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The Ukraine Crisis: HealthFirst’s podcast No 3

Advice for talking to children about the invasion of Ukraine

As we continue to stand with and support Ukraine, we realise that all ages are impacted and traumatized by the war. 

Our young people have been facing distressing events over the past two years with COVID, and now, the war in Ukraine. How should parents, grandparents, teachers and other carers talk to children and young people about these events?

Join Dr. Michelle Wright as she talks with child and adolescent psychiatrist and trauma expert Professor Daniel Schechter in HealthFirst’s podcast No 3 (13 min) – The Ukraine crisis: Advice for talking to children about the invasion of Ukraine where they share with us important tips on how we can talk to young people about the events and the crisis happening in Ukraine. 

The Ukraine Crisis: Healthfirst’s podcast No 2

Finding safety in uncertain times: coping strategies to help safeguard your mental health

As Ukraine continues to face this catastrophic war, and horrific images are shown on media platforms, we are all searching for ways to cope.  As promised, here is the 2nd podcast by Dr. Mecky McNeil and Dr. Michelle Wright from Healthfirst, where they offer pragmatic, helpful advice and strategies to help safeguard your mental health during these difficult times. 

The Ukraine crisis: HealthFirst’s podcast No 2 (7 min) – Finding safety in uncertainty: coping strategies to help safeguard your mental health.

We hope that the sharing of these podcasts continues to help as this crisis continues to affect not only the people of Ukraine, but the entire world, both physically and mentally. We stand with the people of Ukraine.

The Ukraine Crisis: Heathfirst’s podcast No 1

Making sense of your feelings in uncertain times

We recently had the privilege and opportunity to attend and complete a Mental Healthcare programme with some of our alumni.  As we enter the second month of the Ukraine crisis, our facilitators, Dr. Mecky McNeil (also an alumna with CfC), and her colleague Dr. Michelle Wright, with HealthFirst, have prepared a series of podcasts, to offer help and support to those in need now.  The feelings of concern, distress and uncertainty are becoming more challenging by the day. 

We would like to share with you the first of the three podcasts: The Ukraine crisis: making sense of your feelings in uncertain times.  We hope that you will find these podcasts helpful and be sure to look out for the 2nd and 3rd podcasts in the series next week.

Online ensa Mental Health First Aid Training for our Swiss Graduates

 

We are delighted to announce that we have arranged a personalised offering of this important course on Mental Health for all Graduates of the Centre for Coaching (Switzerland). Dr Mecky McNeil, one of the lead facilitators, is one of our graduates and will therefore bring an Integral focus to the teaching. 

 

WHY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID?

One in four people worldwide suffer from a mental health problem in any one year. But even though mental health issues are common, many people are not well informed about how to recognise them, how to respond to an affected person, or about the treatments available. Plenty of myths and misconceptions exist around mental illness resulting in widespread stigma and discrimination.

The internationally recognized, well-validated, evidence-based ensa Mental Health First Aid programme teaches participants simple, practical skills to help work colleagues, family, friends, or any other person in need. Participants learn how to recognise signs of mental ill health in others and are encouraged to break down barriers and to listen in a non-judgmental way. They are empowered to respond to people in psychological distress, including in a crisis situation, enabling them to access support they might need as part of their journey to recovery.

Several randomized controlled trials have shown that Mental Health First Aid training improves a participant’s knowledge of mental illness, reduces their stigmatizing behaviour towards others and increases self-confidence in their ability to help those in need. In addition, it strengthens the individual’s own mental wellbeing.

A deeper awareness of this subject is essential for coaches, especially during these challenging times.

 

Testimonial from one of our own:

Flora Bami, CfD (previously ACC) and PCC alumna, has had the opportunity to do this course, twice!  Hear what she has to say:

“I had the opportunity to attend both the English and Swiss version of the MHFA training. I thoroughly enjoyed the course delivered by Mecky and Michelle in Geneva; I feel I have learnt some new life skills and tools and gained a greater awareness and understanding of Mental Health issues. I am more confident if I found myself in a situation involving mental health, both in my daily life and my coaching practice. I am armed with the knowledge and skills needed to recognize, empathize, and provide support to individuals with mental health barriers.

