#58 Are Mental Health Coaches Replacing Therapists?!
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Release Date: 03/05/2025
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Is your therapy practice future-ready… or are your AI tools quietly writing your client notes — and maybe rewriting your ethics policy, too? If you’re a therapist trying to make sense of what the heck is going on with AI in our field right now, this episode is for you. Whether you’re using AI daily, avoiding it like a bad EHR platform, or somewhere in between, you need to hear this conversation. In today’s episode of Love, Happiness & Success for Therapists, I sit down with cyberpsychologist and licensed counselor Dr. Rachel Wood to talk about — and why we, as ethical...
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This one is SO important... we're doing it again. After originally posting this episode earlier in the year, I've had so many messages from therapist colleagues about how helpful and important this info was, I wanted to put it back at the top. Additionally, I have created a free cheat sheet with the changes that I made to my own disclosure statement after recording this interview (because I too, learned a lot) and I'm happy to share this with you. DM me on Linkedin or just shoot me an email (). xo, Lisa = There's something none of us want to deal with, but absolutely need to be prepared...
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Ever wondered how a coach with zero credentials is charging triple what you make—and people are lining up to pay them?! It's enough to make any seasoned, licensed, ethics-loving therapist want to throw their DSM across the room. In this juicy episode of Love, Happiness & Success for Therapists, I’m pulling back the curtain on why so often leaves therapist rates in the dust. Coaches are NOT more skilled or more capable of change work. They’re just playing an entirely different game. A game that rewards confidence, clarity, marketing savvy, and outcomes over credentials and...
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Ever had a dream client vanish the second you said, “I don’t take insurance”? In this episode of Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists, I’m breaking down one of the most frustrating, deflating, and pivotal conversations we have in private practice: and self-pay therapy (without spiraling, apologizing, or selling yourself short). I walk you through exactly how to handle that record-scratch moment with clarity, confidence, and integrity—so you can stop losing ideal clients and start owning your value. We’ll explore why the insurance model was never built for growth work,...
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Ever had a client look at you, desperate for help, and ask, “What should I do?” Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on a dilemma that I hear from therapists all the time: “My clients are stuck, they need direction, and they’re asking me for advice. But I’m supposed to stay neutral, right?” On one hand, we want to help, but on the other, we’ve been trained to stay neutral and let the client find their own answers. So What’s the right move when your client is stuck and clearly craving direction? In this episode of Love, Happiness and Success For Therapists, we're diving...
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Therapists, what if I told you your photo, credentials, and carefully crafted bio might be sitting on a website you never signed up for—used to funnel therapy-seeking clients into ? I know you might be thinking, “That could never happen to me…” But it’s a rapidly increasing issue that’s affecting therapists across the country right this second. And it could happen to you too. In this episode of Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists, I’m digging into the disturbing world of fake therapy platforms, profile scraping, and the deceptive tactics being used by some online...
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Have you ever gotten that really sweet message from a client saying, “Hey, I told my friend about you—they’re reaching out!” and felt… conflicted? On the one hand, it’s a huge compliment. On the other? It throws you right into the middle of an ethical tightrope walk. , it can feel like walking a fine line between appreciation and professional chaos. In this episode of Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists, I’ll share a behind-the-scenes story from my own practice where a client referred a friend—who happened to be their business partner—and how things unraveled when...
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Ever felt like you’re missing that one tool in your therapy toolkit that could help your clients truly heal and reconnect with their best selves? Well, in today’s episode of Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists, I’m chatting with Dr. Dick Schwartz, founder of the , about the power of IFS and how it can be a game-changer for your clients. IFS is more than just a therapy model—it's a transformative approach that helps clients access their own core Self, heal their internal wounds, and lead their lives with compassion, confidence, and calm. It's about connecting with the...
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You’re a therapist, not a career strategist, right? That’s what I told myself for years—until the zillionth client sat across from me, looked me dead in the eye, and asked, “What should I do with my life?” Cue the record scratch. Let’s be real: we’re trained to hold emotional space, diagnose, treat, and heal — but when it comes to career development and professional identity? Most of us are flying blind. In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant Suzy Welch — NYU professor, bestselling author, and creator of the Becoming You methodology — to talk about how therapists...
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Ever wonder how to truly help your clients build more secure attachment styles? This episode of Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists is for you! I’m sitting down with the brilliant Dr. Daniel Siegel—one of the world’s leading experts in attachment science and childhood development. Together, we’re unpacking the latest research and ideas you can take straight into your practice. Dr. Siegel’s approach goes beyond the basics of attachment theory, blending personality, temperament, and attachment into a powerful framework that creates truly personalized client experiences. This...
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Imagine spending years in graduate school, racking up thousands of hours in supervision, investing in continuing education—only to find out that companies are now hiring unqualified mental health coaches instead of licensed therapists… for a fraction of the pay. Sound unfair? It is. And it’s happening right now. Let’s talk about what this means for our profession and what we can do about it.
In this episode of Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists, I dive into a jaw-dropping trend that’s reshaping the mental health industry: the rise of mental health coaching as a cheaper alternative to therapy. With big corporations jumping on this bandwagon, therapists everywhere need to be paying attention.
We’ll cover:
- What mental health coaching really is (and what it isn’t)
- How corporations are replacing therapists with under-qualified “coaches”
- Why this shift is dangerous for clients and for our profession
- What therapists can do to protect their careers and reclaim this space
Timestamps:
00:00 - Wait, What?! Big Companies Are Hiring Coaches Instead of Therapists?!
01:34 - The Rise of Mental Health Coaches
02:52 - The Future of Mental Health Care
05:39 - The Differences Between Therapy and Mental Health Coaching
11:40 - How This Impacts Therapists, Your Career, and Your Growth
13:10 - What We Can Do To Fight Back (And Why We Must!)
18:11 - Coaching Certification for Therapists and Resources
I know this is frustrating. You’ve worked hard to build your skills, develop your expertise, and serve your clients with integrity. It’s infuriating to see big companies sidestep ethical, evidence-based care in favor of cost-cutting alternatives. But here’s the good news: we are not powerless. The more we educate ourselves and take action, the more we can shape the future of our field.
If you’re wondering how you can ethically integrate coaching into your practice (without crossing ethical lines or diminishing your value), check out my free masterclass: The Therapist’s Guide to Coaching. In this training, I break down exactly how therapists can use coaching as a powerful, evidence-based tool for non-clinical clients—helping you expand your impact, attract dream clients, and stay aligned with best practices.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Let’s keep the conversation going—connect with me on LinkedIn and be part of this amazing community of therapists who are standing up for our profession.
Xoxo
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby
www.growingself.com
P.S. I encourage you to share this episode with your fellow therapists. The more we talk about this issue, the more awareness we create!