Finding Your Footing: What is a Mental Health Recovery Coach and How Can They Support Your Journey?
Hello, I’m Roslyn Saunders. As a Codependency and Addiction Recovery Coach, I walk alongside individuals every day as they navigate the often complex and challenging path towards healing and wholeness. Many people I work with are not only dealing with codependent patterns or addictive behaviours but are also grappling with related mental health challenges like anxiety, depression, or the echoes of trauma. It’s a journey I understand deeply, both professionally and personally.
Perhaps you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of the next step in managing your mental health. Maybe traditional therapy has been helpful, but you’re looking for more day-to-day support and practical strategies. If you’ve found yourself searching for terms like “mental health recovery coach,” you’re likely seeking a different kind of partnership in your wellness journey.
So, let’s explore what a mental health recovery coach is and how they might be the supportive ally you’re looking for.
What Exactly is a Mental Health Recovery Coach?
Think of a mental health recovery coach as a guide, a partner, and a cheerleader, all rolled into one. We are individuals, often with our own lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery, who are trained to support others in building fulfilling lives despite their difficulties.
Crucially, a recovery coach is not a therapist or counsellor. We don’t diagnose conditions or delve deeply into analysing the past in the way a therapist does. Instead, our focus is firmly on the present and the future. Our role is to help you:
Identify Your Strengths: We believe you already possess inner resources and resilience. We help you recognise and build upon them.
Define Your Own Vision of Recovery: What does a well and fulfilling life look like to you? We help you articulate that vision.
Set Achievable Goals: We work with you to break down your larger vision into manageable, actionable steps.
Develop Practical Skills: This might include coping strategies, communication skills, boundary setting (especially relevant in codependency!), self-care routines, or navigating daily challenges.
Build Support Systems: We help you connect with resources and communities that foster your recovery.
Stay Accountable: We provide gentle accountability to help you stay on track with the goals you set for yourself.
Instill Hope: We champion your progress and remind you that recovery is possible.
Why Might You Consider Working with a Recovery Coach?
People seek out recovery coaching for various reasons:
Feeling “Stuck”: You might feel like you understand your issues intellectually (perhaps through therapy) but struggle to implement changes in your daily life.
Needing Practical Application: You want concrete tools and strategies to manage symptoms, triggers, and challenging situations right now.
Seeking Peer Support: Knowing your coach may have navigated similar struggles can create a powerful sense of connection and understanding.
Bridging Gaps: Coaching can be a great addition to therapy, providing practical support between sessions, or it can be helpful if therapy isn’t accessible or the right fit at the moment.
Focusing on Action and the Future: You’re ready to move forward and build a life defined by wellness, not just illness.
The Connection to Codependency and Addiction
In my specific work, I often see how interconnected mental health, codependency, and addiction truly are. Unaddressed anxiety might fuel addictive behaviours. Difficulty setting boundaries (a hallmark of codependency) can lead to overwhelming stress and burnout, impacting mental well-being. Past trauma can manifest as depression or PTSD.
A coach with expertise in these overlapping areas can help you see the bigger picture. We can work on:
Recognising and shifting codependent patterns that harm your mental health.
Developing healthier coping mechanisms to replace addictive behaviours.
Building self-worth and self-compassion, which are foundational to both mental health and recovery from codependency/addiction.
Establishing boundaries that protect your energy and emotional well-being.
Is a Mental Health Recovery Coach Right for You?
If you’re looking for a collaborative, strengths-based partnership focused on taking practical steps towards the life you envision, then working with a mental health recovery coach could be incredibly beneficial. It’s about moving from simply surviving to actively thriving.
Recovery is not about being “fixed”; it’s an ongoing journey of self-discovery, growth, and resilience-building. You don’t have to walk it alone. A coach can provide the support, tools, and encouragement you need to navigate the path with greater confidence and hope.
If you’re curious to learn more about how recovery coaching, particularly with a focus on codependency and addiction, could support your mental health journey, I invite you to reach out. Let’s explore how we can work together to help you find your footing and move towards a brighter future.
Book a confidential, free 20-minute chat with me today. Let’s talk about you.
Warmly,
Roslyn Saunders
Addiction & Recovery Coach
Registered NDIS Provider (Psychosocial Recovery Coaching)
Member of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT)