This course is very informational, practical, eye opening and enjoyable. The instructors were amazing, knowledgeable, and keeping me engaged as well as handling all my questions with care and the necessary attention. 

I highly recommend this training to everyone but especially to fellow coaches who are open to educate themselves on a deeper level on mental health. Mental Health awareness is critical and necessary to be able to stay present and fully focused on our clients, leaving behind any bias or misunderstandings we may have on mental health from our past”.

Flora Bami, ICF Integral Coach / Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing expert 

 

ONLINE TRAINING ORGANISATION – WHAT TO EXPECT?

The online ensa Mental Health First Aid training is comprised of 7 modules:

  • Each module is 2 hours long (module dates below).
  • Completion of all 7 modules is required to achieve certification as an ensa Mental Health First Aider.
  • Maximum 20 participants.

Course participants will learn interactively online and will be supported by an offline course kit comprising of a course manual and other written materials. ensa will send out the manuals and other materials to the home address of each participant.  Zoom is used as our online training software. Role plays and exercises will be conducted using break-out rooms during the online sessions.

 

MODULE DATES

Module 1: Thursday 3 March 2022 @ 17h30 – 19h30 CET
Module 2: Tuesday 15 March 2022  @ 17h30 – 19h30 CET
Module 3: Thursday 17 March 2022 @ 17h30 – 19h30 CET
Module 4: Tuesday 22 March @ 17h30 – 19h30 CET
Module 5: Thursday 24 March @ 17h30 – 19h30 CET
Module 6: Tuesday 29 March @ 17h30 – 19h30 CET
Module 7: Thursday 31 March @ 17h30 – 19h30 CET

 

FEES

Fees for the online training per participant is 380 CHF (offline course kit included).  

As this is not an open program, registration is through Centre for Coaching (Switzerland). Further details will be provided upon registration.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE

This programme is targeted to all Swiss Graduates of the Centre for Coaching (Switzerland), as the official and legal elements will be Swiss-referenced.

Maximum 20 participants. 

REGISTRATION

As this is not an open program, registration is through Centre for Coaching (Switzerland). Further details will be provided upon registration.

Register with us now.

COURSE FACILITATORS

Dr Mecky McNeil

MBBS BSc MRCGP ACC

As Mental HealthFirst Director, Dr Mecky McNeil helps coordinate and deliver ensa’s mental health seminars and trainings. Mecky is a British-trained General Practitioner (GP) with 15 years of clinical experience. She worked in a large family practice for many years and was also a GP specialist in Cardiology. Always passionate about health promotion and disease prevention, Mecky became a health coach in 2017 after completing her training as an Associate Integral Coach with the Centre for Coaching (Switzerland) and the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. She now focuses on mental health and alongside her role with HealthFirst, Mecky has a part-time role at ensa Mental Health First Aid in Switzerland. This includes developing the MHFA programmes in English, alongside being an instructor trainer and the English ensa instructor co-ordinator.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

The Centre for Coaching invites you to join us in exploring integral Coaching and how this might change your life, and those of who you coach.
Join us to see if our methodology is a good fit for you and you’ll have the opportunity to talk to the Course Directors and faculty about the coaching courses that we offer.

 

Presented by Janine Ahlers, Certified Integral Coach® (MCC) and Craig O’Flaherty Certified Integral Coach® (PCC),
Directors of the Centre for Coaching

 

This informal information event will start with some details on what Integral Coaching is and how our courses are structured, and end with lots of time for Q&A. This event is open to the general public – no need to be a coach – and there is no charge to attend.

