You may be wondering: Should I join Bridget’s coaching program or sign up for therapy?
This is an important question, so let’s explore it together.
Coaching and therapy both support personal growth and healing, but they differ in key ways. While I wish some of these boundaries could be softened, similar to systemic change, that won’t happen overnight. So, for now, we navigate within the existing frameworks. I also value oversight in healing spaces, as many of us—including myself—have encountered less-than-ethical practitioners.
What is Coaching?
Coaching focuses on helping individuals or groups achieve specific personal or professional goals. As a coach, I emphasize community, collective engagement, and systemic change. A major aspect of my approach involves dismantling white supremacist thinking and fostering inclusive spaces.
Coaching is typically forward-focused, emphasizing action plans, skill development, and goal-setting. While it may resemble therapy in some ways, my coaching practice involves more direct instruction than my therapy work. (Concepts adapted from The Knowledge Academy.)
Coaching is an unregulated field with no governing body or licensing board. In some ways I see the possibility of many folks being able to jump in and offer services. I like the barrier to a Master’s degree and the astronomical tuition being unnecessary. Additionally, insurance does not cover coaching, and you cannot use your HSA/FSA to pay for it.
What is Therapy?
Therapists use diagnostic codes for insurance reimbursement and work with clients experiencing mental health disorders—though I prefer to frame them as mental health challenges. In therapy, we also acknowledge how systems of oppression impact mental health.
Unlike coaching, therapists operate within a regulated profession, adhering to ethical guidelines set by licensing boards. Therapists typically share less of their personal opinions and life experiences, focusing instead on clinically informed interventions.
My Practice and Boundaries
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), I can only provide therapy to clients in California, though I may reside elsewhere within the U.S. To expand my impact, I’ve relaunched my coaching practice, which is open to a broader audience.
Important distinctions:
I do not work with current therapy clients in my coaching practice.
If you join my coaching program, you cannot transition to therapy with me later.
We will discuss these policies further during intake.
Next Steps
If you’re interested in coaching, I invite you to sign up for a free 30-minute session. Feel free to share this post with others who might benefit from this work. If you are interested in therapy with me, I have available time slots for adults in the morning and early afternoon.
Warmly,
Bridget Bertrand (she/her)
Expressive Arts Facilitator and Coach
Work phone (text okay): 650-539-4325
I work and offer land tax to the Muwekma, Ohlone, and Ramaytush peoples. Learn whose land you are on and consider contributing: Native Land