FAQs about Coaching & Counseling in Federal Way, WA
Ready to start counseling in Federal Way but not sure who to contact? Below is some guidance on what the different types of professionals and forms of mental health support can do for you.
What is counseling?
Mental health counseling is a process where a licensed professional therapist supports you in meeting mental and emotional goals. Counseling tends to be a consistent weekly process where talk therapy and other support tools are used to help you heal from trauma, learn communication tools, explore relationships, and gain a better sense of self. Counseling looks different depending on each therapists’ specialties and trainings. Some providers like traditional talk therapy, others include art or dance in their practice, and others will use breathing and mindful techniques. This is important to know when you’re seeking support so you can find the right fit for your specific needs.
Is there a difference between counseling and therapy?
Depends on who you ask! I use “counseling” and “therapy” interchangeably when describing my type of work. However, there may be a difference depending on what type of support is being offered. Counseling can often be associated with shorter-term support, focused on one specific issue, and may focus more on daily functioning rather than past or future needs. Therapy may be associated with more clinical work, like diagnosing, and it’s believed to be longer-term. Therapy may explore historical relevance to the presenting problem, meaning it looks at childhood and past traumas. Again, my experience in the field has not been that people differentiate these terms too much. My work includes a mix of the above characteristics so while I most often refer to myself as a “therapist doing therapy,” I also engage with clients in specific issues, daily functioning, and can provide shorter-term support.
What is coaching?
Life coaching gets a bad rep in the therapy field and is often highly criticized. But, coaching can be super helpful depending on your needs. I’ll explain using an example of how I processed business needs differently with a coach and a therapist. When I invested in a business coach, they helped me with the day-to-day operations, website and marketing tips, and financial planning. When I processed my business decisions with a therapist, we discussed messages I internalized around money, how people-pleasing prevents me from taking care of my business needs, and how the pressure of success impacts my burnout and anxiety. So you can see how both support options are helpful, it just depends on how deep you’re needing to process. A life coach is a great option for short-term support that fixes an immediate issue. Some coaches may include deeper mindset and self-worth processing in their form of coaching. If this is important to you, I encourage you to ask more about this when exploring coaching support.
One thing to note is that coaching is not very regulated. This field doesn’t require an education degree and doesn’t have legal requirements around confidentiality and record keeping. They do have their own form of ethics, but I’m not certain there’s an ethical board to hold them accountable as there is in therapy and counseling. This may not matter to you, but it’s worth noting when you’re deciding on support.
How do I know which service is best for me?
This can be best answered by speaking with therapists and coaches. For both services, the connection to whoever you work with is the most important part. Their education or specialty is the next important part. Both services can be beneficial - I highly recommend taking time to schedule consults with both and let them tell you whether their expertise is helpful or not. My advice is if you’re seeking help for anything trauma, abuse, or mental health diagnosis related, look for more clinical support from a therapist. If you are looking for support with less clinical or traumatic issues, then coaching or therapy could be helpful.
Wait, what’s the difference between LMHC, LMFT, and LCSW?
LMHC: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LPC is the same thing just different letters depending on your state)
LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker
The difference is typically based on their training. All clinicians with these credentials, who are licensed, can provide counseling. The most simplistic way to explain the difference is…LMHC’s work with individuals, LMFT’s work with couples and families, LCSW’s work within systems. Now there’s always exceptions to this as any of those providers can practice with individuals, couples, families, and systems. It’s just that typically, their training is more geared toward one of those specific groups.
Do psychiatrists and psychologists offer therapy?
They can both provide therapy, but have different training than a licensed therapist. Psychiatrists are medical professionals who often focus on treating mental health symptoms with medication. Psychologists have a PhD and often work within the field of research, but can work with mental health symptoms and disorders. Therapists tend to have a more holistic approach and can support clients through non-clinical related issues, while psychiatrists and psychologists are less likely to do the same.
In Summary…
Do some research on the various professionals who offer mental and emotional support. Set up a few phone consultations and ask a lot of questions. You’ll know who can support you best once you start connecting with people.
Looking for counseling in Federal Way? Work with Katie, a licensed mental health counselor who offers traditional talk therapy with a focus on attachment, feminist theory, and mindfulness.
Be Well,
Katie
Related articles: Find a Federal Way Therapist
Quality Counseling in Federal Way, WA and Online Therapy in Washington State
At Rainy Day Therapy, Katie offers the best counseling in Federal Way, WA within her scope of expertise! Katie is trained in attachment theory, feminist therapy, solution-focused therapy, mindfulness, ADHD, communication and boundaries, relationship needs, identity building, and disordered eating & body acceptance. Katie works best with women, queer identities, plus size folks, non-binary and gender fluid individuals, and highly sensitive people. Rainy Day Therapy provides counseling in Federal Way, WA and online therapy in Washington state. Interested in working with Katie? Book a free 15min consult here.
Have questions about counseling in Federal Way? Check out the FAQ page for more info.