*

What makes this style of coaching Integral? Why choose an Integral Approach?  |  How can this style of coaching make a difference in the corporate world?  |   Why choose and ICF approved programme?  |  How does it lead to people becoming self-correcting and self-generating resulting in a greater sense of satisfaction, meaning and purpose?

*

Coaching for Development (CfD)

CfD Information session: Thursday 9 December: 17h30 – 18h30pm CET (Central European Time) / 6:30 – 7:30pm SAST (South African Standard Time)

To register, please click here.

UCT Ranks Top in Africa

UCT came top on the continent in the ShanghaiRanking’s Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2021. It has been ranked in 201–300 band by ARWU 2021, published on 15 August 2021.

This latest ranking means UCT leads in Africa in all five major world university rankings: Times Higher Education (THE), Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), US News & World Report Best Global Universities, and ARWU.

The ARWU ranks more than 1 800 universities across six key indicators and publishes the best 1 000.

OPPORTUNITY FOR FREE COACHING SESSION – Thursday 9 September 2021

The Professional Coaching Course is a year-long programme we offer to people who are developing themselves as professional and personal coaches. As part of that programme, we have opportunities for guests to participate as clients with coaches-in-training who are studying with us.

Experience virtual one-on-one coaching first-hand, on a topic of your choice: examples of topics in the past have included career direction, relationship issues, professional development, leadership challenges, learning a new skill, or you may wish to raise challenges you are facing with regard to the current world situation.

Your participation gives us a way to assess the skill and competence of our coaches-in-training, and your feedback helps us to qualify them for certification as Professional Integral Coaches. Signing up as a guest client also allows you to explore coaching as a professional path and it is an excellent way to find out if Integral Coaching is something you would like to learn and develop.

Full day, fixed session on 9 September 2021 (9:30 – 16:00 SAST & CEST)

  • Your coach is 3/4 of the way through their year-long program.
  • We pair you with a coach on the day of the event.
  • Prior to the session, we do a brief (10-minute) telephonic interview with you to find out a little more about your coaching topic.
  • We ask you to make a firm commitment to being there since your participation is vital to the success of the day.

As this session will take place virtually, there are certain requirements that you would need to meet in order to participate:

  • you will need to be available for the full time 
  • you will need a pleasant, private and quiet place or area with excellent Wi-Fi connection for this time
  • you will need to have downloaded the Zoom platform as well as have experimented working with it

This virtual one-on-one coaching session is a wonderful opportunity for you to be supported as you explore what is important to you.

There are limited spaces available so please sign up NOW and/or direct this on to anyone that you know who might benefit from joining us.

For any queries you can email Anthea on anthea.adams@centreforcoaching.co.za or if you prefer, you can call Anthea on +27 83 412 0372.

More information about the Guest Client Opportunity

What you can expect…

You receive coaching at no charge from a student in our Professional Coaching Course. The student is learning our methodology and practicing it with you. Our students tend to be professionals with significant work and life experience. In many cases, coaching is their second or even third career.

What we ask of you…

We ask you to make a commitment to attend as arranged since your participation is vital. This is part of their qualification and certification process.

What is needed before the session…

You select the coaching topic, and we match you with a student who will coach you. We ask you to tell us about your topic before we connect you with a coach so that we can make the best match. In 99% of the cases, the topics that guest clients pick are within the range of our coaches.

On the day…

You have two conversations with your coach: an initial one where you describe your coaching topic, they ask questions, and they get to know you. In the second conversation, they share with you what they observed and offer you a new way of thinking about your situation. In between, there is a pause when they are digesting and reflecting and you are on your own..

We receive many interested clients but we only have 24 slots available. If you are selected, we will be in touch with you as soon as possible for your interview.

Guest Client sign up for free coaching session

Let us know if you are interested in being considered for a free virtual coaching session as a Guest Client for our Professional Coaching Course in September 2021. To join us, sign up here 

Poem: Solitude by Craig O’Flaherty

Integral Inspiration - Windows inside (c) Craig O
 
 
 
 

Integral Inspiration – poem of the month

 

Solitude
by CRAIG O’FLAHERTY

Breeze’s gentle breath
kisses the mist,
letting soft light
shimmer through.

