Wellbeing & MIndfulness Green Coaching

This was taken on the last night of a 6 week coaching programme.  The first I had done for Adult Education at Community Education Whangarei, Kamo High School.  Have to say that Shona the co-ordinator is amazing and so organised.

These ladies are quite incredible.  They are just like you and me and yet how little we know of each other. 

We would spend the first part of a 2 hour session/lesson out doors walking with different focuses and environments. We started with a measure of how we were feeling before the walk and then after and you can guess, mostly it was always better. 

It was a real reminder to me about not really having to know or even understand when something feels good for you.  What is important is that you can give yourself space so that you notice you, notice what makes you smile, feel good, laugh and just um hits the spot and follow that as a guide.

I learned a lot from these ladies and was reminded that no matter what we are taught, or the tools we have unless we give ourselves permission and feel deserving to implement them then they will not work.  We only need to make it one tiny small step to show up.  It is a start.

These ladies taught me and reminded me that talking and sharing is one thing but it is in the doing and the being that is another.  I am grateful to them and we are all going to meet up in June to check in with our Wellbeing, Mindfulness and vision statements.  How cool.

Also half of us will being doing a fun/run walk, so how cool is that to be inspired to really walk the talk.  I am grateful. 

Mindfulness

Before you speak, ask yourself:  Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true,

does it improve on silence? - Shirdi Sai baba

It also makes me laugh for some reason. 



OTcoach - Coaching Approach in OT

I am currently developing a workshop about the Coaching Approach in OT and Jen Gash in an amazing OTcoach and has a great web site, has kindly shared some of her resources.  She and I are part of International SIG Group.  Anyone is welcome. 

This narrative from one of her slides:

• Staying with the client, “whole” listening, giving time to think, asking intuitive questions
• Allow their process to unfold and their wisdom to be unlocked 
• Using tools to explore and align values, beliefs and goals

I have just read the Kawa Model and have adapted it for a Wellbeing and Mindfulness Green Coaching 6 week programme in adult education that I started on 23.02.12.  It was only when I allowed myself to adapt this model for the 'well', I guess you could say and specific to Wellbeing and Mindfulness that I am really understanding how much the coaching approach sits so well with OT.

It is a perfect match because these 3 points although of course they are part of enabling skills, as is coaching and OT.  The last point really resonates with me.  I love meaningful and purposeful activity, I get that, however what I have noticed on occasions is that sometimes this is much more than ADL's, functional stuff, roles, and often through asking coaching type questions a persons values, beliefs and goals in life have been revealed not only to the Therapist but also to the client.  Once you tap into this, the flow of life so to speak then we can really engage the client, not that you cannot engage the client anyway with our OT skills, it just that the coaching approach is such that it elicits the whole therapeutic relationship much more quickly, resulting in the client being heard and hearing themselves.

I have been surprised the amount of times I have approached a client (I work 2 days as week in neuro rehab) with so what do you enjoy doing and not even talking about the deficit, impairment yet and the client sometimes comes up with that.  I then ask such obvious questions, like so what do you need to do to be able to do that and this is when options and possibilities start to open up.  Of course as an OT I have ALL THE ANSWERS!!!  I can make great rehab plans, implement a structure and suggest what next, for sustainable on going rehab without me being around,this is not going to last very long.  People are really quite creative and ingenious too.  Almost all of the time this seems to support the client with going to places that they do not want to go to because they are being guided by their values and therefore often their strengths.

I am learning even for myself that when I connect to values more and think about my life flow, it helps me to do the things I don't really want to do.  I am really valuing so much the 'marrying of' OT and coaching skills and feel really blessed to have also discovered the Kawa Model. 

"How do you go from where you are to where you want to be?  I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life.  You have to have a dream a goal and you have to be willing to work for it."  Jim Valvano

I really believe that the dream/goals is driven by our values and once we tap into what really matters, a person can achieve anything.  

OTcoach - Kaizen Muse Creativity Coaching

I feel blessed that everything I do is informed by Occupational Therapy, in terms of purposeful, meaningful, holistic, environment, support structures etc.  Having just read the Kawa Model, which was a hard read for me, however the model itself I feel is useful in terms of grasping the 'unseen', which for me is what being human is and how we are influenced.  It would be surprising if my life was not affected.

