How do I know if I need a therapist or a coach?

I've been feeling depressed lately, partly because I'm overwhelmed at work, but mainly because I have a lot going on in my home life. My negative mental state has started to affect my organizational skills and my job performance and I'm worried that my boss will start to notice. I need help, but I'm not sure who the right professional for me is.

You're not alone in feeling overwhelmed from trying to manage both your work and home life - and kudos to you for wanting to take the next step in finding the right support by asking good questions.

There are some similarities between therapists and EF coaches but both professionals focus on different aspects of your life. Executive function coaching builds self-management skills and teaches you strategies to achieve both work-related and personal goals. Instead of focusing on mental health improvement, our WorkSmart Coaches focus on action, application, and reflection. Our coaches specialize in objectives such as helping you find systems of staying organized and helping you define and achieve your goals, which seem like a good fit for some of your challenges - but not all of them.

In contrast to executive function coaching, therapy is typically centered around your mental health improvement and emphasizes coping with the past and present. Therapy can help you to build your self-awareness, enhance your overall well-being, and improve your ability to examine your feelings and behaviors.

It's always best to start at the beginning, so it may be useful to first contact a therapist to address your feelings of depression. We find that when mental health challenges are not addressed, it's hard for coaching to gain traction. In other words, untreated depression can make it tough for you to have the energy and focus you need to effectively implement new tools and approaches you'd learn in coaching.

So, first things first. Please reach out to a therapist today and we'll be here when you're ready for coaching!