Life Coaching in a mental health context

Life coaching in a mental health context related to statutory services is not a new discipline.  However to date, the term ‘Life Coach’ has hardly been used, if at all.  A coaching approach for clients referred from primary and secondary care is usually delivered by external agencies working alongside statutory health teams.  Such agencies might offer coaching along the lines of a bridge building or recovery service.  Life coaching is poised to play a much larger role than hitherto.

Clients with long-term mental health conditions can often be ‘stuck’ and can suffer from poor motivation. Often this is down to the low expectations that surround the person who has a mental ill-health diagnosis. The client’s own expectations, hopes and goals may be positive and high but they will stagnate if not addressed by support teams.  Conversations about goals, hopes and aspirations are still rare in the statutory mental health field.

As a trained social inclusion bridge builder my role demands coaching dialogue and rapport.  The role also uses GROW techniques and life planning.  The initial assessment with client uses a wheel of life that deliberately incorporates mainstream social domains.  Bridge builders use this wheel or social inclusion 'web' because it is based on the belief that recovery takes place in mainstream.  The philosophy lies at the heart of social inclusion planning and has been promoted by Shepherd, Boardman and Slade (2008), the NDT (National Development Team) and influential mentors including Dr. Pat. Deegan.

An example of mainstream life coaching is my client David (name changed). He was referred to mainstream services through the community mental health team.  My first task with David was to establish rapport and for us to complete a mainstream wheel of life together. David took me through the social domains he had previously accessed and in what depth – a little, a lot or not at all.  Domains include areas such as education, employment, volunteering, the arts, sports, family and friends, cultural and faith communities.  We also noted down on the wheel names of significant individuals in any of the areas indicated by David.  The wheel started to look similar to the Recovery WRAP but with the social inclusion web there is less emphasis on harmony between different life domains.  This is because the segments are social domains related to the mainstream community. No one is expected to have an interest or experience in every single domain. 

The next stage of the wheel was to help David identify social areas where he wished to grow as a person.  This is how the coaching contract takes shape.  David identified up to three goals or areas that he wished to work on and I am contracted to write these up in order of priority.  I am also contracted to help enable David to access these areas within a specified time frame. 

David prioritised music practice as his main indeed, only mainstream priority.  He is a skilled guitarist and passionate about music with currently no mainstream outlets to back it up.  As the Arts bridge builder within the team, it is my responsibility to help David access a mainstream music outlet according to his requirements, as part of his recovery pathway. As bridge builder I also need to know which outlets exist locally and further afield. I give David as little or as much support as he requests in liaising with these venues.  Other areas of the contract are also discussed together – the question of disclosure, mainstream support, sources of funding if required. Again, the choice to disclose or not is up to the client when he or she accesses the venue.  I will never disclose on the client’s behalf.

I must stress that bridge building or mental health coaching is not mentoring.  In this case I happened to share a mutual interest with the client but I am not his mentor. Mainstream is the mentor.

Bridge building, life coaching in mental health can certainly help clients from being stuck. The contact with mainstream life based on their personal choices has a visible and measurable recovery impact.  This is not to say that relapses don’t occur but in almost every case where a client has sustained a relationship with mainstream over time, they have been able to pick up the mainstream activity again post-relapse. As Shepherd, Boardman and Slade put it: ‘Recovery takes place regardless of symptoms or problems’ (New Horizons research 2008).

I see life coaching in mental health as a non-support role.  A client needs as little or as much support as he or she requests.  A social inclusion life coach helps set up the process through which a client discovers a mainstream recovery pathway. If the client sustains this relationship independently that is all to the good. The bottom line is change but often all that is required for people with long-term mental health conditions is the opportunity to experience change.  Due to the culture of low expectation it is often the case that people 'stuck' in long-term health services are marginalised.  They can be excluded almost by default from simple processes of change and re-adjustment that the rest of us might take for granted. 

Mainstream life coaching allows a conversation based on personal goals, hopes and dreams.  Out of these conversations emerge SMART practical actions that take place in the mainstream community without stigma or prejudice

Life Coaching - Key Professional Standards

The key professional standards for the coaching profession are set out under the EMCC (European Mentoring & Coaching Council) Code of Ethics.  The code of ethics covers broad ethical standards advocating that coaches uphold diversity, equal opportunities and human dignity.

