Coaching for People Who've Done Therapy: What No One Tells You About the Space Between Sessions

It's 3pm on a Tuesday. Your coworker just asked you to cover her shift. You know—intellectually, from years of therapy—that you're a people-pleaser. You understand the childhood wounds that created this pattern. You can trace it back to specific moments with your parents.

And you still say yes.

Then you sit in your car and cry, wondering why all that therapy hasn't fixed you yet.

This is the gap that coaching for people who've done therapy was designed to fill.

The 167-Hour Gap Between Therapy Sessions

Here's the math nobody talks about:

• 168 hours in a week
• Minus 1 hour of therapy
• = 167 hours you're navigating triggers alone

Therapy happens once a week. Life happens every day.

Your therapist helps you process why you self-abandon. But when your inner child is screaming at 11pm on a Wednesday, that weekly session feels very far away.

That's where coaching for people who've done therapy comes in—not to replace your therapy, but to support you in the hours between.

Why People Who've Done Therapy Seek Coaching

If you've spent years in therapy, you probably:

• Understand your patterns deeply
• Know your triggers and where they come from
• Have insight into your childhood wounds
• Can explain your behavior intellectually

But you might still:

• Say yes when you mean no
• Spiral between therapy sessions
• Struggle to implement what you've learned
• Feel like you "should be over this by now"

Understanding yourself ≠ changing yourself.

Therapy gave you the map. Coaching helps you walk it—step by step, day by day, in the messy moments when triggers hit.

What Makes Coaching Different for Therapy-Experienced People

Coaching for people who've done therapy isn't about starting from scratch. You don't need someone to help you understand why you people-please or why intimacy feels scary.

You need someone who helps you:

• Navigate triggers in real-time (not just process them weekly)
• Implement therapy insights in daily life
• Build self-trust in the actual moments you want to abandon yourself
• Practice new patterns with gentle accountability
• Bridge the gap between knowing and doing

Think of it this way:

• Therapy: Understanding the roots of your patterns
• Coaching: Learning to tend those roots daily, even when it's hard

The Tuesday Spiral: My Story

I've been in therapy for years. I can articulate exactly why I struggle with boundaries. I understand my anxious attachment style. I've done the inner child work.

But there was this pattern I couldn't shake: Every time someone asked me for something, I'd freeze. I'd say yes. Then I'd spend the rest of the week spiraling in shame.

"I know better," I'd tell myself. "Why can't I just do what I know I should do?"

Here's what I learned I needed: Not more insight about my patterns. I needed support in the actual moment when someone walked toward me with a request.

I needed someone in my corner during those 167 hours between therapy sessions—when the insights felt distant and the triggers felt immediate.

That's when I discovered coaching for people who've done therapy. And it changed everything.

The Implementation Gap

Therapy gives you:

• Insight into your patterns
• Understanding of your triggers
• Processing of past wounds
• Awareness of your needs

Coaching gives you:

• Daily tools for when triggers hit
• Accountability for new patterns
• Support between therapy sessions
• Practice implementing what you've learned
• Companionship in the messy middle

You need both. They're not competing—they're complementary.

Signs You Might Benefit from Coaching After Therapy

Coaching for people who've done therapy might be right for you if:

✅ You leave therapy feeling hopeful, then spiral by Tuesday
✅ You understand your patterns but can't seem to change them
✅ You know what you "should" do but freeze in the moment
✅ You feel shame about "still struggling" after years of therapy
✅ You need support in the 167 hours between sessions
✅ Your therapist has helped you understand yourself, but daily life still feels overwhelming
✅ You want to implement therapy insights with gentle, consistent support

What to Look for in a Coach (If You've Done Therapy)

Not all coaching is created equal, especially for therapy-experienced people.

Look for a coach who:

• Honors your therapy work (doesn't compete with or dismiss it)
• Understands trauma and nervous systems (not just mindset or motivation)
• Offers between-session support (not just weekly calls)
• Uses gentle, somatic approaches (not "push through" mentality)
• Has their own therapy/healing experience (walks the walk)
• Has clinical training or background (understands the therapeutic foundation)

Red flags in coaching:

• Promises quick fixes or transformation
• Dismisses the value of therapy
• Uses "just change your mindset" language
• Doesn't understand trauma-informed approaches
• Pressures you to "think positive"

How Therapy + Coaching Work Together

Here's what the complementary approach looks like in practice:

Therapy (Weekly):

• Process childhood wounds
• Understand relationship patterns
• Explore deep emotional material
• Work through trauma responses

Coaching (Daily/Between Sessions):

• Navigate real-time triggers
• Practice boundary-setting
• Implement therapy insights
• Build self-trust in the moment
• Inner child check-ins when spirals hit

The result: You're not choosing between understanding and action. You get both.

