SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — State officials are urging Utahns to be careful of where they turn for mental health advice. They said some life coaches are offering therapy when they’re not legally allowed to do so. They’re also worried about therapists going into the life-coaching industry after they’ve lost their license to practice.
Officials are not criticizing the entire life-coaching industry, as a whole. They said there are some great mentors doing fantastic work. However, they said people need to research their coaches to weed out any counselors who may be breaking the rules.
Roughly six years ago, Pam Bennett went on a self-improvement journey, so, she attended a workshop. The mentor promised years’ worth of training in a short amount of time.
“I’ll save you ten years of everything I’ve studied, and you’ll learn it all in my six-week program,” she said.
Bennett loved the workshop, and wanted to become part of the self-help industry. She was later invited by a mentor in California to be part of his team. He appeared to be very successful, living in a large house and owning a yacht. Soon enough, she learned not everything was as it appeared.
For instance, the house was rented.
“[He got] the yacht by another deal he made when he traded with someone. So, he liked to do a lot of trading,” said Bennett.
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She also said the mentor just wasn’t providing the results he promised. Eventually, he reportedly asked her to lie about her own credentials for the website.
“He wanted me to put things on my website that weren’t true, that were not factual and [to say] that I had been on different national news shows because he had, therefore I could put it on my website that I had. I was like, ‘No, I don’t think so,’” Bennett said.
The life-coaching industry has come under fire after the arrests of Jodi Hildebrant and Ruby Franke. State Sen. David Hinkins introduced Senate Bill 251, which establishes rules for becoming a life coach, and it allows the state to revoke their registration if that coach breaks the rules.
Nanci Klein with the Utah Psychological Association said there’s national tension between licensed therapists and non-licensed coaches claiming they can diagnose and fix certain problems.
“They’re messaging about what they’re able to do, or what they are doing, is really misrepresenting an outcome for someone that they’re seeing… that they could fix something,” Klein said.
Even though there is no statewide regulation over the life-coaching industry, there are things that only licensed therapists are allowed to do. For instance, coaches are not allowed to diagnose anyone with a condition like anxiety or depression, and they’re not permitted to develop treatment plans.
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“I would be very concerned about life coaches who are using diagnostic nomenclature in their interactions with clients that they’re working with,” she said.
Division of Professional Licensing Director Mark Steinagel said they get roughly one complaint every month from someone who learned their life-coach had actually lost their therapist’s license and the customer didn’t know it.
“If they move into life-coaching, it could be OK, but in all likelihood, they’re going to want to continue to keep practicing what they were doing before, which they’re no longer authorized to do. So, it’s, kind of, the ‘you know better’ type of thing,” according to Steinagel.
He also says they’re especially concerned when a formerly licensed therapist uses vague titles, such as Certified Mental Fitness Trainer, to recruit potential clients.
“They know what they’re doing. They know that they’re pushing the boundaries, trying to go as far as they can without getting in trouble. So, yeah. That does concern us,” she said.
There are resources available to help people properly look into therapists or coaches before they spend their money. Steinagel said people can log on to DOPL.Utah.gov, and click the “verify a license” icon.