She pulled me out of the ditch

“ She pulled me out of the ditch, brushed me off and put me on the road to recovery”

“ I knew I had the kind of therapy I needed but I never knew I had it in me to give up drugs, alcohol, cigarettes all in the same year by using her therapy.”

Meeting this individual in 2013 was the time he received help from the Alex Pathways to Housing Mental Health Programs.Testimonial from an individual who was diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

Knowing he was a new client, I introduced myself to him and asked what was happening in his life. He shared he moved from Eastern Canada to Calgary, had a $100.00 in his pocket and if he didn’t get help, he would be gone. Fortunately, he was brought to the program. I asked him about family, he said he was not in touch with them. I said to him “if he wanted to chat more, my office was around the corner, and it was up to him to connect with me.” A week later, he came into my office and said,

“I have been given a second chance, and I am going to take it”.

This was the beginning of our journey together that started with:

THE STAGES OF CHANGE

1.      Pre-contemplation – may not acknowledge their role in the problem

2.      Contemplation – Recognize change is necessary but not sure it is worth the time and energy

3.      Preparation – More open to hearing the possibilities of how to make changes

4.      Action – Ready to take action to create a more positive outcome

5.      Maintenance – Preparing them with an exit plan to address challenges that may occur

SCENARIO:

Note the client process:

Pre-contemplation – he was not showing any interest in the family piece of his life

Contemplation – he had time to think about our conversation and decided “he had a second chance, and he was going to take it.”

Preparation – he was open to hearing what help I could offer and what was involved in the process

Action – he asked - Could we meet once a week? “Yes, it is up to you to commit.” He arrived every week even when he was struggling. The process was:

• Understanding where he was at, what happened during the week,

• what was working, what was challenging him and his thoughts and feelings.

• Each session he was asked what his goal was for the week.

• Sitting at the table, I wrote on a piece of paper what he said and asked if I had written it accurately what he said. He agreed.

• Then he asked – can I have a copy of the paper? I said “absolutely.” A binder was provided so he could keep the weekly conversations in order. He kept sheet.

  
  

Maintenance – He would review the sheets to keep himself on track. The times he was struggling he would go to his binder. The one challenge he discussed was going to see his family which concerned him. I would ask “what was his concern and how did he see himself handling the situation” He learned how to set a boundary. But the key to setting the boundary was important for him to follow through with it and if it was not working, he had an exit plan in place. The visit was successful, which led to connecting more with the family.

His words of confirmation to himself – “I am one of the most successful people in all of Pathways to Housing, and I am example to my family”

His BIG goal was to fly his 3 grandsons out to Calgary and go to Banff. I had a lady called me about having tickets to the Flames Game – did I have someone in mind. I told her about the client’s goal, and this would be a surprise gift. She said PERFECT!

To this day, it brings tears to my eyes, the surprise look when I handed him the 4 tickets to the Flames Game before him and his grandsons headed to Banff. Meeting his grandsons and the smile on his face has been one of many lasting impressions on my journey working with individuals and their families. He had a goal, he did the work and showed others it was possible!!

The process involved Coaching and Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Coaching is a structured, goal focused process that empowers individuals to unlock their potential, enhance performance, and achieve personal professional growth.

KEY FEATURES of COACHING: a systematic approach often incorporating 5 Features of Successful Coaching: Joint Planning, Observation, Action/Practice, Reflection, and Feedback.

·         Goal-Oriented

·         Collaborative Partnership

·         Questioning and Reflection

·         Accountability and Support

·         Empowerment and Self-Discovery

·         Structured Process

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, goal-oriented counseling style designed to strengthen an individual’s motivation and commitment to change. (Developed by clinical psychologists William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick). MI is particularly effective for addressing ambivalence – mixed feelings about changing a behavior- common in areas like substance use, health behaviors, and mental well-being.  

Core Principles of MI:

·         Express Empathy

·         Develop Discrepancy

·         Roll with Resistance

·         Support Self-Efficacy

Foundational Skills (OARS)

·         Open-Ended Questions: Encourage clients to explore their thoughts and feelings

·         Affirmations: Recognize and reinforce the client’s strengths and efforts

·         Reflective Listening: Paraphrase and reflect what the clients say to ensure

understanding and deepen insight

·         Summaries progress and clarify directions: Recap key points to reinforce

progress and clarify direction.

MI is not about giving advice or solving problems for the clients, but about guiding them to discover their own reasons for change through the process- “The Stages of Change”

NOTE: The individual used the word Therapy. I am not a therapist/counsellor, I am coach using coaching skills along Motiavational Interviewing as part of the process of change.

KEY POINTS

#Coaching

#Motivational Interviewing

#Knew where at

#Stages of Change

#Had a goal

#Family connection

#Successful person

Mona Cooley - Coaches Family Group Sessions involving coaching and motivational interviewing and when needed psycho-education ( primary goal is to empower families/caregivers with knowledge due to lived experience, initiated the idea of psycho-education with CMHA and have taught Mental Health First Aid.)

mona.cooley@coolfamilysolutions.com - email Mona Cooley about the upcoming Families Helping Families 10-week session funded by The Thumbs Up Foundation.

For more information - connect with Mona.