Services
If you are interested in therapy or coaching, please complete the New Client Inquiry form. We’ll get back to you within a few days.
Therapy
Levamentum offers confidential individual psychotherapy (sometimes simply called “therapy” or “counseling”) for adults age 18 years and older. Individuals seek therapy for any number of challenges, from depression and anxiety, to relationship and family issues, work challenges, motivation/procrastination, existential questions, grief, disordered eating, obsessions/compulsions, trauma, hoarding, and so on. Sometimes, individuals seek therapy because they value having a space each week where they can “be themselves” with a person who is outside their social/family circles. The primary purpose of therapy is to improve mental health and well-being.
Coaching
Levamentum offers health and nutrition coaching for adults age 18 years and older who are primarily interested in improving physical health and well-being. Coaching is most often about changing behavior(s) to identify and better support physical health goals, such as eating better or moving more. It can be about finding ways to better manage a physical health condition, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or arthritis. Telecoaching is the most common way coaching happens at Levamentum, but coaching may also include virtual or in-person food/supplement shopping trips, pantry “visits”, outings such as walks or jogs, and so on.
FAQs
What’s the difference between therapy and health coaching?
Therapy and coaching can both improve well-being. Mental and physical well-being are often intertwined.
Therapy is a modality that primarily supports the mental health and well-being of a client. It is typically non-directive and client-led. (Good therapists don’t tell you what to do.) Most of therapy focuses on addressing or healing distress or distressing symptoms, through exploring feelings, thoughts, behaviors, relationships with other people, relationships with the past or the future, and relationships with the self. Often, clients come to therapy for help with anxiety, depression, trauma, family challenges, and a host of other challenges that diminish mental well-being.
Coaching is a style of guidance that is more directive than therapy. The goals of coaching are often more explicit and specific than in therapy – in fact, coaching is based on helping you define and achieve your goals. A coach, who may not be a licensed or medically trained professional, may often give “homework” for clients to do in between coaching sessions, and often checks in on client progress in between coaching sessions. As an example, if a coaching client has overweight due to overeating, and has a goal of losing weight, a coach will support the client in developing appropriate goals and strategies, modifying behaviors, creating new habits, addressing setbacks, etc. A coach most often will not investigate the psychological antecedents of how a client came to be overweight, which a therapist would do when working with someone with disordered eating.
When should I see a coach versus a Registered Dietitian (RD)?
Dr. Hruby offers health coaching, which often includes nutrition/food-related guidance, to her clients. Although she has a PhD in Nutrition, she is not a Registered Dietitian (RD). RDs are medical professionals often tasked with developing medically-appropriate diet plans and guidance based on medically diagnosed conditions (like hypertension, Celiac disease, thyroid disorders, vitamin deficiencies, etc.) If you have specific dietary needs that are related to medical diagnoses, consult your primary care physician or an RD.
Health/nutrition coaching is a complementary modality. If you ask Adela for nutrition coaching, Adela will not tell you, for example, what to eat; she will support you in identifying what food nourishes you, changing your relationship with food, understanding your eating behaviors, identifying your food “triggers”, what foods and eating behaviors work for you, and similar types of support. Part of her coaching services may include food shopping with you, or having a look at your pantry to see if it holds the stuff that will nourish you based on your needs. Food and feelings are pretty complex topics, and Adela supports clients in making those relationships feel better.
Health coaching doesn’t necessarily focus on food; it can and often does focus on other health-related goals, such as managing high blood pressure or diabetes, finding ways to be more active, and so on.
When should I see a therapist/counselor versus a psychiatrist?
Psychiatrists (MDs), psychologists (PhDs), licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs), and licensed social workers (LSWs), can all practice therapy in states in which they are licensed. They can all call themselves licensed “therapists”. One primary difference between any therapist and a psychiatrist is that a psychiatrist has a medical degree. Psychiatrists, as MDs (doctors of medicine), are allowed to prescribe psychotropic medications in the state(s) they are licensed, while non-MD therapists (LMHCs, LSWs, and psychologists) are not medication prescribers. Psychiatrists sometimes do therapy, too, but most often they are involved in medication management. If you need a prescription for a psychotropic medication, your first stop should be your primary care doctor, or your psychiatrist, if you have one. Therapists will often help you find/refer you to a psychiatrist, and will work with you on thinking about whether medication may be a good option for you based on your symptoms.