I have learned so much about people, what matters, we are all different, have different perspectives and yet experience similar challenges, no matter who we are and what we have achieved. This has become more apparent since I have been coaching, about 6 years now.  Results Coaching Systems started me off on some very powerful strategies, training about communication and processes. 

I started to wonder why am I noticing people more in coaching when I thought I had always noticed people.  I am in the people world.  What I realised was when I am in the OT role, not so much now but it still happens,  I was getting so caught up in my role, the impairment, disability, goal that I often did not really see the client.  I believe what I did was ok and seemed to support the client, mostly, not all the time.  I think the Kawa Model can help with this more obviously now. 

In coaching you go with whatever the client brings with them.  You never know what will appear and your role is to listen, hear, ask the gorgeous curious questions, not for your insights but for the clients and then, well coaching occurs.  This kind of occurs a little in supervision and of course is different because there are a whole host of other aspects/factors that enter the room/space eg client etc.

Over the years, as an OT, coach and supervisor I have noticed and have mentioned on numerous occasions the importance of well being and mindfulness, which implies balance, etc.  Added to that now for me the concept of wellbeing (great, I have my next wellbeing blog when it comes around) is creativity, no matter what form. 

What also informs my life and OT is the coaching approach because of the curious questions, believing a person has what it takes, they know what works for them inside and the belief simply in the process of being human and experiencing all emotion and giving space for the person to be (always a working progress).

As mentioned I feel blessed and now after 3 and a bit years I recognise just how much Kaizen Muse Creativity Coaching can assist OT's to not only connect with the client but more importantly themselves in a realistic fun, powerful way.  When people have been on this journey, magic happens they become who they are meant to be and honestly these ripple affects in all aspects are tremendous.  So I have decided that I would like to introduce all the Muses from Jill Badonsky's 9 Modern Day Muses and a Body Guard, one in each blog, I will rotate themes every 5 weeks. 

Jill was an OT and more importantly is herself, an artist, creator as we all are.  She has been able to capture aspects of life which matter and some how in her gift to us has created an approach, which is tangible, fun and are realistic ways of encouraging us to raise our awareness, embrace all of ourselves, nourish, have compassion, support with our focus, work through perfectionism, sabotage, overwhelm, procrastination with small beautiful steps from Dr Bob Maurer.  I believe this is a gift and want to share that too. 

Each OTcoach blog I would love to share a Muse and apply him/her to some aspect of you, which will take cognisance of how this may be applied to you, the clients and perhaps peers.   The more we listen to ourselves, experience who we are, express ourselves in what ever way, emotions, fun, creativity the more we will succeed and achieve the life we are meant.  There is something about OTs and coaches, they believe adamantly in supporting others to LIVE a meaningful, purposeful life no matter what the challenges are and we can do that for ourselves, why wait to have an illness, injury, life threatening situations.  Why not do it in wellbeing?

A quote from Audacity: Muse of courage and uninhibited uniqueness

"If you are not having fun, reconsider what you're doing".

"I don't know the key to success,
but the key to failure is trying to please everybody"

Bill Cosby, comedian, actor

"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. 
There can be no courage unless you're scared"

Eddie Rickenbacker

Connecting - OTcoach

I returned from the occupational therapy clinical workshops.  The theme was not specifically about connecting yet this was the underlying theme and was both quite strong and core.    Having qualified in 1995, this is the first time that I have felt that such a strong connection is needed and required in our Profession.

I would have to say that I was so amazed and inspired by OT's from all different aspects and loved all the workshops I attended. 

What an incredible bunch of people.  Even the people who were  not doing workshops but I was lucky enough to spend a short time with, blew me away.   What I noticed were the themes of working smarter, leaner and the consideration of Wellness and Well being.   Loved how this was just organically mentioned in workshops as a passing comment, recognising it's importance.   This is my mantra as I have witnessed so many times it's impact on people. 

Below is a TED talk, which initially I thought was a bit whoo whoo, but I figure well I like this and it speaks to me and maybe it could support someone else in a reminder of how lucky we are and just how much power we do have.  If just a few more of us grasped this and honored ourselves and our journeys and had compassion for how we all got to where we are right now, what a difference there would be to the energy in general.

I am so aware that so much is changing and there are so many people out there.  Our Profession is amazing and I love the workshops as they showcase people and their passions.  When you are in the presence of passion, in a way that people want to share so that we all gain, develop and enjoy then what a difference. 