Under the ‘Competence’ area of the Code of Ethics the coach pledges to operate to a degree of capability and expertise appropriate to client’s needs.  The coach also pledges to continuing professional development and supervision under a suitably qualified Supervisor as set out in the EMCC guidelines.

EIA stands for European Individual Accreditation which is the relevant accreditation for a newly qualified or about-to-qualify Life Coach.  EQA stands for European Quality Assurance which is the benchmark accreditation for coaching providers.

The EIA distinguishes between four levels of Coaching practitioners:

Foundation ● Practitioner ● Senior Practitioner ● Master Practitioner.

There are eight Coaching / Mentoring categories covering:

• Self-Awareness
• Commitment to Self-development
• Managing the Contract.
• Building the Relationship.
• Enabling Insight. Outcome and Action.
• Use of Models, techniques and tools.
• Establishing a culture of evaluation of outcomes 


There are specific capability indicators for each of these categories relevant to each of the four levels of Practitioner.

The EMCC Code of Ethics requires that all members have regular supervision. It is up to the individual coach to seek a supervisor or supervisory body that is appropriate to the life coaching area in which the individual coach has chosen his or her practice.  EMCC offers professional membership and EIA European Individual Accreditation requires a renewal or re-assessment every 5 years.  Other coaching bodies also offer professional membership, for example ICF (International Coaching Federation).

Life Coaching Contracts

Individual Coaching

A Life Coach working with an individual client should have developed his or her own way of explaining what the contract means. John Vanek’s core coaching contract is:

 ’You have contracted me to help you identify areas that you wish to work on for change or progression in your life. You have also contracted me to help you generate SMART goals and review them as the coaching sessions continue’.

A coaching contract is a working alliance between coach and coachee, so practical and wider arrangements must also be covered. These include the coaching environment, safety, confidentiality, mutual responsibilities, openness and honesty. A word of caution: keep the core contract simple. If you talk over too many details to new clients however well you may mean, it can look as if you are talking AT them.

Team and multi-handed contracts

Team coaching takes place when an organisation specifically requires the services of a coach for the achievement of goals and outcomes designed to benefit company or departmental performance. As with individual coaching, team coaching starts with the contract – what does the client want to work on and what can the coach offer. As www.mindtools.com puts it the questions around goals and mission ‘are written with the client in mind, although they may also need to be covered with other stakeholders. This is when there are multi‐party contracts such as those involving the client’s line manager or the HR officer who is organising the coaching arrangements’. Once again, communication and planning are key.

Group Coaching

Group coaching is different again from team coaching. Team coaching often focuses on the work of a team within an organisation to identify specific company or departmental goals. Group coaching can be flexible and adaptable for a wide spectrum of coaching scenarios. Most of us on this training have been asked to deliver group coaching at one time or another. For group coaching the contract is very similar to individual coaching. It should show how the coach is part of a contract that has been engendered by the client. It should pledge a safe and confidential environment, outlining mutual responsibilities, openness and honesty. It should also cover clients’ expectations of the coaching. Introduce ownership from the outset. A clearly communicated contract summary should be given along with practical arrangements and the nature of the working alliance.

James Morrison 'Demons'

Visions and Voices:Leicester 2015

Here it is! The short film about and by the team of visual artists, musicians, poets, animators, writers and singers based in Leicester. Visions and Voices showcases their talents and commitment to the arts, mental wellbeing and social inclusion. A big thank you goes out to everyone involved.

Wesser Foundation funds Leicester arts and mental health film project

The music production and animation project for people with long-term mental health conditions started in March 2015 in Leicester at the Richard Attenborough centre.  Funded by the Wesser Foundation, the project aims to create social inclusion and creative outcomes.

I chose Leicester for several reasons.  One because it is near my fundraising team in Coventry.  It also happens to be in a county with an excellent track record of providing arts programmes for people with mental health conditions.

