Therapy or Coaching? How to Choose

Therapy is for the emotional and psychological side of life: anxiety, low mood, burnout, grief, trauma, and the patterns in relationships that keep repeating. It can address symptoms that affect your sleep, concentration, or sense of worth, and it can look at how your history shapes the way you respond today. Therapy can also be the right place when you are not sure what is wrong, only that something needs attention. You do not need a clear goal to begin; part of the work is discovering what you want.

In therapy, we can explore what lies beneath the difficulty, not only what to do next. Sessions are 50 to 60 minutes and $210, in person in Southwest Austin or by telehealth anywhere in Texas. You can read about individual and group options on Services.

If you are unsure which service fits, these questions may help you notice what you need most right now:

• Is the main difficulty how you feel, or what you want to do next?
• Is distress affecting your sleep, mood, relationships, or ability to function day to day?
• Are you facing a concrete career decision or job search with a clear goal?
• Do older patterns or painful experiences keep surfacing when you try to move forward?
• Would a structured, time-limited plan feel helpful, or do you need space to explore?

A coaching engagement is not a therapy relationship. Coaching does not include clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not the right place to work through trauma, depression, or anxiety. Keeping the two services distinct ensures that each one does what it is meant to do.

If something clinical comes up during coaching, it deserves the care of a therapeutic setting rather than being folded into a career plan. Clear boundaries also keep expectations honest: you know which service you are receiving, what it includes, and what it does not. That clarity protects the integrity of both services, so you can trust that the support you receive is the kind you actually need.

You do not have to figure this out alone before reaching out. The free 15-minute consultation is a good place to describe what you are facing and ask which service may fit. If therapy seems right, we can discuss next steps. If coaching seems like the better match, we can talk about that instead.

Either way, the conversation is private and there is no obligation to continue. You are welcome to come with a half-formed question, a list of concerns, or simply a sense that something needs to change. Part of the consultation is helping you put that into words.

Whichever you choose, the decision is not a verdict about you. It is a practical choice about the kind of support that fits this moment in your life. What you need may shift over time, and that is part of paying honest attention to yourself.