Amazing video - worth the 10 minutes - I promise - about connecting, being present and noticing - gratitude.

We are in an incredible Profession that is based on core, ethical shared values of respect, meaningful and purposeful lives.  We so need to do this for ourselves.  We truly need each and everyone of us as a collective to celebrate our differences and take responsibility of our owning and having honest communication, well being, looking after ourselves and permission to live the best life ever. 

Enjoy the video

Meaningful and Purposeful - OTcoach

I attended the first Positive Psychology Conference in Auckland on the 9th and 10th September 2011. About half way through the first morning I started to pinch myself and ask if what I was hearing was for real – truly. I was in disbelief and finally had to ask someone if what I was hearing/grasping was indeed correct. I ask someone next to me “I am hearing that meaningful and purposeful lives is a new profession in Psychology and it has only really been discovered kind of now?” “Um – pretty much, this is a new arm to Psychology, a selection/choice of interest.”

So now science has caught up with what we have known all along. I still cannot believe this as I write. Bottom line, Psychologists have empirical evidence, in fact lots and lots of research and figures to back up what we do, ie. creating meaningful, purposeful lives based on values and particularly strengths. Now as an OTcoach I have used the coaching approach to remind the client what is working when obviously at times there is so much evidence of what is not working. I often work on values and interests/hobbies first to engage a client, to assist with motivation etc to then rehab. There is of course no order or prescription but basically this is my OTcoach approach.


Hedonia and Eudaimonia were part of nearly every presentation. Hedonia = emotional wellbeing, gaining pleasure immediately basically, if feeling sad, make it better and in an instant make yourself feel good. Eudaimonia = psychological wellbeing and social wellbeing. So now they recognise that emotional wellbeing is not enough and not sustainable and that in fact we need both psychological and social wellbeing. Is this familiar??

Todd Kadshan is a prominent psychologist in USA and we were lucky to have him on Skype. He was fantastic and apologised to Psychologists in general for saying that Psychologists can assess the clients but, if it is not in context, then it means nothing. OT is totally about context, values etc, etc. Can you imagine what it was like to sit there? I did have moments of basking in the knowledge that we get this and knew this and there is a whole Profession out there that does this.

Positive Psychology really promotes and I am 100% behind them in this, is the fact of our own Wellbeing. They liken it to brushing teeth every day and now find it incredible that we do not nurture our own Wellbeing, we do not need to become unwell before we start to look after ourselves. Of course, being Psychologists they have researched this and have evidence that it affects everything and it should be a priority in our lives.    The Wellbeing is of course balance – work, rest, play, mindfulness, dealing with all emotions.


So I still believe that everything I do is informed by Occupational Therapy, even more so now. As much as I was somewhat frustrated that we are not recognised, in the bigger picture I am delighted that finally the concept exists on a much wider scale and in the medical field. It now can impact on so many people that we could not possibly have reached before. I believe to be honest, that my coaching is occupational therapy of the ’well.’ It seems that Positive Psychology is about that too. Of course most Psychologists are working in mental health.


It feels as if we could benefit from their results and use it to remind DHB’s, Government why it matters and that our approach can lead to sustaining health and ultimately could reduce revolving door syndrome and repeated visits to hospitals/GPs.
My dream is that as a whole we as humans can bring wellbeing into our lives, just as we need to brush our teeth and share these concepts with our clients, so they take away tools that assist them for the rest of their lives. The strategies are so simple and yet we find it so hard to give ourselves permission.


So I challenge you to just look at your own life/practice and notice how much you look after your ‘wellbeing’. Please ask yourself what are you getting right and what is working and then celebrate.


Interesting times ahead

Excitement Overwhelm - Get it, Got it, Great ... GIGIG

Get it - what is the real issue
Have just attended an amazing conference, workshop and watched a You Tube video which all speak to me really loudly and resonates so much in personal  life and professional life.  I feel I have hit on something and I have of course not.  I have a lot of energy and making myself feel overwhelm and pressure to share this information with others and consolidate it and use it.  Phew. 

Fact is I am using a lot of it anyway in Occupational Therapy, Supervision and Coaching, which is a great confirmation.  So what is my issue.  What is that I feel pressured to do?

