Do I need a Therapist or a Mental Wellbeing Coach?
- Sophie Firmager
- Dec 20, 2022
- 4 min read
We are living through a Mental Health Pandemic; the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare conducted a study late 2021 that found that an estimated 1 in 5 (21%) Australians aged 16–85 experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months (ABS 2022a). A mental illness can be defined as ‘a clinically diagnosable disorder that significantly interferes with a person’s cognitive, emotional or social abilities’ (COAG Health Council 2017). The term itself covers a range of illnesses including anxiety disorders, affective disorders, psychotic disorders and substance use disorders.
The Covid Pandemic sadly accelerated the mental health crisis, due to the uncertainty, volatility and fear caused by global shutdowns, tragic deaths, isolation and financial impacts. What we experienced following the pandemic was a continuation of crisis, whether it be political division, continuing racial tensions, supply chain issues, an energy crisis, soaring inflation and wages, interest rate hikes, ongoing gender division, skills shortages, employee turnover and of course the war in Ukraine, unfortunately, the whole world still feels very unsettled.
So the question becomes, are we truly OUT of a state of crisis, or IS crisis "business as usual"?
The truth is, Crisis is constant, and if we all look back through our lives, crisis can be a catalyst for positive change, on an individual and societal level.
However, most of us go through our lives unaware of the impact of crisis on our mental health and often miss the opportunities to take stock, reflect on its impact and learn positive coping mechanisms, this is a result of our busy lives. Missing these opportunities means we miss the signs of a developing mental illness.
In this blog I’d like to share about the support that exists for all of us, whether we’re already experiencing a mental illness or are keen to learn how to develop the right skills to prevent the impact of mental illness.
I will share the basic distinctions between 2 types of expertise to help guide your decision-making for the support you require.
Clinical Psychologist / Therapist
The Oxford Dictionary defines a Clinical Psychologist as “an expert or specialist in the branch of psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental illness and psychological problems”. In this case, a client may decide to see a clinical psychologist when something is already going wrong in their mental health.
A traditional Clinical Psychologist studies and practices in areas of mental disorders, abnormalities, emotions, thought processes, cognitive behavior, and also how any changes in cognitive development and mind can bring about changes in human actions and behavior.
They help clients overcome their symptoms and emotional disbalance through various therapies including counselling.
Positive Psychologist or Mental Wellbeing Coach
A Positive Psychologist on the other hand, takes a more proactive and preventative approach. They study subjective and psychological wellbeing and work with clients to develop the right mindsets, skills, practices and habits for flourishing in all aspects of their lives. The word positive simply means proactive.
I believe Kim Cameron explains the distinction between the two types of expertise best, Kim is the Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan. In a talk to Google employees some years ago, he asked them to imagine a line on what he calls a “deviance” continuum. Deviance in this case, simply means, not normal behaviour. On the far-left side is Negative Deviance, which from a health perspective means illness. On the far-right side is Positive Deviance, from a health perspective it can mean Vitality or Self-Actualization if you consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Kim said that traditional psychologists focus on the left side, the deficit gaps and their aim is to bring their clients back to the middle, which is Mental Health.
Positive Psychologists or Mental Wellbeing Coaches operate more on the right, to help clients achieve self-actualization or flourishing in all aspects of their life. They help clients identify their abundance gaps and offer proactive support to build internal tools and skillsets that build crucial qualities of mind such as Emotional Intelligence, Growth Mindset and Resilience, so that when a client inevitably encounters a challenge or obstacle in their life, they have the skills to thrive in that challenge and ensure the difficulty or obstacle leads to performance breakthrough rather than breakdown.
Prevention is Always Better then Cure
At RPG, we work on the right side of this continuum, taking proactive steps to unlock Vitality and Flow for individuals, and help organisations build benevolent brands and unleash extraordinary performance in their people.
We value the work of traditional psychologists in bringing people back to health, because as mentioned earlier, given our busy lifestyles, people often miss the signs of mental illness until anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses have developed and require the reactive support of a clinical psychologist. If you are currently suffering from a mental illness, see your GP for a referral to a clinical psychologist and contact the incredible team at Lifeline as they're a great place to start - Contact us - Lifeline Australia
If you would like to learn more about how to use the science of Optimal Mental Wellbeing to flourish in your mental health, career, relationships, and life in general, sign up for our 5-Day Program kicking off in January 2023, FREE for a limited time. It's a self-paced 5-day Webinar Program available for the month of January.
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