That instant when
chaos steps back,
into the shrouded haze
beyond us.

When the river’s tongue
laps the bending bank
tasting wet sand,
smoothing footprints away.

Sometimes, we get to stand
in our own sad shadows,
in a solitude
that holds us close.

It’s those moments
that our hearts are waiting
to envelop us, as we
struggle to seek certainty.

And then beauty melts in
from the unpredictable,
as a skyline strokes
our softened eyes.

Coaching Across Language, Gender and Race Boundaries: Lessons from South Africa for Europe By CRAIG O’FLAHERTY

Introduction

Stone Lighthouse - Craig O'Flaherty ©

Stone Lighthouse – Craig O’Flaherty ©

DNA research is causing us to look at history in new ways. From its very beginning Europe has been a seen as a ‘melting pot’. It’s a history that up to now, has been believed to be founded on waves of migration, invasion and colonisation from its earliest times.

This pattern started with groups of hunter-gatherers from Africa as early as 60 000 years ago and continued as separate groups of farmers and herders from the Middle East made their way north. Recent theorists are contesting this and suggesting that there was a single, genetically similar population sprawled across the continent, from Russia, to the Middle East to northern Europe.

So, early history is unclear and under debate. What is much more clear are the new waves of migration and settlement of people from Africa, the Middle East and Australasia into Europe. Unlike previously, they do bring embedded genetic, cultural and language differences that need to be bridged for co-existence and integration to happen. Many professions, such as engineering or medicine, are being challenged by this as the immigration (especially resulting from the recent ‘Arab Spring’ and events in Syria) is bringing marked differences in language and culture that need to be bridged. And coaching is one of these professions.

Coaching in a country such as Switzerland, and in particular in cities such as Geneva, means that you are coaching people from global organisations and representative bodies from the furthest reaches of the globe. And the one mantra that coaching needs to live by is ‘meet the client where they are at’, not from where you are, or how you see the world. So, what do we need to do as coaches to build this capacity and coach from this place?

Some ideas are shared below to consider certain key questions:

  • What are the multiple dimensions to take account of?
  • What are coaches from multi-cultural contexts doing to bridge these?
  • How might we apply them in our coaching in a rapidly changing Europe?

What are the different dimensions that need to be traversed?

Coaches working in an international context such as Europe need to formulate a holistic model as part of their framework and that model needs to have a way of integrating diversity issues effectively. As The Centre for Coaching, founded 15 years ago and allied to The University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, we met this challenge from day one in South Africa, with its vivid multi-cultural society. From there our work has spanned Africa, as well as the world. One of the philosophies that has underpinned our work was research conducted by Professor Steve Burgess in South Africa. His work highlighted the emergence of ‘tribes’ – a typology of 16 South African groups that had discernible patterns of consumer and public behaviour. His core finding:

“Although racial identity has an influence, there is no evidence to suggest that it is a pre-potent influence on behaviour. In fact, there is evidence to suggest that racial identity is a very weak influence on behaviour in most situations, even in a country where it is artificially exaggerated by one of the most powerful social engineering and propaganda campaigns in human history”1

The essence of his findings was that ‘social identity’ was a more powerful determinant and predictor of human behaviour than race. In coaching terms this brings us back to a powerful question: If we are coaching, can we use a process and models and flow that tap into deeper issues such social identity, rather than more superficial layers such as race?

How are coaches from multi-cultural contexts working?

In order to accommodate this diversity and ensure that we as coaches are able to bridge the differences in culture, we have been using a framework called Integral Coaching developed by James Flaherty at New Ventures West in San Francisco. It’s a process which invites the coach to ascertain and coach from within the coachee’s Structure of Interpretation (SOI). SOI is an embodied way in which the client engages with the world, embodied because it’s embedded into how the client acts and behaves in the world around them. It informs how the coachee:

  • Thinks – interprets the world around them to create meaning
  • Feels – the emotions they attach to events, people and circumstances
  • Acts – the behaviours they engage in in reacting to what’s occurring around them.