Got it - now I know, what are my choices
I have it.  I am so excited and have all these feelings in my tummy, I want them to stop and I am concerned that I will forget stuff.
Options

• be mindful of my feelings, use ACT to sit with them
• treadmill for 30 mins
• eat my through
• drink wine
• get lost in You Tube
• watch a TED video that is always worthwhile
• play games on the computer
• remunerate about it and do nothing
• bore my husband with it
• write a list/plan of where and how I want to share this stuff
• actually - I have written up notes
• wrote an article this morning
• informed a couple of people already

Need to give myself some compassion and enjoy 3 lovely slow breaths in and out - there done, feel better already.

Great ... I get to

• watch a lovely DVD 2.30 mins of lovely scenery and music
• make room for my feelings and breathe in to them
• make a plan on the new on line Ta Da lists
• then definitely have a glass of wine

Um - what might stop me

• distraction
• eating instead of being - haha
• not wanting to sit with good but uncomfortable feelings
• procrastinating

Great ... what can I do to over come the above

• just do my plan without thinking and judgement

Ta Da

• I am so pleased that I did this here
• Feel a bit vulnerable sharing my experience but hope it helps someone else
• Glad to see how I can sabotage myself sometimes  and ruin something that is really fantastic and exciting - wahoo
• Love the breathing - kind of handy

Celebrate

• Glass of wine
• Enjoying beautiful video and music
• Just being
• Will give myself a gold star - literally in my gratitude note book

What worked - Gratitude

• Writing this, not judging
• Putting things in black and white cannot believe what I have achieved already
• So grateful to have experienced the above and share it

So my challenge or enquiry to you.  Can you think of a time that some really cool happened and you were overwhelmed with how you were going to deal with it.  Try GIGIG and see if it could work for you.

Environments - OTcoach - Occupational Therapy

Person Performance Environment, is such a huge concept for OT. Now I just consider it as part of my practice, creating meaningful and purposeful lives which obviously involves the environment - right! I was reading a book called Mood Mapping, fascinating. It is all about noticing what mood your are in and managing it. Dr Liz Miller was a brilliant neurosurgeon who experienced bi-polar and this book describes how those who suffer from a mood disorder can apply her technique successfully to cope with 'life'. I had it on the shelf for quite sometime, which was sent to me by an awesome OTcoach in the UK, Jen Gash.

She describes just how important environment is, not just at work but at home. The need to have space, some where that is calm, not cluttered, peaceful and safe. I am fortunate that I have a room to work from like that but I hardly ever use it for myself, to just go sit there for a few moments, minutes to just be, time out and yet the rewards would be profound. There is of course out doors, nature, so many wonderful places, especially here in NZ.

I wonder how many of us have access to an environment that is conducive to our needs, even if only for a few moments. If, we do not have that then perhaps we can create our environment from within and not rely on the outside. We can do this and easier then you think. Through mindfulness, day dreaming. We can be at traffic lights, in a busy queue, in a business meeting, in front of someone who is anxious and we can create our own internal environment from where we can practice, breathing, pausing and then choose our next action rather than being reactive.

I wonder how many of our clients are in a chaotic, noisy environment, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that but could we teach them strategies to create the calm, steadfastness of a peaceful inner environment when they may need it. Um, just interesting. I wonder what your environment is like? Do you have somewhere there that allows you to connect with who you are? Does not have to be in an intense meditative way, just somewhere, inner or outer that supports you to be. Try it, the rewards are amazing, just starting even with 5 - 10 breathes, right now!  Just notice your breathing.

OT Rocks - Occupational Therapy Coach - OTcoach

OT rocks!

The pieces are finally coming together. I feel as if I have come full circle with occupational therapy. Having practiced in various roles for 15 years and therefore meeting so many different people, not only clients, but carers, staff, agencies etc., I have learned so much about life and really get that we are all different!! I had not always appreciated that and I did not treat people differently, especially in the earlier years I was so focused on trying to help the client and on occasions was led by diagnosis. I know this is all part of learning. My first role was in mental health and I must admit to this day I believe it is a great grounding and training for interpersonal skills and seeing the person despite the diagnosis.


When I first came to coaching I loved it and it took some time to know what exactly it was that I loved. I know I left feeling enthused about OT again and started to use the enablement and communication skills in all I did, which was noticeable with clients, colleagues, in supervision and generally. This still was not enough though I really still could not grasp exactly what was happening, one day it clicked, well after being part of an international OTcoach SIG, noticing and journalling.