The Between-Session Support I Wish I'd Had

Let me paint you a picture:

It's Wednesday night. You just had a triggering conversation with your mom. Your therapy appointment isn't until Monday.

With just therapy: You sit with it alone, spiral, maybe journal, wait for Monday to process.

With coaching for people who've done therapy: You have support now. A text. A voice note. Someone who gets it helping you navigate the trigger in real-time.

For years, I sat alone in those Wednesday night spirals. I journaled. I tried to self-soothe. I waited for my next therapy session.

And I kept thinking: There has to be a better way.

That's why I became a coach specifically for therapy-experienced people. Because I lived this gap. I know what it feels like to understand yourself deeply and still struggle to change.

Common Questions About Coaching for Therapy-Experienced People

Q: Will coaching replace my therapy?
A: No. Coaching complements therapy. Think of therapy as understanding the roots, coaching as tending them daily.

Q: What if my therapist doesn't "approve" of coaching?
A: A good therapist understands that healing needs multiple forms of support. If yours doesn't, that's a conversation worth having.

Q: How is this different from just getting more therapy?
A: Therapy focuses on processing and understanding. Coaching focuses on implementation and daily practice. You need both lenses.

Q: Can I do coaching while still in therapy?
A: Absolutely. Most people find they work beautifully together—therapy for depth, coaching for daily support.

Q: What if I can't afford both?
A: Prioritize therapy for foundational work. When you're ready to implement what you've learned, coaching can support that transition.

My Journey: From LMSW to Coach for Therapy-Experienced People

I'm a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in New York. I've sat on both sides of the therapeutic relationship—as a clinician and as someone who's done years of my own therapy work.

Here's what I discovered: The space between sessions is where real life happens.

Your therapist gives you brilliant insights on Monday. But Tuesday at 3pm, when your boss piles on extra work and you feel that familiar freeze response? That's where the rubber meets the road.

I built my coaching practice specifically for this gap because I lived it. I know what it's like to:

• Understand my people-pleasing and still say yes
• Know my triggers and still get flooded
• Have insight about my inner child and still abandon myself in the moment

Understanding myself didn't automatically change my behavior. I needed both the insight (from therapy) and the daily support (from coaching) to build real, lasting self-trust.

The Both/And Approach to Healing

One of my core beliefs: You can love therapy AND need coaching.

This isn't about choosing. It's about building a support system that matches the complexity of your healing.

I spent years thinking I was broken because therapy "wasn't enough." I'd leave sessions full of hope, then spiral by midweek and wonder what was wrong with me.

Nothing was wrong with me. I just needed a different kind of support for a different kind of need.

Therapy helped me understand my patterns.
Coaching helped me practice changing them.

Both matter. Both belong in your healing toolkit.

What Between-Session Support Actually Looks Like

Coaching for people who've done therapy isn't about:

• Starting from scratch with your story
• Re-explaining your childhood wounds
• Processing trauma (that's therapy's job)

It's about:

• Having support when a trigger hits on Wednesday
• Practicing boundaries in real-time with gentle accountability
• Implementing the insights your therapist helped you discover
• Building self-trust in the actual moments you want to abandon yourself
• Not being alone in the 167 hours between therapy sessions

Think of it as having a companion for your healing journey—someone who already knows you've done the deep work and is here to help you live it.

The Invitation: You Don't Have to Do This Alone

If you're reading this and thinking "This is exactly what I've been missing"—you're not alone.

The gap between therapy sessions is real. The struggle to implement what you know is real. The shame of "still struggling" after years of work is real.

And so is the possibility of having support that meets you where you are.

I created Mental Nesting specifically for therapy-experienced people who need gentle, consistent support in the space between sessions. Because I was that person. Because I know what it feels like to have insight without implementation.

You've done the hard work of understanding yourself. Now imagine having companionship as you practice becoming who you want to be—not just in theory, but in the 3pm Tuesday moment when life asks you to choose yourself.

Next Steps: Your Between-Session Support

If this resonates, here's what you can do:

1. Join The Nest community - Free space for therapy-experienced people navigating the 167 hours between sessions
2. Explore my courses (inside The Nest) - Self-paced tools for implementing therapy insights in daily life
3. Explore my packages - Two gentle ways of support. Same care.
4. Apply to work with me - Then we'll hop on a 20-30 min FREE Alignment Call and see how I can best walk this journey with you.
5. Follow along on Instagram @mentalnesting_ - Daily content about the space between sessions

You don't need more insight about why you are the way you are.
You need support practicing change in the moments that matter.
That's what coaching for people who've done therapy offers.

Final Thoughts

Therapy gave me language for my pain.
Coaching gave me tools for my healing.

Both transformed my life. Both belong in the conversation about recovery and growth.

If you've spent years understanding yourself and you're ready for support implementing that wisdom—welcome. You're exactly where you need to be.

The 167 hours between sessions don't have to feel so lonely anymore.