Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between coaching and counseling?

Counseling often has more to do with every day functioning, managing emotions, and solving inter-relationships.  Counseling involves someone licensed who has had at least a Master’s degree in one of the mental health professions, (social work, psychology, family therapy, etc.) as well as a state-regulated license.  The focus of counseling often involves understanding the past in order to determine how past traumas may be impacting an individual’s present emotional and behavioral functioning.  There is often a subjective outcome to counseling, such as feeling better.   Counseling also usually requires a diagnosis for insurance reimbursement.

While Coaching does not require an academic degree, many coaches (although not all) have gone through a certification process from various coaching “schools.”   Coaching generally has specific outcomes and goals that its clients are seeking to attain and holds clients accountable for taking specific actions.  Coaching may be more directive than counseling, although both are client-focused.   While mindset may be a part of the process in coaching, coaching usually entails specific observable and objective outcomes, and is more future-oriented than past-oriented.  Insurance does not cover coaching.

While someone who is a licensed therapist and also a coach, such as myself, may bring some coaching into the counseling process, it is not best practice to bring counseling into the coaching process, and is actually prohibited by the counseling professions.

What are Trudy’s Credentials?

Because coaching involves a commitment of time, money and energy, it is important that you are careful in selecting a coach who not only has expertise, but one with whom you are comfortable.  In addition to being a licensed clinical social worker with decades of counseling experience, I am a certified Rapid Results Coach.  I employ several coaching techniques from my training and from my professional experience to assist each client according to their own needs, values, and goals.   If you have any questions about my procedures, please contact me by email at Trudy@TruestCoaching.com, or by calling me directly at 336-763-4611.

Can changes be guaranteed? 

 Please be aware that changes don’t happen over-night or by waving a “magic wand.”  The person most responsible for the changes you desire is you, the client.  This is your life and it is your responsibility to do the work, both in and out of the sessions, in order to be the change you wish to see in the world. These changes take repeated effort on your part in order to create lasting transformation. To do this takes a strong desire and an even stronger will because change can be hard and scary, since we human beings feel most comfortable in the grooves, sometimes known as ruts, we have created.  In addition, it is important for you to realize that feelings may arise from coaching which can be perceived as “bad,” such as sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger or frustration, even though in reality these feelings are just uncomfortable and serve the important purpose of letting you know that change needs to be made.  It is also important for you to be aware that changes in you can also create changes in relationships, which may cause discomfort for you and for the people with whom you are involved, even when the changes are in the service of creating healthier relationships. The fact that you are here and reading this indicates that you are striving to change, even knowing that it can be uncomfortable.  I congratulate you for the courage this takes.

How is Truest Coaching Offered?

I meet with local clients in my office, and work with clients long distance via phone or zoom on an individual basis.  Unlimited emails as well as “urgent” calls are also offered as needed.  Three-month or six-month programs are available. 

From time to time, group coaching is also available when there are clients who could benefit from the support of a group who are more or less working on similar goals and challenges.

How can Truest Coaching help me?

 Truest Coaching supports you in transforming your life according to your own values and goals.  Together we will identify any attitudes, beliefs or actions that have stopped you from creating a life you love and achieving your goals, and replace those blocks with empowering attitudes, beliefs and actions.  You will learn how to make those changes habitual so that you are not just making a temporary change, but learning how to transform yourself and your life.  By supporting you I help you to:  envision the life you would love, identify and smash the blocks that that have heretofore stopped you from realizing that life, encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and support you through that process, learn what actions steps to take, hold you accountable for taking those actions, and ultimately learn how to reinvent or transform yourself into being a powerful, successful creator of a life you love!