The coaching approach comes from a strengths based model. Much of my training with Results Coaching Systems covered aspects that we covered in our training. I started to also see that I was no longer treating people as if they were sick and needed fixed, which I know is a bit of challenge in our field, that is why we are there!!! I also noticed that in actual fact the type of questions that a coach uses are designed to elicit answers from the person. How would you like to see it? What brings you pleasure? What makes you smile? What matters to you? These were on top of looking at function and purposeful activity, meaningful perhaps in terms of well I need to cook, clean, dress, drive etc but not meaningful in terms of self and here’s the thing. I can honestly say that I have only just really grasped that over the last say 3 – 4 years.


I am also a Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach, we have many tools that I use all the time but one of the biggest aha moments of my life (I have had many!!) was just how much connecting to the self is the key to everything. We are encouraged to explore with a client ways of using creativity, could be aspect at all, gardening, cooking, painting, drawing, writing, sewing, does not matter as you know but for me some how I had this profound aha moment of realising that purposeful and meaningful did not necessary mean functional in terms of ADLs, work, etc. These are of course hugely important to a person’s life but for me I had forgotten the creativity in me.


I then started to change my approach with clients asking them the above type questions. It was clearly obvious at times that dressing independently was definitely a goal or driving etc but I sometimes don’t start there. I start with a leisure activity, an interest, something that is not so focused on functional stuff. What I have found is that a person often, not always can connect to who they are and still are despite a disability, the barriers, once this occurs it seems to have made the rest of rehab more tolerable for a client. They have a balance and can experience pleasure in other ways. One client had a dense stroke and his spark was that he could still love his grandchildren, he was still granddad and they were a part of his rehab – amazing.


Part of our role is to focus on deficits because we are there to facilitate change and/or compensatory methods, adaptations etc, so coming from strengths based model, such as focusing and reminding them what is working, is much more of a balance. It is of course not that simple or easy at but our training lends us to look at the client as a whole, fantastic.


I have also used both coaching approaches in supervision, particularly the questions and balance, checking in with supervisees about what they do for fun, for pleasure, how do they look after themselves in and outside of work. It certainly makes a difference.


The other day I had another huge aha moment, only about 3 weeks ago. I know that I am passionate about OT and kept wondering if I am that passionate how come I want to finish clinically, which will be August 2012 but continue in supervision, supporting students that are not in DHB environments, be part of OT. Through a coaching session with the amazing Jeanette Isaacs Young I realised that everything I do is informed by Occupational Therapy, everything, especially my coaching.


My coaching is all about the person, really getting to know their values, who they are to then support exploration of meaningful, purposeful activities because with out a doubt it leads to meaningful and purposeful lives. I have been working like this as a coach since being certified with RCS but had not really appreciated that I was coming from this angle so much until I did KMCC and after receiving coaching (various coaches), being mentored and mentoring. I also encourage greatly balance, taking time out even for 5 minutes, experiencing all emotions, recognise what cannot be changed, change what can and really know the difference.


If this is not OT then what is? Honestly this was quite a revelation. I shared this with my husband, guess what I said everything I do in coaching is actually occupational therapy in the ‘well’ world. Far out! Well to be honest I used different language but how fantastic. I had just accepted what we do and it is so ingrained now. I love that I have this and have embraced it. I just think that coaching is such an awesome modality for OT but OT rocks, truly it does.

So I emailed our Professional Advisor and told her that I did want to finish clinically but I would be dedicating some of my coach practice to OT. That I am passionate about OT and believe in the profession. It was no surprise to her or the OTcoach SIG of my desire to support others to reignite their passion, their creativity in what they do, find balance, build resilience and live a life according to who they are. To do this for clients and themselves. I will develop a couple of packages re coaching approach but also about balance, small steps, dealing with overwhelm, perhaps bring some creative tools for OTs. I definitely want to create a one day re-treat.

So this may or may not work, it really almost does not matter, what matters is how I feel about it and to share it if I can but if not to live it and know that I am so grateful for what I have. I feel so blessed to be able to supervise and will always do this. I have over the years gained amazing stories and inspirations from the clients I have worked with. There have been so many that have changed my life. They are people just like you and I. I want to always remember I have a person in front of me.

Well what a beginning blog for OTcoach!