What the heck is mental health coaching?

I’ve just completed my certification as a PREKURE Mental Health Coach and I thought it might be a good opportunity to answer the most frequently asked questions about mental health coaching.  If you’d rather listen instead of read, check out Episode 6 of The Deep Yes podcast on Radio Hawkes Bay.

Maybe you’re curious about what mental health coaching is, how it works, what kind of results you can expect, or how to access a mental health coach.  If you’ve got questions that I haven’t covered, get in touch by email at heather.bailey@thinkfresh.nz, or on the socials at heather_bailey_thinkfresh.

I’d like to start with a story from my own coaching practice.  I was working with a young woman – let’s call her Tess.  Tess was feeling really low confidence in herself at work.  She was still recovering from a previous job in a chaotic environment, and had found the search for a new job distressing because she wasn’t sure anymore what she was good at, or even what she liked. 

When asked, she gave herself a 1 out of 10 for confidence and the same for knowing what she was good at, and a 0 for being assertive at work.

Together we made a plan for our six sessions together.  We started with building her sense of knowing her strengths and values, and she started looking for examples of feedback about what she was good at, at work and at home.  By our third session, she was able to articulate those strengths and was starting to see examples of others validating those strengths.  We mapped out how her thoughts and feelings of needing to get it perfectly right were stopping her from speaking up.  We worked on some strategies to identify when that was happening and start to replace those thoughts with more helpful enabling ones.

By our fifth session, she was starting to give herself challenges at work to speak up in meetings, and to offer her perspective even when it differered from her colleagues.

By our sixth session, she was rating herself on a 5 or 6 out of 10 on confidence, knowing her strengths, and asserting herself at work.  She was ready to pause our sessions for a while to practice her new skills and ways of thinking for a while as she felt she could continue to make progress on her own. 

One of my favourite things about working as a coach is how we get to work completely on the client’s agenda – her goals, her values, her solutions, and her timeline for working together.

SO, on to those FAQs

 What is a Mental Health Coach?

A mental health coach is a trained professional who helps people improve their emotional well-being, build resilience, and achieve mental wellness goals.  Unlike therapists, they don’t diagnose or treat mental illness.  Instead, they support clients in making behaviour changes, managing stress, building confidence, and developing better habits – through individual or group structured conversations over a series of sessions.

What is a Mental Health Coaching Approach?

It’s the difference between asking, what’s wrong with you, to asking, what step can you take that will move you forward and align with your values?

Mental health coaching is a strengths-based, future-focused approach that helps people move from surviving to thriving. Unlike therapy, which often focuses on healing past wounds, coaching is focused on what you are experiencing – how you are thinking, feeling, and behaving --  in the present.  We uncover what is getting in the way of achieving your goals, and help you build skills, expand options, shift mindsets, and take action.  Step by step we build your confidence that you can sustain changes that make a difference.

What Are the Benefits of Coaching?

Research from the Mayo Clinic showed coaching can improve emotional resilience, reduce stress, and enhance overall wellbeing and quality of life. Clients often report feeling more confident, self-aware, calm, and in control of their lives. Coaching helps you build psychological flexibility, develop self-compassion, and take aligned action toward a life that feels good from the inside out.

Coaching also helps you to feel more capable of overcoming future challenges.  It gives you a blueprint of how to approach bumps in the road, that makes you feel more in the driver’s seat.

What’s the Evidence Behind It?

Mental health coaching is a whole of body and mind approach.  It draws on evidence-based tools from ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), nutrition and exercise lifestyle medicine, behaviour change science and neuroscience. Studies show that coaching can lead to sustained improvements in wellbeing, even months after the coaching ends.

How Many Sessions Do You Need?

Most of the evidence cites results in 6-10 coaching sessions, although some clients may choose to work with a coach over several months. Coaching is flexible and tailored to your goals. You set the pace, and your coach supports you in creating lasting change.

How do I choose a Mental Health Coach?

Your GP may be able to recommend or help you access a health coach or mental health coach.  Look for a coach who has undertaken training with a internationally-recognised certification provider, who is a member of a professional association such as HCANZA and/or the International Coaching Federation, and who maintains good relationships with local mental health providers should you need a referral for clinical mental health services.  Your coach should ensure you understand that they have a non-clinical scope of practice and are NOT providing diagnosis and treatment of major mental illness.

What Does PREKURE Certification Mean?

PREKURE is a leading provider of university-level training in preventative health and mental wellbeing in Australia and NZ, and is endorsed by the RNZCGP. Their Mental Health Coach Programme includes neuroscience, ACT, CBT, trauma-informed care, and together with the Health Coaching qualification, over 50 hours of supervised practice.

Common Misconceptions About Coaching

• “Coaching is just giving advice.”
  Actually, coaching is about asking powerful questions, not telling you what to do. It’s a collaborative process that helps you uncover your own answers.

• “You need to be ‘fixed’ to work with a coach.”
  Coaching isn’t about fixing—it’s about growing. You don’t need to be broken to benefit from support.

• “It’s the same as therapy.”
  While coaching uses evidence-based psychological tools, it’s not therapy. Coaches don’t diagnose or treat mental illness—they support wellbeing and personal growth.

• “It’s only for people who are struggling.”
  Coaching is for anyone who wants to feel more confident, aligned, and empowered—whether you're stuck, stressed, or simply ready to level up.

Here is an example of the coach approach in action. 

We often start with touching base with your most cherished personal values.
These might be things like freedom, creativity, kindness, growth, or connection.

• What do these values mean to you personally?

• Why are they important?

• How do you see them showing up in life right now?

This check-in helps anchor you in what truly matters. When we’re clear on our values, it becomes easier to spot when a limiting belief is pulling us away from who we want to be.

Now, let’s talk about limiting beliefs. These are thoughts that feel true but keep us stuck—like “I’m not good enough,” “I’ll never get it right,” or “I’m too much.” They often come from past experiences, but they get reinforced every time we repeat them. And here’s the thing: your brain believes what you tell it most often.

So how do we shift that?

Step one: Notice the belief. You might say, “I’m noticing the thought that I’m not good enough.” This creates space—you’re not the thought, you’re the observer of it.

Step two: Bring in self-compassion. Ask yourself: “What would I say to a friend who was thinking this?” Chances are, you’d be kind, encouraging, and remind them of their strengths. Now say that to yourself. For example: “It’s okay to feel unsure sometimes. I’m learning, and I’m doing my best.”

Step three: Reframe the belief. Gently challenge it and offer a more empowering alternative. Instead of “I always mess things up,” try: “I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve also learned and grown. I’m capable of figuring things out.”

This isn’t about toxic positivity—it’s about realistic optimism rooted in kindness and truth. And when you align your reframes with your values, they become even more powerful.

So next time a limiting belief pops up, pause, breathe,

Notice:  “I am telling myself a limiting belief that …”

Ask:
“Is this thought helping me live in alignment with my values?”

What belief would work better for you?
💬 “What’s a kinder, truer story I can tell myself right now?”

I’d love to hear from you about how this is landing with you.  Have you started to explore your values, or a deeper look at your beliefs?  Send me a message at heather.bailey@thinkfresh.nz.  And of course, if you would like to look at some coaching, do let me know.

Thank you for being a part of The Deep Yes and our mission to heal in community.