Mental Health Coaching vs. Therapy: What’s the Difference?
By Jenny Peters, VP of Clinical Operations at FamilyWell with experience supporting families as an educator, postpartum doula, and Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach.
Coaching vs. therapy—what’s the difference? This is one of the most frequent questions we hear from potential participants of our Perinatal Behavioral Health Certification Program.
We’re glad to hear it, because it’s an important question. There are some major differences! First and foremost, we want you to know that we deeply believe that the future of mental health includes both therapy AND coaching. This is why, as the field of mental health coaching expands, it’s crucial that we provide education on scope of practice, the unique benefits of coaching and therapy, and how coaches and therapists can collaborate for the greatest impact.
While both aim to enhance mental wellbeing, their approaches, methods, and focuses are distinct. If you’re passionate about tackling the maternal mental health crisis and are considering a career in this field, understanding these differences can guide you in choosing the right path.
Moreover, our certification program offers you the opportunity to become a specialized Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach, equipping you with the knowledge and practical skills to make a real impact. Here’s what you need to know about coaching vs. therapy and how becoming a coach can allow you to make a real difference in the lives of new and expecting parents.
Coaches vs. Therapists: Defining Each Role
While professionals in these two roles both play a critical role in emotionally supporting individuals — and in the case of a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach, new parents in particular — there are some significant differences. Let’s start by clearly defining both of these roles.
Therapists
Therapists bring extensive training and expertise in diagnosing and treating mental health disorders. They can delve into deep-seated issues, past traumas, and complex emotional challenges that new and expecting parents may face.
Their ability to provide evidence-based treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic therapy, makes them essential for addressing severe mental health conditions and underlying psychological issues.
Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches
At FamilyWell, we refer to our mental health coaches as Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches, because they are all certified in Perinatal Behavioral Health. Coaches focus on helping parents manage current challenges and work towards future goals.
They use practical strategies, such as grounding techniques, coping mechanisms, and action planning, to provide immediate relief and support. Coaches also offer education on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), help parents create support plans, employ motivational interviewing, and excel at providing validation and empathy, often through shared experiences.
This forward-focused approach can complement the deeper therapeutic work done by therapists or stand alone for those experiencing more mild symptoms.
Perinatal Mental Health Coaching: Scope of Practice
Most people know what therapy is: but what is mental health coaching? More specifically, how does this apply to new and expecting parents? Perinatal mental health coaches aim to equip growing families with a comprehensive and effective support system so that they can thrive in pregnancy and through the first year postpartum.
Coaches themselves are a core part of this support system, and can also help parents find a network of accessible providers to support their individual needs, whether that be a pelvic floor physical therapist, a lactation consultant, or a trusted pediatrician.
As a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach, you can provide a range of mental health services tailored to the challenges of parenthood. Some examples that are within your scope of practice, include:
Emotional Check-Ins: Coaches may offer 1:1 support sessions to regularly monitor wellbeing and address emerging concerns. This ensures personalized and ongoing care that adapts to the changing needs of your clients.
Navigating Emotions: As a coach, you can create a safe space for your clients to share their struggles and process the confusing emotions that often accompany pregnancy and childbirth. Your role is to validate and support them as they find their footing during these significant life changes.
Leveraging Practical Tools: You’ll use grounding techniques, coping strategies, and action planning to help a client manage stress, anxiety, and other emotional challenges. Practical tools grounded in an empathy-first approach are critical to their wellbeing.
Providing Mental Health Screenings & Education: As a mental health coach, you can’t diagnose, but you can use validated screening tools to identify clients who are at risk for perinatal mental health conditions, such as postpartum depression or anxiety. You can also educate your clients and their families about perinatal mental health conditions so that they can recognize warning signs and get any additional support they need.
Recommending Referrals: Providing referrals to licensed therapists if support needs exceed your scope of practice for coaching is critical. This ensures that your clients receive the appropriate level of care whenever necessary.
Beyond the Scope of a Mental Health Coach
While mental health coaches provide invaluable support, there are specific areas that are beyond their scope of practice. It’s essential to understand these limitations to ensure clients receive the appropriate care. The following are out of scope for a coach:
Medication Management or Recommendations: Coaches do not advise on or manage medications.
Severe Mental Illness (SMI) or Primary Psychotic Disorders: Conditions such as psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, major depression with psychotic symptoms or treatment-resistant depression, and personality disorders should be managed by licensed therapists or psychiatrists.
Intensive Outpatient or Inpatient Programs: Individuals currently in intensive outpatient programs, partial, or full inpatient psychiatric care for mental health conditions or substance use disorders need specialized treatment beyond coaching.
High Risk for Suicide: Clients at high risk for suicide require immediate and specialized care from licensed mental health professionals.
Diagnosis: Coaches do not diagnose any conditions.
If you encounter a client whose needs fall outside of these boundaries, providing a referral to a licensed therapist is critical to ensure they receive the appropriate level of care.
Providing Coaching vs. Therapy: Specific Differences
Now that it’s clearer how both of these roles can support new and expecting parents with mental health, let’s dig into some major differences between the two. Here’s an overview of the differences between therapists and Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches.
Qualifications and Training
Therapists
Therapists, also known as counselors or psychotherapists, are trained professionals holding advanced degrees in psychology, counseling, social work, or related fields. Their extensive education involves years of rigorous training, including supervised clinical hours and passing licensing exams.
Therapists are trained to diagnose and treat mental health disorders, conduct psychotherapy, and use evidence-based treatment methods.
Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches
Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches come from diverse educational backgrounds and receive specialized training to support new and expecting parents through emotional challenges during pregnancy, postpartum, and perinatal loss. Unlike therapists, coaches do not diagnose or treat mental health disorders. Instead, they focus on current challenges and how to move forward to feel better in the near term.