How coaches are using this way of working with their coachees is extremely powerful. It means that Integral Coaches are:

  1. Helping clients to build a new way of interpreting their world
  • Using Structure of Interpretation to interpret how the client is behaving and acting in the face of challenges that confront them. Typically, clients are reacting, acting or speaking in a way which they are not alert to and which may be having undesired consequences for those they engage with and themselves. An example would be reacting aggressively or defensively when challenged at work. The Integral Coach would work with their client to:
    • Help the client to frame this into an Existing Narrative© – a ‘story’ that captures the role the coachee is playing in the context of the world as they interpret or see itg. ‘Fighter – one at odds and at war with one’s surroundings’
    • Work with the client to design a New Narrative© – a story that could capture how they could show up differently in the world, e.g. ‘Connector – where the client aspires to and builds the competencies to engage with themselves and clients in a new way that generates different outcomes.
  1. Working with the client to design a way forward to build new awareness & skills
  • Working with the client to design some Self-Observations© – a daily way of watching and observing themselves that the client can engage in to help them understand just what triggers their behaving in a certain way e.g. “Fighter Triggers” – an observation where the client stops two or three times a day to notice who or in what circumstances they get triggered to react in an aggressive or reactive way
  • Building some Practices© with the client that build competency e.g. ‘Pausing – a practice that the client does on a regular basis during the day, where the client pauses whatever they are doing, gets a sense of where they are and what they are doing, breathes deeply and then decides if they want to continue the same way. This will, over time, build the client’s capacity to pause when something happens and respond in a considered way versus just reacting.
  • Working with the client to build some Reflections© – something they do at the beginning or end of each day to assess how things went, what they are learning and what they might do differently
  1. Helping the client understand that they are journeying to the new narrative

At each follow-up session working with the Integral Coach the pair would decide what insights are emerging, what capacity for a more considered and thoughtful way of engaging with their world the client is building and what is resulting, and what other practices, observations and reflections the coachee might engage in to help them to respond to their life from deeper within the new narrative they are building towards.

Conclusion

Coaching across boundaries of language, culture and race requires deep sensitivity and appreciation. But more importantly it means working at a depth that is common and unites us fellow beings. In line with the most recent research which hypothesises a ‘genetic similarity’ to the original settlers of and wanderers across the European continent so long ago, Integral Coaching provides a way of working with the unique Structure of Interpretation that each of us as individuals have and avoids the danger of classifying people by definitional category such as race or culture. It is not that these do not exist but Integral Coaching is looking for things that unite rather than separate us. This allows coach and client to build bridges across their differences and work on the deeper qualities and capacities of what it means to be a human being.

1. Burgess, S M (2002) SA Tribes – Who we are, how we live, what we want from life, David Phillip, Cape Town

Further reading: Diversity in Coaching: Working with Gender, Culture, Race and Age, edited by Jonathan Passmore (2008)

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Coaching Out Your Best!

A good coach will help you to notice your unconscious patterns of behaviour and habits, to self-correct and to think up action plans and solutions. You may even discover leadership strengths you weren’t aware of.

You might be wondering how somebody in a small, entrepreneurial company or in a large multinational or international organization could benefit from a coach. Well, regardless of the business, a coach can help you explore important questions, such as how can I contribute, what is my role, how do I overcome challenges and what is my style of leadership? Hard questions we should all be asking ourselves occasionally.

A coach is not there to give you direct advice or to rescue you. A coach is there to listen really carefully and to focus on you – your thoughts, how your emotions play out and how your patterns of behaviour may or may not be helping you. A coach then helps you see how your behaviour and habits contribute to the challenges you are facing in the office.

