What does a mental trainer actually do?

I'm often asked "what does a mental trainer do?" when I mention my profession. The answer is that a mental trainer helps the individual find their "red thread" in life – to break free from vicious cycles, build self-awareness, and set goals that actually work in practice. Values, needs, and goals are always present in the work.A mental trainer works with what's often called "healthy processes." If someone has a mental illness, a mental trainer isn't always the right person to turn to. I do pay attention to what has happened earlier in life – for example in childhood – to help support understanding and acceptance of the current situation, but the focus is always more on the future: how to move forward.

Typical situations that bring people to me:

• Stress and burnout

• Life crises

• Not knowing what you want and lacking direction in life

• Low self-esteem

• Fears and phobias

• Attitude issues- Lack of joy in life

• Lack of motivation

• Other things that limit the individual in life

• Simply wanting an outside person to bounce ideas off

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Much of this overlaps and is interconnected.

Mental trainer or coach – what's the difference?

Another question I often get is how a mental trainer differs from a coach. The line can feel blurry, but a coach usually focuses on a specific goal – for example performance, career, or a defined challenge. A mental trainer works more broadly, with the whole person: thoughts, emotions, physical reactions, and behavioral patterns that connect over time. Goal-setting is part of the work, but the foundation is understanding and strengthening the individual's inner resources – not just reaching one specific milestone.

What happens when you meet a mental trainer?

To begin with, we map out the situation together, through conversation and questions. I can weave in different exercises to support the discussion, and I also provide the individual with methods to practice on their own in everyday life. Questions, exercises, and the individual's active participation form the foundation of mental training – through practice, new automatic behavioral patterns are created, among other things.If the problem is, say, stress, I'd argue you rarely get out of it through talking alone. Your own active practice is a crucial part of the development – for example through relaxation exercises and other methods that support the process and that you can draw on for the rest of your life. How many times you meet depends entirely on the need and the nature of the problem.

Mindfulness as a central part

I weave mindfulness into all of this too, as it's a highly important piece when it comes to managing stress, emotions, and thoughts. I want to emphasize that I never work from a fixed template or predetermined system – it looks different from case to case. I also teach mindfulness as a standalone offering, but it can just as easily be combined with mental training. The combination provides flexibility and added value in the work, but the focus is always on the individual and their needs.

Challenges in this work

The biggest challenge is probably that we humans tend to wait too long before seeking help – we hope the problem will disappear on its own, which of course is entirely possible sometimes. But strong emotions can also hold us back from seeking help: we might not dare, or we carry feelings of shame that hold us back. Sometimes we've convinced ourselves we're weak or inadequate just because we're struggling with a specific problem. We think "this probably isn't that serious, I'll push through" – until we eventually hit "the wall."Another major challenge is that many of us only know about psychologists, therapists, or similar professionals as possible sources of help for mental matters. We tend to think "you only go to a psychologist if things are really bad, and it's hard to get an appointment anyway" – and from there it's an easy step to "I guess I'll just have to manage on my own." But if you struggle with, say, stage fright, or simply speaking in front of your own team, the threshold for contacting a psychologist can feel unnecessarily high. In situations like these, a mental trainer can be exactly the right kind of help.

A real-life example

A client came to me with severe stage fright – they were due to give a presentation to their team and felt paralyzed weeks in advance. We mapped out the situation together, identified which thoughts and physical reactions were triggering the fear, and built concrete breathing and relaxation exercises that the client practiced in everyday life. After a few sessions, they were able to give the presentation – not entirely without nerves, but with a completely different sense of control. That's exactly the kind of "aha moment" I mean when I talk about finding your inner strength.

The best part of the job

The best part of working as a mental trainer and mindfulness instructor is seeing when someone has "figured it out" – when they've found an inner strength and calm by trusting themselves and their own ability. Just as rewarding is seeing someone truly realize that we're all good enough as we are, while always being able to develop further – we're never really "finished." The best reward I get is seeing that look in someone's eyes that says: "I did it."As a trainer, I still feel eager to be part of creating new insights and abilities in people. My passion is health and wellbeing, and I strongly believe in our ability to grow – provided we practice, and give it the time it takes.Do you recognize yourself in anything I've written about, or are you simply wondering what mental training could look like for you? Feel free to reach out – we'll take it from there, at your own pace.

Tanja Wickström

With You – Personal and Mental Training