact your overall well-being, relationships, and ability to manage stress.
- You are at risk of hurting yourself or others or have any concerns related to your safety.
No matter your diagnosis, our therapists will work with you to identify your strengths, achieve your important goals, and create positive and lasting changes in your mood, thinking, behavior, relationships, and circumstances.
When Cognitive Behavioral Wellness Coaching is the Better Fit
Wellness coaching focuses on helping you make needed changes in your behavior. Clients often benefit from specific CBT techniques and someone to be accountable to, even though they don’t need therapy. Your coach will help you identify and respond to the unhelpful thinking that has gotten in the way of your reaching your goals yourself—thoughts such as, “It won’t matter,” “I’ll do it later,” “I won’t able to keep it up anyway,” or “I broke my streak so I might as well give up, at least for now.”
Wellness coaching is typically best suited for those who:
- Have a specific wellness goal or goals, such as improving sleep, eating, or exercise; or reducing stress.
- Are trying to break unhelpful habits and replace them with healthier ones.
- Need accountability to stay committed
- Face lifestyle challenges rather than clinical mental health or health issues. Unlike therapy, coaching does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions.
- Would like to enhance their performance at work or at home by decreasing doubt and increasing confidence, reducing procrastination, increasing organization, prioritizing and managing multiple demands, developing realistic expectations, limiting social media use, becoming more assertive, and learning strategies to build and keep motivation.
Wellness coaching empowers clients to build resilience, improve their coping strategies, and reach their goals.
Key Differences Between Coaching and Therapy
While both therapy and coaching aim to support personal growth and well-being, there are key distinctions in their approach:
- Collaboration: Both therapy and coaching are collaborative. The therapist and coach both work with clients to set the agenda for each session. Agenda items in therapy tend to be associated with the psychological and practical difficulties the client is experiencing. Coaching primarily addresses the practical difficulties.
- Addressing the Past vs. The Present: In therapy, the client and therapist may explore the role of past experiences in shaping current beliefs and behaviors, if needed. Coaching tends to emphasize only the present.
- Skill Development: In coaching, clients learn skills they need to reach their work, home, family, and other goals. This may include building routines, creating accountability, decreasing perfectionism, reducing stress, making consistent decisions aligned with their health objectives, improving relationships, and promoting healthy eating, sleep, and stress management habits. In therapy, clients also learn these skills when needed, with an additional emphasis on managing difficult emotions, living in alignment with their values and aspirations, increasing positive mood, and reducing symptoms of mental health conditions.
Choosing the Right Path for You
If you are unsure which approach is right for you, consider the nature of your challenges. If you are struggling with long-standing emotional, relationship, or health challenges that impact your day-to-day functioning, therapy is likely the best option. However, if you are primarily looking for accountability, structure, and skill-building to improve your wellness, a coaching approach may be the better fit. Both therapy and coaching have valuable roles in supporting mental and physical health. Learn more about therapy and wellness coaching at Beck Institute.