Art of Coaching: FULL SERIES and Individual Session Descriptions

Summary of Series

The Art of Coaching series builds upon the MTC Coaching Tools and Practices for Case Managers and Counselors training which has been offered throughout Masscachusetts. Based on feedback from the 100+ participants who attended that session, we added additional coaching seminars will dive deeper into the tools and practices touched upon during the Coaching Tools and Practices course, and also added a new Family Centered Coaching course. The series is intended to deepen the skills and knowledge of those who have already taken the Coaching Tools and Practices course.

Asking Empowering Questions – A Powerful Coaching Tool

Thursday, January 17, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (snow date: Tuesday, March 5) 

One of the most critical skills in coaching with clients is in the questions we ask. Questions used in coaching are very different from those in other modalities, such as counseling or case management.  Using powerful coaching questions in your case management or other client services practices empowers clients in a world where often times they are being told or directed what to do. As a follow-up workshop to the Coaching Tools and Practices for Case Managers and Counselors, you will have the opportunity to practice how to ask the right questions in the right way that will encourage participation and exploration by participants. This strategy will move clients from a passive role to an active one, where they feel more empowered in many situations.  

To register for only Asking Empowering Questions ($75) instead of the FULL Art of Coaching series, click here. 

Into Action – Using Goal Setting as a Coaching and Accountability Strategy

Thursday, January 24, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (snow date: Tuesday, March 5) 

Holding ourselves and our clients accountable for meeting goals or sticking to an action plan can be both frustrating and challenging for everyone. Our clients depend upon us to guide them toward creating and meeting goals successfully.  In this workshop we will be spending time exploring and practicing using goal setting tools such as SMART and GROW models with clients, that will include reviewing ways to handle obstacles that may get in the way of their progress and how hold our clients accountable.  We will also work with ways to transform the goals into an action plan. 

To register for only Using Goal Setting as a Coaching and Accountability Strategy ($75) instead of the FULL Art of Coaching Series, click here. 

Practicing the Tools and Integrating Coaching Techniques

Thursday, January 31, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (snow date: Tuesday, March 5) 

There are many coaching tools available for us that will enhance our effectiveness as case managers or counselors.  The coaching tools are designed to create insights into oneself, look at situations from different perspectives, discover and define goals, generate new solutions and/or overcome inner and outer obstacles. Also, tools can help those we serve to get unstuck and explore options for moving forward in their situations and lives. Not all clients are the same when coaching therefore using a variety of tools that are attentive to the different learning styles of the client will maximize their learning experience. In this workshop, we will be spending time exploring, practicing and building confidence with tools introduced in the first session (i.e., Who’s at Your Table; The Three Intelligences, T-charts).

To register for only Practicing the Tools and Integrating Coaching Techniques ($75) instead of the FULL Art of Coaching Series, click here. 

Facilitator of the Asking Empowering Questions, Into Action, and Practicing the Tools Sessions: Tom Ellis, CPC, is the owner and operator of Tom Ellis Coaching in West Newbury, MA.  Tom is a former employee at a Massachusetts Community Action Agency where he counseled and coached youth and adults in education and training programs and in the last 30 years has held multiple positions such as a teacher, trainer, artist, counselor, case manager, IT support, advocate, hospice volunteer, mediator and his current role as Life Coach in various industries including education, legal (mediation), manufacturing, technology and human and social services. In his spare time, Tom lives on a small farm that is the home of alpacas, goats, chickens, ducks and some labs.

Family Centered Coaching - Two-Day Course

April 2 and April 30, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.*

*Course is 10 hours divided into two 5.5-hour sessions. Participants are required to attend both sessions. Lunch will be provided on both days. 

Building on best practices across a range of fields, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has supported the development of a new toolkit for coaches working with low income families, called Family Centered Coaching. The toolkit targets any type of coach or case manager working with low income families, regardless of type of organization or whether in the public sector or at a non-profit organization.  It’s built on the premise that rather than coaching on any one aspect of a families’ life (like financial coaching; or career coaching), that coaches must address the whole family - even when working with one individual in the family - and adapt to families’ own goals, in order to achieve positive outcomes.  Participants will review the toolkit’s components, learn the six coaching steps, and practice techniques using the tools/resources in the toolkit.  This training is the next level after the Coaching Tools and Practices for Case Managers and Counselors course.

To register for only Family Centered Coaching ($150) instead of the FULL Art of Coaching Series, click here. 

Facilitator: Martha Oesch has over 20 years’ experience in workforce development and adult basic education, consulting with organizations on designing integrated employment and training programs, developing contextualized curricula, and facilitating coaches’ peer learning groups.  She is co-author of the Family-Centered Coaching: A Toolkit to Transform Practice and Empower Families and delivers training on family-centered coaching, including facilitating a train-the-trainer for over 150 staff and managers from around the country representing an array of platforms including workforce, CBOs, human services, adult education, community colleges, housing, and public agencies.  In May and June 2018 she delivered a three-day series to staff primarily from Community Action Agencies in Maine for the John T. Gorman Foundation.