Coaching in Context
At a Glance
Leadership
- Program Director, Post-Professional OTD Program
- Professor
What is Coaching in Context?
In short…
Coaching in Context is a solution-focused problem-solving approach that healthcare, human service, and education professionals use to foster client’s achievement of their self-identified goals. This approach is a skillful, constructive dialogue that involves client-driven interactions, reflective listening, coach presence, and skillful questioning to create client’s awareness and solutions generation around required and desired life roles.
Anchored in positive psychology, professionals using Coaching in Context view their clients as capable and through coaching foster client’s resourcefulness. Coaching in Context components and attributes are designed to enable coaching to demonstrate the International Coaching Federation’s Coaching Competencies.
Watch the below video to learn more about coaching in context within practice.
Who can incorporate Coaching in Context in their work?
Coaching in Context can be used by trained healthcare, human service and education professionals in all settings. All clinicians interacting with clients and their caregivers can add coaching in context to their tool box.
Types of professionals who can use coaching within their practice include (but are not limited to) Physicians, Occupational Therapists, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners in clinical and navigator roles, Registered Dieticians, Physical Therapists, Speech Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists and Community Health Workers.
Why would I use Coaching in my practice?
Have you ever thought…
- If only Mrs. Smith followed her treatment plan, she would be doing so much better
- Why do I bother giving recommendations, they are not followed?
- If only Jack’s teacher followed the suggestions I gave, this problem with Jack would have resolved.
Often professionals, acting as the expert, provide recommendations and educate their clients on the best course of action. Clinicians will explain and demonstrate what needs to be done and impart what the client and caregiver should do. Although there is a place for that in all of our professions, Coaching in Context is founded on the belief that clients have the solutions to accomplish their everyday goals within themselves, and that the coach’s role is to foster the self-discovery of these solutions. Coaching is also founded in the theory that clients are more likely to implement a solution if they have found the solution themselves. These solutions are more likely to be adapted to the client’s everyday life. Also, clients’ are more likely to be invested in these solutions and thus actually try them.
Coaching in Context is an ideal adjunct approach for clients/patients and their caregivers experiencing lifestyle and habit changes and challenges due to a health condition. Coaching in Context can be used to address personal, social and environmental barriers to health, wellness and participation in meaningful activities.