I met with Tim Sayers and Lydia Towsey who are facilitators for the Leicestershire NHS Arts in Health team.  Tim and Lydia have been running an arts group every Wednesday at the Richard Attenborough centre.  It was great to meet with the lively bunch of around twenty people who attend regularly and who all create their own visual arts and multimedia pieces.

Lawrence Mathias was an obvious choice as tutor.  He is experienced in teaching a wide range of client groups, often people who have been excluded.  Lawrence is also a musician, animator, painter and writer with a history of successful exhibitions, community projects and short films.

The rationale behind the the project is that arts and creative opportunities play a key role in enabling recovery and coping pathways for people with mental ill health.  Just as importantly, making art is something that people wish to do for their own pleasure and self-development.  There is no reason why individuals shouldn't be able to take part in the arts, regardless of whether or not they experience mental ill health.

Participating in a group that meets in a mainstream community arts venue such as the Richard Attenborough centre, is part of the social  inclusion remit of the project.  In this way, clients are not being marginalised in day centres, clinics or hospitals.  The group members choose to make artworks because of their desire and ability to create.  They are not being 'measured' for the project on the basis of any medical diagnosis or history.

The project has been designed as five two-hour workshops led by Lawrence.  The emphasis has been for participants to work on their own creative ideas, either individually or in collaboration.  The outcome is a short animation film designed to be shown at film festivals as well as online.  No specific theme was suggested so participants are able to work from their own inspiration and ideas.  Many people who took part are also musicians and writers so Lawrence was able to record a wide variety of material for the film's soundtrack.

The final cut will feature harmonica, tabla, singing, ukelele, guitar, spoken word, cartoons, storytelling and a wide spectrum of visual art.

Participants have provided testimonials which were all positive:

'I enjoyed each session and learnt how animation is made.  Recording with Lawrence was amazing.  I played harmonica and sang a song' (Rajik)

'I found the sessions very encouraging and learnt a lot about animation and recordings' (Christine)

'I enjoyed myself with art and films with music.  It helped me to find out new points of view.  I love seeing everyone have a good time and improving' (Mandy)

'Fantastic!  I didn't know when to stop creating images.  Working with Chris' words and my pictures took me back to my days in advertising.  The old days of creativity came flooding back to me - brilliant!' (Martin)

'The art sessions as a mixture of pastels, crayons, charcoal, felt tips help you to create your own drawings such as landscape, simple art, portrait etc. Great communication and support.  Very interesting (Vicki)

'Really enjoyed being part of the project.  It has been a great opportunity to share my work with other people' (Toni)

Mental ill health affects one in four people in the course of their lives.  It can happen to anyone at any time.  Arts and social inclusion play key roles in helping with recovery and management of a mental health condition.  Above all, people who are artists or enjoy creating artworks in any form should always feel able to participate as equals.

Many thanks to the Wesser Foundation for having the generosity and vision to provide funding for this project.

Priestess Abby Oliveira

Derry Playhouse Recovery through Creativity

The ‘Recovery through Creativity' project final exhibition of Visual Art and Photography launched in The Playhouse, Derry~Londonderry on Friday (March 27).

This exhibition of paintings and digital photography showcases eight months of work done by ‘Recovery through Creativity' project. The individuals worked with Denzil Brown and Jerrie Getty towards this exhibition and an accreditation through the Open College Network.

One of the course participants John Gormley said how important this opportunity has been for him personally:

"I've loved photography all my life.....I suffer from depression and I found this project very good in helping me getting back into photography. It has given me something to focus on and given me back an interest. This project has given me confidence -not so long ago I couldn't go out of the house." After this project I plan to save up for a really good camera." 

Participants took part in the programme through Rossdowney Recovery Services; Helen Ferguson AN Occupational therapist recognises the benefits of arts engagement for the group saying:

"As well as the development of artistic skills, the experience was also designed to provide therapeutic benefits to those who participated including; enabling self-expression, raising self-confidence, providing an opportunity to connect with others and have ‘time out' from the anxiety laden preoccupations of everyday life. The art work produced is stunning and we hope this project will inspire all those who participated to get involved in other creative projects in the local area."

