The Limiting Belief That Dictates if You Need Therapy or a Coach
Limiting beliefs are largely unconscious. They are opinions people adopt over time as facts. However, the fact is that the opinions formed through limiting beliefs are just mental barriers preventing one from seeing the facts.
Sometimes limiting beliefs run so deep that therapy is a must to break them. Other times, all one needs is consistent mental skills training from a coach. So, the question is how do you make this call? Is a coach or a therapist needed?
Before I answer, let me state that this is a rule of thumb to use as a guide, not a rigid edict of some sort. If there is any doubt, it will never hurt to start with a licensed therapist. With that said, there is one question that is at the center of the coach vs. therapist decision.
Do you believe there is little you can do to improve your current circumstances?
While this question is an oversimplification of a broader set of research-based questions psychology professor Stephen Nowicki, Ph.D. writes about in his book Choice or Chance, it does expose an important fact. If you answer “yes” to this question, then you have a limiting belief about how much control you have over your life. Moreover, if this is the case a coach won’t be able to help you.
A coach can only help those who are capable of helping themselves. If you believe there are external factors limiting your power to help yourself, then therapy is the best place to start. Furthermore, if you believe your parents, genes, friends, or community are the primary reason for success or failure, then I highly recommend you start with therapy.