Counseling (Therapy) and Coaching

The staff at Evaluation and Education Services provide two types of services, Therapy and Coaching.

Therapy is an open-ended process in which you and your therapist work together to address one – or more – issues in your life. Those issues can be general, such as “I feel bad about myself” or “I’d like to get over this trauma”, or specific, such as “I’d like to have better boundaries” or “I need better coping skills for my [disorder].” During therapy, you and your therapist will likely identify and address the history of that problem while also identifying your strengths, finding ways of reducing the problem’s impact on your day-to-day life, and setting you up for future success. Therapists are trained to work with individuals who have a significant history of suicidal thoughts, homicidal thoughts hallucinations, or are identified as chronically mentally ill (and these individuals should seek therapy, not coaching). The therapeutic process can be completed in a few months but could also take a few years. Therapy comes in a variety of different forms (individual, couples, family, group) and there is a broad range of therapeutic approaches and modalities (e.g., CBT/DBT, EMDR, psychoanalytic, parts work, etc.).

To become a therapist, an individual must obtain formal, regulated training that includes a curriculum that is monitored by regulatory boards, pass a licensure test, and routinely attend continuing education (CE courses). This training allows therapists of all types to diagnose, evaluate, and treat mental health disorders. Therapists must adhere to the boundaries established by their license and their professional ethical codes, including rules about confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA), record keeping, and general professional conduct. This level of training and oversight allows therapists to write formal letters to a client’s school (to obtain accommodations), a human resources department (to support an FMLA request), and to a court (to provide an official report of treatment). Our North Carolina issued licenses only allow us to provide services within the state of North Carolina (although some professional organizations are developing mechanisms to facilitate treatment across state lines).

Coaching is a relatively short-term, closed-ended process in which you and your coach work together to address a single, specific problem, such as “I need to make a decision about [X]” or “I need someone to help me through this transition.”  Coaching typically requires 3-6 months, and sometimes less. While meeting with your coach, you’ll focus primarily on identifying strengths you already have in order to develop skills you need. There will be very little – and possibly no – discussion of your past and no work to heal past wounds. Coaches typically identify themselves by the types of problems they address (e.g., life coach, executive coach, etc.). Almost every aspect of coaching, especially those related to relationships between people, can be provided by a therapist.

To become a coach, no training is required, but training programs and certifications exist. There are no regulatory boards, no license, and no requirements for continuing education. Nor are there professional ethical codes, confidentiality rules, or record keeping requirements, at least not at the end of 2025. Because the coaches at Evaluation and Education Services are all licensed therapists, we apply many of the same professional standards required for therapy to our coaching practice but not, for example, the record keeping requirements. Because coaches do not have the power to provide or treat a diagnosis, coaching services are not covered by health insurance. We provide coaching services to anyone currently in the United States.

Can I switch between Coaching and Therapy/Counseling? As a general rule, we do not allow clients to switch between services, although during the first or second meeting we might recommend a switch so we can better serve you. If your coach thinks you should see a therapist, they’ll recommend you do so and they might refer you to another provider.