The profound impact a grief coach can have on someone navigating the murky waters of loss is truly something to be acknowledged. You see, grief isn’t just a phase; it’s a deeply personal journey that can feel incredibly lonely and overwhelming. This could stem from losing a loved one, undergoing a major life transition, or even the end of a significant relationship. Amidst this turmoil, many are finding solace and direction in the guidance of a grief coach.
What is Grief Coaching?
Grief coaching is distinct from traditional therapy in that a grief coach focuses on guiding individuals through their grief without diagnosing mental health issues or unpacking past traumas. Their aim is to equip you with strategies, a compassionate listening ear, and the tools necessary to find your way back to a sense of normalcy and purpose after a loss. Think of your grief coach as a griefy b.f.f. who has the tools that you need to bounce forward from your life-altering, grief-induced pain.
Grief coaches offer support in various formats, such as one-on-one sessions, groups, or workshops. Their main goal is to help grivers process their emotions, establish new objectives, and master skills to manage their grief effectively. They tend to concentrate on the here and now and what lies ahead, empowering their clients to rebuild their lives post-loss.
The Difference Between a Grief Coach and a Grief Therapist or Counselor
While both grief coaches and therapists play important roles in supporting those dealing with loss, there are several key differences between the two approaches. Understanding these distinctions can help you choose the right kind of support for your needs.
1. Focus of the Approach
- Grief Coaches: The approach taken by grief coaches is often action-oriented, future-focused, and holistic. Grief coaching centers on providing tools and strategies to help you to navigate your grief in a healthy and constructive way. Rather than dwelling on the past, coaches help grievers strengthen their resilience muscles, set new goals, and take concrete steps to move forward with their lives.
- Grief Therapists or Counselors: Traditional therapists, on the other hand, often focus on exploring and processing past traumas, emotional wounds, and mental health conditions. Their work is typically more introspective, guiding clients through understanding the root causes of their pain, depression, or anxiety. Therapy may involve diagnosing and treating specific mental health issues, such as depression or PTSD, that can be exacerbated by grief.
2. Scope of Practice
- Grief Coaches: Grief coaches do not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. Instead, they provide support and guidance to help you work through your grief and begin to rebuild your lives. This means a coach might help you create new routines, establish healthy coping mechanisms, or find ways to honour and remember your loved ones without being overwhelmed by your emotions. Coaches offer a supportive, empathetic ear but are not equipped to provide clinical treatment for mental health disorders.
- Grief Therapists or Counselors: Therapists and counsellors are trained and licensed mental health professionals who can diagnose and treat conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. They use evidence-based therapeutic techniques, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or talk therapy, to help clients understand their emotions and develop coping strategies. Therapy sessions may delve deeply into past experiences and unresolved issues that contribute to a person’s grief and overall mental well-being.
3. Duration and Structure of Support
- Grief Coaches: Coaching relationships can be more flexible and adaptable. Some people may only need a few sessions with a coach to get back on track, while others might benefit from ongoing support for several months. Coaches will provide a structured plan for you, setting specific goals and action steps to help you navigate yout grief journey. Sessions with a grief coach may be less formal, and you will often feel a sense of partnership and collaboration as you work through your loss. Sometimes additional support is offered between sessions via email, phone or text.
- Grief Therapists or Counselors: Therapy tends to be a longer-term process. Sessions are usually more structured and follow a specific therapeutic model or methodology. Therapists might set treatment goals, but these can evolve as clients uncover deeper issues or make progress. Therapy is typically a more open-ended process, where clients explore their thoughts and feelings in a safe, controlled environment, guided by a licensed professional.
4. Perspective on Grief and Healing
- Grief Coaches: Coaches often take a more forward-looking perspective. They recognize that grief is a complex and individual journey, but we also believe that people have the strength and capacity to heal and grow. A grief coach’s role is to encourage this healing by helping you find meaning and purpose, even amid your pain. They might use exercises, journaling prompts, or mindfulness techniques to help you build resilience and adapt to your new reality.
- Grief Therapists or Counselors: Therapists typically focus on understanding and processing the different stages of grief. They can help clients address unresolved feelings, explore their relationship with the person they lost, and make sense of their emotions. The therapeutic approach emphasizes the importance of feeling and expressing all aspects of grief, even when it’s painful, as a way of achieving long-term healing.
Why Choose a Grief Coach?
For many people, the choice to work with a grief coach is about finding practical, actionable support during a time of intense pain. Grief coaches can be especially beneficial for those who don’t feel the need for a clinical approach but still want a structured way to navigate their emotions and rebuild their lives.
A grief coach might be the right fit for you if you:
- Need help setting goals and moving forward after a loss.
- Feel overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to start in their healing journey.
- Want to develop practical tools and strategies for coping with their emotions.
- Are seeking support to process grief in a way that feels constructive and empowering.
- Prefer a partnership-like dynamic rather than a clinical patient-therapist relationship.
When Therapy Might Be the Better Option
Therapy might be more appropriate for individuals who are struggling with severe depression, anxiety, or PTSD as a result of their grief. If someone’s ability to function in their daily life is significantly impaired, or if they are experiencing thoughts of self-harm, working with a licensed therapist who can provide clinical treatment and interventions is crucial. Therapy is also recommended for those who need to explore past traumas or unresolved emotional issues that contribute to their grief.
Working with a coach and a therapist/counsellor can be beneficial to bouncing forward and learning to adapt to your new normal.
Navigating grief is a very personal journey, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing. Whether someone chooses to work with a grief coach or a therapist depends on their individual needs, goals, and preferences. Both professionals play vital roles in supporting those who are grieving, offering different but complementary paths to healing.
If you’re dealing with loss and feel uncertain about how to move forward, consider what kind of support might be most beneficial for you. Whether it’s practical guidance from a grief coach or deeper emotional exploration with a therapist, seeking help is a courageous and powerful step towards healing.
Are you curious if working with me is right for you? Let’s schedule a complimentary 30-minute session. Reach out at blair@blairkaplan.ca or 604-838-4234.
About Blair
Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured in media outlets, including Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. ‘MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair’s life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.
