Trauma-informed coaching and counseling are both approaches that acknowledge the potential impact of trauma on an individual’s life and seek to create a safe and supportive environment for clients. While both may involve similar principles like building resilience, empowerment, and strengths-based approaches, there are key differences in their scope and purpose.
A trauma-informed coach is a practitioner who is aware (informed) of the complex impact that trauma can have on your life.
Adopting trauma informed practices is a newer standard of operating within many “helping professions.” Specialty Trauma Informed trainings and certifications are now available to teachers, nurses, police officers, corrections officers, social workers, yoga instructors, caregivers, health coaches, medical professionals, and many more. Being trauma informed simply allows professionals to recognize the prevalence of personal trauma in the histories and lives of the people they serve.
WHAT I DO AS A TRAUMA INFORMED COACH
- Trauma Informed Coaches anchor their work in the present, not the past.
- They focus on the client’s current life and how trauma is affecting them today.
- Their aim is to utilize coaching strategies to help their client build up their strengths, healthy beliefs, and positive coping strategies rather than just extinguishing “negative” behaviors and beliefs.
- Coaches serve as guides, mentors, and support. They may provide education about trauma and recovery, or set recovery goals, but they always operate in a client led manner.
WHAT I DO NOT DO AS A COACH
- Coaches do not prescribe or give advice about medication.
- Coaches do not treat, diagnose, or assess their client’s mental health.
- Coaches do not work outside their scope of competence – coaches do not work with clients who are at risk of self harm or harming others.
Professional coaching services are not intended to replace traditional psychological or psychiatric services, medical care or therapy. I function as a Certified Master Holistic & Integrative Mental Wellness Coach & Counselor, operating under the auspices of the Contemplative Order of Compassion, a registered non-profit foundation for the public good. The work of the Inner Alchemy Mental Resilience (Organic Mindfulness) program is based on my seven year journey studying the breakthrough research into the fields of Positive Intelligence®, NLP®, Clinical EFT and other modalities.