Our certification program trains you to become a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach, providing specialized knowledge to support parents with anxiety, depression, overwhelm, loss, birth trauma, NICU stays, adjustment to parenthood, relationship dynamics, guilt, shame, and the transition back to work.
Many coaches also have lived experience in these areas, adding a powerful layer of empathy and understanding to their practice.
Scope of Practice
Therapists
Therapists are qualified to diagnose and treat a wide range of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and more. They employ therapeutic modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and psychodynamic therapy, tailoring their approach to the client's specific needs. Therapy often involves exploring deep-seated issues and past traumas to understand and alleviate current distress.
Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches
Coaches focus on helping individuals achieve specific goals, manage stress, and improve overall well being. They are behavior and motivation experts, meaning their approach is more forward-focused, emphasizing the present and future rather than delving into past traumas.
As a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach, you can help clients identify their goals, develop actionable plans, and maintain accountability. Importantly, you will not diagnose or provide medical advice but will use grounding techniques, coping strategies, validation, and shared experiences to help clients feel better and thrive in this new life season.
Methods and Techniques
Therapists
The therapeutic process involves exploring clients' past experiences, relationships, and emotional responses to address current issues. Techniques may include talk therapy, cognitive restructuring, and exposure therapy, depending on the client’s needs. Therapy can be short-term or long-term, based on the complexity of the issues being addressed.
Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches
Coaches utilize techniques like goal-setting, action planning, and accountability tracking. Our certification program equips you with practical skills to support clients in identifying challenges, setting measurable goals, and developing strategies to achieve them. You’ll incorporate elements of positive psychology, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing to foster lasting change.
You will also create support plans with actionable strategies to help individuals improve how they are feeling and provide education on perinatal mental health conditions (e.g., postpartum depression, anxiety, etc.).
Relationship with Clients
Therapists
The therapist-client relationship is formal and bound by ethical guidelines and confidentiality laws. Therapists maintain professional distance to provide objective, unbiased support. The relationship is built on trust and safety, allowing clients to explore sensitive and personal issues deeply.
Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches
The coach-client relationship is collaborative and often more informal. Coaches act as partners and cheerleaders, working alongside clients to achieve their goals. While confidentiality is respected, the dynamic is generally more flexible and less clinical. As a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach, you’ll empower clients to take charge of their lives and make proactive changes.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
Therapists
Therapists are bound by stringent ethical codes and legal regulations. They must adhere to laws regarding confidentiality, mandatory reporting, and professional conduct. Continuing education is required to maintain licenses and stay current with best practices.
Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches
Coaches follow ethical guidelines, but these are less regulated compared to therapists. There is no universally recognized regulatory body for coaching, leading to varying ethical standards. Our certification program ensures you understand your scope of practice and adhere to high ethical standards while supporting new and expecting parents.
Coaches and Therapists: A Seamless Continuum of Care
Magic often happens when coaches and therapists find ways to work together, offering parents a holistic and more comprehensive mental health support system. This also creates a seamless continuum of care, leading to better health outcomes. Here’s how this coordinated care can benefit new and expecting parents.
Initial Assessment and Referral: Coaches can implement initial and ongoing screenings in their practice to identify when a parent’s mental health needs exceed the scope of coaching and refer them to a therapist for further evaluation and treatment. This ensures that parents receive the appropriate level of care without delay.
Collaborative Support Plans: Therapists and coaches can collaborate on support plans, ensuring that both immediate practical needs and deeper psychological issues are addressed. For example, while a therapist works with a parent on processing trauma, a coach can help the same client implement daily coping strategies and manage stress.
Prevent Gaps in Care: Maintaining open lines of communication between coaches and therapists ensures that both professionals are aware of the client's progress and any emerging concerns. This coordinated approach helps prevent gaps in care and provides a unified support system for the parent.
Case Examples
Let’s put this all together to better understand how both of these roles play a part in the care of new parents.
Case Example 1:
A new mother experiencing postpartum depression might initially work with a therapist to diagnose her symptoms and identify underlying issues. Once stabilized, she can work with a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach to develop and implement a daily routine that includes self-care, stress management, and gradual return to work. A coach can also implement mental health screenings to determine if care needs to be escalated back to a therapist or other medical professional.
Case Example 2:
An expecting mother dealing with anxiety about becoming a parent might benefit from both therapy and coaching. The therapist can help her explore and process fears tied to past trauma, while the coach provides practical tools and strategies to manage anxiety, and ultimately helps this new mom build confidence in her new role.
Why Become a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach?
If you are passionate about helping new and expecting parents thrive, our Perinatal Behavioral Health Certification Program can equip you to make a meaningful impact. Here’s why you should consider enrolling:
Specialized Knowledge: Gain expertise in perinatal mental health, learning how to support new and expecting parents through their unique emotional challenges.
Comprehensive Training: Our program offers a blend of online modules and live virtual mentorship sessions, providing flexibility and hands-on experience.
Professional Growth: Enhance your credibility and career opportunities with a recognized certification.
Community Impact: Make a profound difference in the lives of parents and families, contributing to better mental health outcomes for future generations.
Empathetic and Evidence-Based Support: Our program emphasizes empathetic, compassionate, and evidence-based support. You’ll use your lived experiences to drive your coaching practice, ensuring your clients receive the best care possible.
Learn more about what it means to be a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach:
A Day in the Life of a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach: Cierra Murphy-Higgs
A Day in the Life of a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach: Danielle McClellan
How Perinatal Behavioral Health Coaches Change the Lives of New and Expecting Parents
Take the Next Step
Are you ready to embark on a career as a Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach? Or expand your current offerings to include specialized mental health support? Sign up for our certification program today.
