Both addiction coaches and therapists play a role in the recovery process. Both are valuable resources but their roles are very different. Addiction recovery coaches are forward-focused and help clients move through difficulties with goals and objectives in mind. While therapists focus on the past by exploring traumas and bad experiences leading to a better understanding of why certain behaviors exist. Let’s look into the difference more thoroughly.
What’s the Difference?
Generally speaking addiction coaches are focused on moving clients forward and they do not spend much time dredging up the past. While our pasts are important and crucial to understanding behaviors they cannot propel us forward. Coaches will spend sessions unblocking clients and helping to support their aspirations for a different life. They aid with goal setting, accountability, self-care, independence, workshops, education as well as developing coping skills.
Therapists are licensed by the state and their role is to uncover and explore the past with clients. They dive deep into a clients history and help the client to understand why they are the way they are. It can bring a lot of clarity to understand yourself and acknowledge that the past played a part in your development. This many include childhood issues, specific events or trauma, attachment problems, as well as emotional or behavioral issues. You gain insight into yourself by unraveling the past.
Roles of Each for Recovery
Addiction coaches are beneficial for people looking to move forward in their sobriety. People who usually have an idea of what they need or what to focus on. This may include people who are curious about sobriety and what that may entail. It could also be for people who are in a recovery program and looking for more encouragement. It is also for people who have been sober for many years and are looking for accountability and guidance. Additionally, addiction recovery coaches are wonderful assets for the friends and family members of addicts. Those seeking help with the situation and how to manage it.
Even though addiction recovery coaches are forward-focused, they will sometimes need to explore past traumas to better understand what the client needs or how to best serve them. It is normal to process certain events or fears with a coach. The difference is that a coach will never dwell on these past experiences. They will instead, invite the client to take back their power and rewrite the future.
Therapists are often used in conjunction with a recovery program. Therapists help clients to understand themselves better and identify what may have caused or contributed to their addiction. 53% of people who abuse drugs also have a mental health disorder. Sometimes the mental health disorder comes first and other times it is caused by drug usage. Working with a therapist can help address this and offer the client a space to process their emotional health.
Therapists can focus on an array of issues including family, relationships, stress, self-esteem, phobias, depression, addictions and much more. They often offer different techniques to manage mental health disorders and coping skills for everyday events or triggers. The objective of therapists is to address suppressed emotions and develop strategies for particular illnesses.
How to Choose
The truth is that you may not need to choose. There is no reason why a person cannot work with both a therapist and an addiction recovery coach. Both focus on different aspects of the healing process and both offer fantastic support and resources. However, if you could only choose one, if you are ready to move forward but need some assistance, a coach is the way to go. If you need to heal from past experiences or manage mental health than a therapist is the way to go.
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