Finally, a good coach will work with you to develop new capabilities to notice your own – previously unconscious – patterns of behaviour and habits, to self-correct and to eventually come up with action plans and solutions to your problems without the coach needing to be there. We call this “self-generating”. You should end up feeling more capable, fulfilled, confident and successful too.

© Paulus Rusyanto | Dreamstime.com© Paulus Rusyanto | Dreamstime.com

SIX TIPS TO BECOMING A BETTER, HAPPIER EMPLOYEE

  1. BECOME A LEADER

It may not sound like it, but the more leadership capacity you develop, the less you will need to do. Start by making your requests clearer and as specific as possible, and do it with a posture of confidence.

  1. WE ALL LEAD DIFFERENTLY. OWN THIS

Discover your unique “something”. You were not hired because you resembled a previous leader but because your particular skills and talents are what are required for the job.

Regardless of your sex, within each of us we have masculine and feminine types of energy that we tap into. Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, you will utilise either your masculine or feminine energy (doing v being, aggression v surrender, analytical v intuitive, rushing v nurturing, concrete v abstract, and so on).

How to do it:

Ask yourself which energies are the most easily accessible to you. Which do you struggle to connect with? Which do people around you seem to respond to best? Become curious and you’ll see how it can impact your leadership style and choices.

  1. CLAIM YOUR SPACE

If you have been given an area of responsibility, accept it. If you are surprised by a leadership role, that uncertainty could make you feel it is undeserved. By claiming your space you will have a sense of belonging. And the people around you will also know that you belong.

  1. LET GO INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF WORK

The dynamics around roles for men and women have changed dramatically over the past few years, so working effectively is often about playing to each other’s strengths. If you tend to hang on to a particular task or role, ask yourself what might happen if you just let go a little bit. In particular, start noticing what you are not so good at, or what you enjoy the least.

Look around to see what might open up if you didn’t insist on such extremely high standards, or who might be the opposite to you and actually enjoy doing it, or who has the potential to develop into that space (forget the traditional male/female gender roles here). Very often people try to hold on too much. This can result in everything suffering through overcommitment.

  1. SEEK OUT AND USE MENTORS

Your support structure will be stronger when it’s linked to a mentor. That is someone who has gone through what you are about to go through. If you’re in a leadership position and don’t have a mentor, you are missing out on a valuable support network.

But even those who are not in appointed leadership roles need mentors. It’s a good time to seek out a mentor – formally or informally – at any time when you are facing lots of new challenges and situations. The first five years in the working world can be incredibly challenging, for instance. Learning the ropes, and getting to understand the ins and outs of a complex industry such as the property field is an ideal time to build a network of support.

How to do it:

Look around. Whom do you admire? Who looks or feels like you would like to look and feel? Who seems on top of their game? Who seems most knowledgeable? Make a list, no matter how out of reach that person might seem to you. Once you have a shortlist of one to three people, consider how you might approach them to ask if they would be willing to mentor you. It is a fact that many successful people are only too happy to share their tips and secrets of success. A mentor also gets a lot out of a mentoring relationship, so don’t hesitate to ask somebody. At worst they could say no – but even then, they will remember you.

  1. NOT EVERYBODY CAN BE THE BOSS

Sometimes leadership is not about being the boss at all. In a small entrepreneurial environment in particular, everybody should be a leader in his or her own right. Sure, there might be some areas requiring direction, but a small office needs people to be able to think for themselves, to roll up their sleeves and do things together or separately.

Take a look around and see what it is that you can get working on. Which areas can you take the lead in, show initiative and add value? A small office team thrives and grows when each individual behaves as if they are their own boss. And like all good leaders, those individuals can then start looking out for those around them. This can create a really vibrant, supportive, dynamic office environment of leaders all aiming for the same overall goals.

 

Janine Everson
Academic Director
Centre for Coaching (Pty) Ltd

 

Article originally published on Property Professional (http://www.propertyprofessional.co.za/coaching-out-your-best/)