From Therapist to Coach- never going back again.

I started my private practice as a psychotherapist. Looking back I can see that | took that route because I wanted a reputable qualification to provide credibility.  I wanted a title that would demonstrate to clients that I was credible and trustworthy.  Here's what I discovered.  While I had a credible "title", and build a successful practice, I was constantly limited by conventional paradigm of counselling psychology and I was often questioning my own authenticity-- I knew I could provide more for these people.  In the field of psychology, symptoms are grouped together and so are treatments. It is a very useful approach for many people and in my professional opinion there are limitations. While of course therapists are generally committed to customizing their treatment plans to the client, they may be looking through a narrow lens. E.g. Jenny has symptoms of anxiety.  I will choose from these various treatments of anxiety.  But what gets missed is the whole of the person.  The individual, who has a body, mind and spirit. Plus therapists are a part of a regulating body that ensures that their treatments are within a pool of approaches.  These are highly tested approaches but again, potentially limiting.

I should mention that at the time, I separately offered Reiki and Inuitive Healing treatments- but never to the same clients. I had my counselling clients and my Reiki clients. Keeping the two separate drove me nuts. I had so much to offer both my counselling clients and Reiki clients and yet because I kept my services in these two boxes, my clients were only ever exposed to what they signed up for.  I thought I'd created a mind-body practice.  I had actually created a counselling practice and a Reiki practice- totally different and totally NOT my vision.  What I really wanted to was to great a practice that empowered women from the perspective on mind-body-spirit. 

Then for the last 4 years I trained myself as a transformational coach and from that, I made a profound discovery. There is no version of me or my business that will reach EVERYONE; I'll never be satisfied trying to fit my self-expression into a conventional box. On the other hand, if I am unapologetic about MY TRUTH, then I can empower others to be THEIR TRUTH.  And that can't come in a box.  I am an expert in causing people to create lives they love and to love the life they live.  I'm no longer willing to simmer in the limitations of therapy and counselling, and I'm no longer willing to treat clients any other way but individually.  As a coach I have the freedom to customize my sessions to meet the needs of the client, without the parameters of psychological terminology. 

I also have a coach.  I have a couple coaches actually! Anything that's really important to me, I make sure I have a coach to empower and enable me to reach beyond what's predictable.  

Do what's right for you.  Find your match in whatever way make THE difference for you.

Michelle Bacso