What is mental health couseling ?
"Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change"
—Wayne Dyer
Life coaching and mental health counseling objectives overlap as they are both “helping professions “they aim at helping individuals find their purpose and live a meaningful/healthy life”. However, a mental health counselor is a qualified professional who is specialized in diagnosing people with mental health illness and offering them strategies to cope with emotional issues and painful experiences through therapy.
As a counselor I will help you overcome psychological problems such as depression and anxiety through different types of treatments e.g. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Talk Therapy, Humanistic Therapy, Acceptance and commitment Therapy, Neuro-Linguistic programming, and Interpersonal therapy.
Differences between life coaching and mental health counseling.
Coaching
- Coaching focuses on the “NOW” and the “Future” to help you achieve your goals.
- Coaching motivates you to take action toward achieving your goals and dreams
- A life coach and client relationship is less structured and are more collegial in nature.
- A life coach helps you identify & overcome your limiting beliefs.
Counseling
- Counseling focuses more on the past and looks for solutions to emotional concerns.
- A counselor diagnoses the patient and resolves problematic beliefs, behaviors, relationships, etc.
- A counselor works on changing a person’s self-destructive habits and works through painful feelings.
- A counselor helps you create a safe and supportive space for you to explore who you are and what you want in life.
Why is it important to care for your mental health
Your mental health impacts how you feel and behave each day. Being healthy emotionally can promote productivity and effectiveness in your personal and professional life “40 million adults a year experience mental health issues in the United States of America”. That is 1 in 5 Americans according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI).
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Mental health illness is much more common than you think. We need to be mentally stable & healthy to live a balanced life and make good decisions. If you leave yourself untreated, things will get worse over time and impact your overall well being including the people around you.
