Hi! I was recently thinking about the comparison people make between therapists and life coaches, which is needless, but I can see why folks would bridge these two modalities in their minds and pit them against one another. I’ve talked before regarding people requiring a support system that can include therapists, psychiatrists, you know, holistic practitioners, healers, life coaches, family and friends. etc, right? And we don't really have to feel like folks must engage in one particular way of transforming their life.
Today, I also thought about how instead of like constantly, and I engage in this myself, where I'm like, defending life coaching, defending myself as a life coach, explaining my credentials, because a lot of you are still very much bought into the idea that regulatory bodies that exist in our society, like do well by people, which they don't, right and the psychiatric and the psychological industrial complexes are really harmful and that's not what this vlog is about.
This vlog is about how life coaching is unique. So one of the things that I don't think therapists can do and I've had many and I love my therapist, and she loves that I'm a life coach... So one of the things that therapists can't do is really bring their whole self into session. My therapist is excellent at you know, listening to me, helping me make sense of my life, but there's not much about her that she shares and I think that's part of their, you know, therapeutic code of ethics or whatever, right? Like, she's not in the room. I'm in the room and she's my provider and there's a specific power differential there.
As a life coach, as a peer support, as a patient advocate, I bring myself into the into the session with my clients, and of course, it really depends on what I'm trying to achieve. In sharing my story, my story of motherhood, my story of disability, my story of refugee experience, my story of anxiety, depression, my story of navigating healthcare, you know, like, I don't know, graduate school, writing a book or whatever, it really works for a lot of people, not necessarily because they are autistic, and I'm autistic and that's how it works.
But because people need people who are mirrors and we often talk about people as triggers and, you know, karmic ties and twin flames and whatever, right like in the woowoo side of things, but a lot of people need somebody's story, you know, so like storytelling as knowledge production, storytelling as fact, storytelling as a way of triangulating your own personal truth.
So it's not to say do as I do, but to say, listen to what I did, and then let me know what you want to do. And then let's also look at a bunch of resources. Let's look at a bunch of articles. Let's see what other providers are saying. Let's circle back to you. And you as the agent, like the agential person in your life, the center, right? You, the sun of your solar system, get to decide with discernment, and with compassion, self-compassion, especially what your next step will be.
I think another benefit of life coaching if you do it this way, where I see my clients as peers, and as ones, you know, where like it's kind of reciprocal, a lot of the interactions in any case, one of the benefits of that is that I want them to feel capable, I want them to feel assured I want them to feel confident I want them to feel in charge.
I can see that person, as I was telling a client today, and then I can see their current version and their past selves. And I'm trying to bring them together so that they can realize their highest self as fast as possible. And I'm here as a guide for just this small portion of their life. I think it's kind of incredible. It's an honor, right?
I always get so cheesy about this work, or about being a professor or about parenting, whatever, like, what an honor right to see you at some of your worst to see where you can you can help and to and to be a small part of that and to help you like come into your power. So I love when I share my life with my clients and they know that I'm their biggest cheerleader. They know that I wouldn't be mentioning something that isn't pertinent and so they are helped by hearing someone else's story. It might be the only time someone’s said it’s ok for them to go through what they are going through and that’s a gift.
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