Therapeutic Coaching®: Watch for the Road Signs Along the Way

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We often get asked, “what can I use Therapeutic Coaching® for? How is it useful, and where can I apply my skills? We thought that perhaps it would be useful to have our graduates talk a little about their experiences. How Therapeutic Coaching® has impacted them personally and professionally, as well as the areas professionally that they have been able to implement their skills. Our graduates have used their skills to set up private coaching practices, enhance their current practice. They have gone into the medical field as advocates for patients, and have started corporate consulting. These are just a few of the many diverse areas our graduates have taken their skills and applied them successfully. The following is a story from one of our students about how they have been impacted by their training and how their training has impacted their professional life:

What do I do now? A question I have asked myself numerous times since graduation, June 2003. I am pretty sure I am not alone in this process of deciding how and what I want to do with my Therapeutic Coaching Certification.

I have an unconscious knowing of my journey and its destination. There are people coming into my life holding up road signs. I only need to be awake enough to pay attention.

It all started about sixteen months ago. I found myself accepting a sales position at an assisted living residence that specialized in short-term memory loss due mainly to dementia. Many of the residents have Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)it is the most common form of dementia. Scientists believe this form of dementia involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. So what does all this have to do with Therapeutic Coaching?

An amazing thing began to unfold as I worked with the residents and their families. The information I was learning at the Meta Institute specifically about communication, and unconscious processing, was immensely helpful to me when assisting families and caregivers to connect with the resident.

We often take connecting with each other for granted. We can easily establish rapport and a sense of being connected. We don’t realize how important a skill it is and how vital it is to our wellbeing. These skills can be learned. It is the practice of looking beyond the physical and conscious to communicate with the unconscious. As I began integrating classroom learning in my every day work experiences, I found that the residents with dementia responded positively to any direction and suggestion I gave them. My ability to connect and establish a sense of rapport was giving the resident the sense of having my “unconditional positive regard,” and that I was there for them and they had my undivided attention. This is the foundation on which all therapy is based.

I was also able to use my skills to communicate more effectively with the residents. I was watching for signs of their ability to connect with or recognize what I was saying and/or the directions I was giving. It is difficult to describe the sense of fulfillment after verbally helping a resident with Alzheimer’s disease locate the box of tissue on the dresser when they can no longer cognitively recognize what a box of tissue is. Their ability to communicate non-verbally is as evident as any person not affected by dementia. The greatest joy comes in sharing this information with the family and caregivers. It enhances their ability to communicate and connect with their loved one who has this disease, and gives them a new way to feel connected. Ultimately the goal is to have the resident feel this connectedness, to self, others and with his/her environment.

Shirley came into my office one day in a state of distress. She was wringing her hands and unable to formulate a complete sentence. I noticed her nose was dripping. She was saying, “I need uh, uh, do you have uh, uh?” I figured out that she probably wanted a tissue. I told Shirley the box of tissue was on my dresser to my left. It was obvious she had no recognition of left, dresser, or tissue. My intent was to have Shirley help herself. I started to play a game of hot/cold with her. When she moved closer to the dresser, I said,”You are getting warmer.” When she moved away from the dresser I said, “You are getting colder.” Within a short period of time, Shirley found the dresser, the tissue, and wiped her nose, making the connections to herself and her environment. The coup d’etat was when she looked at me smiled and said,”I haven’t played that game in years!” My skills allowed me to find a respectful and compassionate way of connecting to her which ultimately allowed her to connect to herself and her environment.

At a recent networking meeting of Professionals in Aging, someone held up one of my road signs. I mentioned I was no longer working at the assisted living residence because I have started my coaching practice. Everyone was interested in learning more about Therapeutic Coaching®. As a result of the information I shared, I have been asked to put a presentation together for our local police department on how to communicate with people with dementia. I have been asked to do a presentation for a local senior wellness program and in January, I will be collaborating with another nurse to create more awareness of how to communicate effectively and enhance the lives of people with dementia. I had no idea when I went to the meeting that all of this would happen.

When you are deciding what to do with the information you have learned or are currently learning and wondering how you will use it, remember to integrate it into all aspects of your life and watch for the road signs.