Funded by the Public Health Agency CLEAR project, the programme came together through a collaboration between the Western Health and Social Care Trust and The Playhouse.

Education officer at The Playhouse Edel Murphy said "This excellent example of partnership working between the arts and the health sector recognises how arts and creativity can support good mental health. There are beautiful pieces of work on display, however the learning and overall creative experience will have a lasting impact on all those who took part."  

The ‘Recovery through Creativity' project final exhibition of Visual Art and Photography is launching in The Playhouse, Artillery St, Derry~Londonderry on Friday (27 March) at 1pm. All are welcome. The exhibition will remain in the Playhouse for visitors from Friday March 27 to Thursday April 2.


http://www.derryplayhouse.co.uk/news/article/recovery-through-creativity-exhibition-launch/274

Team of the Year 2014

David's Story

I first met David in the spring of 2009. He was referred to me from the community mental health team and was one of my first clients in my role as a social inclusion bridge builder. I knew very little about him except that he enjoyed playing guitar. This was key information as it meant that David might benefit from the skills of an arts bridge builder like myself to help enable him to access music activities in the mainstream community.

The first meeting with David took place at the unit where he lived with five other people who had also had spells in mental hospitals. David was happy there and had no desire to move to independent living.

Our first meeting didn't look promising to begin with. David was clearly uneasy and anxious. He adopted an almost semi-foetal position on the living-room settee. He was prompted to give answers to my questions by a well-meaning but misguided home manager. Her blunt interjections did nothing to make him more forthcoming about himself nor about any areas he might wish to follow up in mainstream life. Thinking that not much progress had been made, I eventually made another appointment with David for us to meet together in a week's time at the nearby Costa’s.

Just as I was getting up to go, David said: 'Do you want to see my new guitar?' 'Yes’ I replied, speaking not only in my role as an arts bridge builder but also as a fellow-musician and enthusiast. David ushered me into his room, where I was immediately struck by a dazzling array of music-related gear.

Back in his secure personal world David became animated and talkative. He showed me round his collection of guitars, music effects, recording equipment, amplifiers, CDs, music and tech magazines. ‘Do you want to hear something I recorded?’ he asked. David’s playing was impressive - clearly no slouch he had obviously spent hour upon hour meticulously learning guitar and studying his mentors who included Carlos Santana, Steve Vai and David Gilmour.

I knew then that I would have a reasonably smooth ride signposting David to outlets that suited his own main choices and goals. Any difficulties would not arise from David but if anything, from the detailed red tape of sorting out arrangements through the mental health team.

As it turned out David’s clinical team were very helpful. I introduced David to the local recording studio where he chose to do a weekly two-hour rehearsal session, bringing his own guitar. This was deemed to be a key part of his care and recovery plan. Social services were initially difficult to work with but eventually agreed to fund it through the ‘direct payments’ or personal budgets system.

Five years on, David continues to make great progress. The recording studio remains one of his main lifelines into accessing mainstream life. He has teamed up with fellow musicians on a variety of projects and was a key contributor to the short animation film ‘Mr. Fox’s Night Out’, screened at the Wimbledon International ‘shorts’ festival.

Many other milestones have been achieved. David took a part-time job as an assistant at the recording studio. He continues to collaborate regularly with other musicians, many of them his peers - mental health survivors.

None of these milestones could have been achieved without the idea that lies behind it. Mental health recovery and care plans that incorporate the client’s goals, hopes, dreams and aspirations. Assessments that help the individual to identify personal aspirations. Above all, the individual must be permitted to operate in mainstream settings outside hospitals or day centres.

Every client who has been through mental health services will already have been appraised many times on the basis of his or her diagnoses and history. A different discussion with the client on the basis of goals, hopes and personal priorities enables a break away from purely clinical approaches. It also permits what can turn out to be highly successful transitions back into mainstream life and social inclusion without prejudice.

(Names changed where appropriate)

Mister Fox - the follow-up movie!!

