Mental health coaches are filling a growing need as appointments with mental health professionals, especially in mental healthcare deserts, are increasingly hard to find. But it’s important to note that mental health coaches are not therapists, and there are many differences between the two roles. 

Let’s explore the differences between mental health coaches and therapists, why a person might choose one over the other, how these two mental health disciplines can work together, and the Headspace approach to mental health coaching.

What is mental health coaching?

Mental health coaching is action-oriented and designed to help individuals address common life challenges — from stress management to healthy sleep routines to effective communication. Unlike traditional therapists, mental health coaches focus on the present and future, helping individuals set and achieve their goals. 

Rather than digging into why a challenge has occurred in one’s life, a mental health coach focuses on the more immediate need to create a strategic action plan to move forward. While they aren’t therapists, mental health coaches do often use the techniques and principles of traditional therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy.  

According to the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC): “Coaches support clients in mobilizing internal strengths and external resources, and in developing self-management strategies for making sustainable, healthy lifestyle and behavior changes.”

How is mental health coaching different from therapy?

Mental health coaches focus on their patients’ emotional health and wellness, typically addressing challenges like burnout, stress, and life changes. On the other hand, therapists — who can range from licensed therapists to psychologists to psychiatrists — tend to treat more complex psychological disorders like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or suicidal thoughts. 

In addition to engaging in talk therapy, many therapists are licensed to prescribe medications — which mental health coaches are not permitted to do — to help their patients.

How can coaching and therapy work together?

Overall, stress and anxiety, especially that related to work, appear to be on the rise. Headspace’s 2024 Workforce State of Mind report found that 77% of employees say that work stress has negatively impacted their physical health and 71% say that work stress has caused a personal relationship to end. 

Coupled with this rise in mental health challenges is a lack of mental health professionals available to address these issues. Mental health coaches are filling this gap. 

Seeking out mental health coaching is often the first step an individual takes when beginning to address their mental health challenges. One size doesn’t fit all, and when working with a mental health coach, individuals and their coaches may decide that their issues require a therapist who has the training to address more complex challenges, such as bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses that may require prescriptions or a deeper level of care.

Mental health coaching and therapy are not mutually exclusive. The Headspace approach to coaching and therapy allows members to get access to the right level of care when they need it. A person working with a therapist may eventually find that mental health coaching is the right fit to address their ongoing emotional health and wellness, and a person working with a mental health coach could realize that they’d like to connect with a therapist to discuss more acute challenges.

Headspace’s approach to mental health coaching

Mental health coaches are a central piece of Headspace’s care model. At Headspace, our experience indicates that clinical care is most effective when paired with coaching. Our coaches are trained to escalate members into therapy or psychiatry when a higher level of care is needed, while also providing ongoing support between those appointments. For example, a member working with a therapist and coach may make faster progress than if they were to work with a therapist alone, saving time and money while driving better member outcomes.

Mental health coaching’s effectiveness — by text

Mental health coaching doesn’t need to be face-to-face to work. In fact, there’s growing evidence that text-based coaching has similar effectiveness to traditional, in-person care, and may even offer additional benefits in convenience and reducing stigma.

Headspace’s chat-based model adds a layer of privacy for our members, so they can chat with their coach day or night and in any setting. In addition, a chat-based approach helps meet member preferences, particularly for those who may not feel comfortable with video-based or in-person support.

Headspace’s data shows that mental health coaching has positive impact on our members:

• 85% of Headspace members engaged in coaching and/or clinical care experienced improvement in depression symptoms after six to 16 weeks.
• 83% of Headspace members engaged in coaching and/or clinical care experienced improvement in anxiety symptoms in the same timeframe.

See if Headspace’s approach to mental health coaching might be right for your business.

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