[00:00:00] Hi everyone. My name's Dex Randall, and this is the Burnout to Leadership Podcast where I teach professionals to recover from burnout and get back to passion and reward at work.

[00:00:22] Hello my friends, this is Dex. Welcome to this week's episode where I really want to clarify something important, the difference and the overlap between psychotherapy and coaching. And I do get asked about this a lot. They're not competitors, but they do serve very different purposes, and knowing which one is right for you, especially if you're dealing with burnout, can make all the difference.

[00:00:48] I'm also going to talk about how therapy and coaching can work together and why one might be more useful than the other at different stages of your recovery journey.

[00:00:58] Let's start with therapy. Psychotherapy is primarily for people struggling to function normally in daily life because of diagnosable mental health conditions, things like depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, bipolar disorder, ADHD, OCD, addiction and so on.

[00:01:18] Psychiatrists can prescribe medication. Psychologists and psychotherapists generally provide what we call talk therapy, using various approaches to help reduce suffering and improve function. If you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, or if you feel you might be dealing with one, therapy can be lifesaving. I'm fully in support of anything that helps a person feel better, connect more, and function well, as long as it's safe and effective.

[00:01:51] But here's something I do see a lot. Many of my clients have tried therapy, often for years, sometimes with medication, sometimes without. Despite their efforts, they still feel stuck. And that was my experience too. I gave it a red hot go, and honestly it didn't move the needle for me. That doesn't mean therapy's bad, it just might not be the best fit solution.

[00:02:18] And in today's mental health system, therapists are under a lot of pressure. There's a massive volume of people needing care and often low success rates from the standard approaches. If therapy works for you, fantastic, stick with it. But if it hasn't, especially after repeated attempts, you are not broken, you might simply need a different approach.

[00:02:45] Let's talk now about coaching. Coaching is primarily about performance. It helps you improve how you think, feel, act, relate, and lead. But to make the most of coaching, you need a baseline of daily function. You don't have to be thriving, but you do need to be safe, stable, and ready to take action.

[00:03:13] The purpose of coaching in this context is it helps you learn skills to better manage your emotions and mood, your energy and motivation, your time, focus and performance, your relationships and your ability to handle pressure and change. I think of it as Emotional Intelligence applied to real life.

[00:03:36] When I meet with a prospective client, here's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a few things: Are they burning out and if so, what led up to that? Are they basically functional in daily life? Are they safe, not in danger of harm or self-harm? And do I believe they'll benefit from the kind of coaching that I offer?

[00:03:59] None of this necessarily rules out people who've been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, ADHD, or addiction. Those often come with the territory of burnout. If someone is ready to take responsibility for their own growth and take consistent action, they can use coaching to recover from burnout.

[00:04:20] Here's something I want to say though gently, but clearly: a lot of therapy and corporate coaching misses the mark. Why? 'cause they don't always have a clear pathway with proven methods directed towards measurable, achievable goals.

[00:04:39] In therapy, that can mean endless weekly sessions with no real progress.

[00:04:46] In corporate coaching, it can mean pressure to perform without the tools to grow, or any understanding of how toxic leadership or systemic issues are contributing to burnout.

[00:04:59] And when these methods fall short, the person being supported often feels like the failure. They might already be stigmatized under threat of a performance plan or worse. I often see this when physicians, for example, seek support.

[00:05:15] It's not their fault. The approach was simply wrong for what they needed.

[00:05:21] And let's take a moment to talk about addiction. Many people who are burning out find themselves overindulging in things that take the edge off. Alcohol, food, screens, shopping, doom-scrolling. It almost doesn't matter what, as long as it's not threatening or harming.

[00:05:40] But honestly, for people doing this, I don't blame them. When you're in emotional pain with no relief, any escape makes sense. But over time, these escapes can become habits hard to reign in, especially when the underlying pain isn't being addressed. You get shame, social withdrawal, and a rising sense of desperation.

[00:06:05] Here's the good news: Burnout recovery reduces suffering. When the pain lifts, the need for escape disappears. The poor choices, the compulsions, the overindulgence, often they simply fall away. So if you are caught in a cycle of self-soothing, know this, there is light at the end of the tunnel and you don't have to fight your way out of it alone or by willpower.

[00:06:32] So, therapy or coaching?

[00:06:36] Here's the simple way to tell: If your day-to-day functioning is seriously impaired, or you are at risk of harm, get support from a qualified mental health professional. But if you have basic function -you're just exhausted, demotivated, overwhelmed, anxious, angry, or stuck- and you're willing to take action with the right tools and guidance, burnout coaching may be a better fit.

[00:07:02] If you've tried therapy, but you are still not where you want to be at work, don't give up on your quest. The breakthrough might be closer than you think, and coaching might be a support for you. Burnout is not a life sentence and it's not your fault, and you can recover fully, even if your workplace doesn't change, because the most powerful part of burnout recovery isn't changing your environment, your job, your boss, et cetera. It's changing how you show up to it. You can learn to support yourself in ways that you never have before. And from there, everything begins to change.

[00:07:44] If you'd like to find out how this can work for you, book a free appointment to talk to me at dexrandall.com and let's work out your recovery plan together.

[00:07:55] Thanks for listening today, my friends. If this episode struck a chord with you, feel free to share it or drop me a line. I'd love to hear what landed for you. Until next time, keep going. You're closer than you think.