JVT is delighted to announce that seedcorn funding has been secured for the next animation short film. This is great news for mental health, arts and social inclusion. The 2013 'Mister Fox's Night Out' was created entirely by a team of people in south London who happen to have long-term mental health conditions. Production including music production and animation trainings is scheduled to take place early 2015. The project seeks to include people from both London and outside, including the Midlands. JVT is currently recruiting for people with mental health conditions who are keen to develop music production and animation skills. If you are or wish to know a bit more, simply drop me an email johnlvanek@gmail.com

Sir Ken Robinson's brilliant funny talk about creativity

Sir Ken Robinson's brilliant and funny talk about creativity and education

Brilliant video poem about isolation and the need for inclusion

Managing the Challenge - self-management in mental health

Edd Donovan

When does a client become a colleague?

In 2013 a successful collaboration between JVT (John Vanek Trainings) and ACAVA (Association for the Cultural Advancement of Visual Arts) led to the making of the animation short 'Mister Fox's Night Out'. 

Funded by Merton Arts Development, the film is entirely the work of a small team of people with long-term mental health conditions and was shown at the 2013 Wimbledon Film Festival.

'Mister Fox's Night Out' has been developed from approaches to mental health recovery that focus on social inclusion and person-centred practice. 

The clients who put together a team engaged in the making of a short film, have ventured a long way into inclusive practice. As one participant put it: 

'We started with nothing, got totally engaged, achieved a great deal and with an end product'.

When individuals are enabled to take full ownership of a project from start to finish, a transformation takes place. Individuals once categorised as 'clients' become colleagues.

John Vanek has worked in the field of mental health since 2006. Since 2013 he has been a freelance fundraiser for arts and social inclusion projects. He also works as an independent fundraiser for St. John Ambulance and the 'Make a Difference' campaign to promote first aid training to school pupils between the ages of 5 to 17 years.

Polly Trope

'Mr. Fox's Night Out' animation film

'Mr. Fox's Night Out' is the animation short created by south London animators, musicians and scriptwriters.

Successfully shown at the Wimbledon Film Festival, the film is a triumph of collaboration by a team of creative people who happen to come from backgrounds of mental illness.

2013 Review of the Year

It has been a momentous year for JVT.  The first showing of an original animation short film at an international festival.  The creation of an original music soundtrack and a fresh round of music production and animation workshops.  'Mister Fox's Night Out'

The best part of 2013 is that all this original art work - animation, soundtrack, scriptwriting was the outcome of teamwork by of people who often are not given the chance to participate in creative projects of any kind.  The reason?  Due to the stigma that still surrounds the whole vexed area of mental health conditions.

Let's try and unpack this a bit.  The word 'stigma' is bandied around a great deal when it comes to questions of mental health.  It has become a bit of a buzzword, an unexamined concept in many ways.

Is there really a stigma around mental ill-health? Is there really anything preventing anyone regardless of their mental health, from doing anything he or she might wish to do in mainstream society?

In some ways there is no such thing as stigma.  Most mainstream venues are open for anyone to use, whether they happen to be service providers, community groups or commercial organisations.

I don't see art galleries, music studios, libraries, shops actively discrimating against people with mental health conditions.  Also, these providers are legally bound under equality administration as well as their own policies and insurance agreements, to provide equal access to all consumers of their services.

Undoubtedly, there is discrimination by some employers and stigma unfortunately still exists in the job market.

There is also what might be called a 'sideways' stigma that comes from unlikely areas, even from health services that can be closely involved with mental health recovery.

For example, it is still quite common for arts projects involving people with mental health conditions to be identified as or sourced from therapies.  Nothing wrong with therapies but the approach can still tie individuals down to their diagnoses.

A therapy, arts or otherwise, addresses a care need that is related to a clinical condition.  It does not directly address an aspirational need nor does it address individuals' goals, hopes and dreams.  That does not mean to say that therapies do not enable people to make progress in their recovery pathways.  They can often be crucial.

However, it is only when individuals can be signposted to mainstream areas matched to their stated and chosen goals and interests that substantial self and group development takes place.

Access to mainstream has been part of the philosophy of health recovery and social inclusion for the best part of thirty years.  In terms of social inclusion it goes back to the civil rights movement and even further.

I applaud the makers and collaborators of 'Mister Fox's Night Out' for their bold venture into the world of mainstream creative arts.