Where do you work and what are your feelings about your job?
I am a health and wellbeing coach in Tower Hamlets and I love my job for so many reasons; I get to:
- give people a space to speak their truths without judgement
- help people realise that they are able to tap into the intelligence and wisdom that already exists within them
- help people feel mentally and emotionally lighter simply through being given the time and space to speak about what matters to them
- help people to find solutions for themselves
- help people set actionable goals that gives them a sense of achievement, helping them to feel happier and healthier.
How do people come to you and why?
People are currently referred to me by GPs and social prescribers for reasons such as weight management, anxiety and to improve their confidence and/or motivation. However, what arises during our sessions goes far beyond those initial reasons; deeper reasons include:
- mental and emotional distress
- difficult relationships
- beliefs such as “I need to keep doing”, “there’s something wrong with me” or “someone else knows more than I do”
- not having people to speak to with a deeper connection
- unaddressed traumas and disconnection from invalidated/repressed emotions.
What do you do for them? What approach and techniques do you use?
It is my role to give people the space to explore their beliefs, thoughts and feelings and to help them make behavioural changes based on what matters to them.
I use techniques such as Motivational Interviewing, the COM-B model for behaviour change which considers capability, opportunity, motivation and target behaviour, and Coaching through Better Conversations (which includes the biggest approach I use, which is listening with empathy and without judgment). I may also apply methods from my own background such as breathing exercises, mindfulness, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and psychosomatic release.
What difference do you make?
I love seeing people visibly become more relaxed and ‘unburdened’ during our first session together. It is such a wonderful feeling when I see people walk in for subsequent sessions looking happier and more relaxed, feeling more confident and motivated, knowing and feeling that they’ve achieved something, feeling healthier, giving feedback that they’ll be able to reduce medication, have prevented illnesses, that they’ve lost the weight they wanted/needed to lose, that they’re sleeping better and ultimately that they feel happier and more emotionally resilient. I also appreciate that a person feels comfortable enough to speak openly, be vulnerable and even cry in our sessions.