Trauma Informed Weight Lifting Coach vs. Trauma Informed Therapist.
Understanding the Difference & Why it Matters
Trauma-informed weightlifting and trauma therapy can be powerful complements—but they are not the same service. Each role has distinct training, scope, responsibilities, and boundaries. This clarity helps ensure safety, trust, and effective care.
Trauma Informed Weight Lifting Coach
What This Role IS:
What This Role IS NOT:
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A movement professional trained to apply trauma-informed principles within strength training
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Focused on physical safety, nervous system awareness, and client autonomy during exercise
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Uses weightlifting as a regulation, resourcing, and empowerment tool
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Understands how trauma may impact:
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Body awareness (interoception & proprioception)
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Stress responses (fight, flight, freeze, dissociation)
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Relationship to effort, control, rest, and achievement
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Designs sessions that emphasize:
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Choice, consent, and pacing
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Predictability and clear structure
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Sensory awareness (breath, load, stance, environment)
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Observes and responds to present-moment physical cues, such as:
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Breath holding
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Sudden fatigue
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Shutdown or agitation
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Encourages self-regulation skills through movement (e.g., grounding, controlled exertion)
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Can collaborate (with consent) with:
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Therapists
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Physical therapists
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Other healthcare providers
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Refers out when emotional or psychological needs exceed coaching scope
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❌ A licensed mental health provider
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❌ A provider of psychotherapy or trauma processing
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❌ A diagnostician
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❌ A crisis counselor
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❌ A replacement for therapy
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❌ A space for detailed trauma disclosure or memory processing
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A trauma-informed coach does not:
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Treat PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression, or dissociative disorders
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Analyze past trauma or childhood experiences
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Interpret emotional responses beyond movement-related context
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Engage in parts work, EMDR, somatic psychotherapy, or clinical interventions
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Hold responsibility for a client’s psychological stabilization outside of sessions
“We may notice how your body responds to training, but we do not process trauma stories, diagnose conditions, or provide mental health treatment.”
Where the Roles Align
Both trauma-informed coaches and therapists prioritize:
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Safety and consent
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Client autonomy
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Nervous system awareness
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Clear communication
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Collaboration when appropriate
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Avoiding retraumatization
How These
Roles Work Together
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With client consent, a coach and therapist may:
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Share high-level observations (not detailed disclosures)
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Align language around regulation and pacing
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Support consistent messaging about safety and choice
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Weightlifting experiences may become resources for therapy
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Therapy insights may inform how training is structured, not analyzed
But they serve different functions.
Clients are never triangulated between providers. All collaboration remains transparent and client-centered.
Why These Boundaries Exist
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To protect clients from confusion or harm
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To maintain ethical and legal standards
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To ensure each professional practices within their scope
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To support sustainable, respectful care
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To avoid retraumatization through role overlap
Trauma-informed weightlifting supports the body’s capacity for safety and regulation through movement. Trauma therapy treats the psychological and emotional impacts of trauma. Both matter—and neither replaces the other.
What This Means If You Train With Me
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You will receive trauma-informed strength coaching, not therapy
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You will always have:
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Choice
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Agency
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Clear expectations
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Emotional responses are respected—but not treated clinically
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If therapy support would benefit you, I will encourage and support referral
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If you already work with a therapist, collaboration is welcome—with your consent