Staff Enhance Coaching Skills

Friday 06 January 2012

A group of 18 Project Officer Staff from Cedar’s Brain Injury Services have received certificates from the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) for Coaching Skills Training. The certificates were presented by Head of Brain Injury Services, Elaine Armstrong at the Glenavon Hotel in Cookstown at the annual team meeting for all Brain Injury staff.

This training has enhanced the skills set of employees who also completed Motivational Interviewing & Presentation Skills training throughout the last year.

The Project Officer staff, from different parts of Northern Ireland took part in the training course entitled, “Coaching skills for Key Workers”, which is a level 3 certificate accredited by the ILM. The two module programme was delivered over three days and the training took place in the Dunsilly Hotel, Antrim in order to facilitate staff travelling from different Cedar locations. 

The training was delivered by Niamh Shiells from Advance Coaching who is a fully accredited executive and career coach and an experienced training and workshop facilitator. The programme is designed for Key Workers who are supporting clients in achieving short or long term goals. Key Working provides many challenges for staff who are engaged in supporting vulnerable clients. New skills and approaches are always a welcome addition to the Key Workers ‘tool kit’. Coaching is very effective in rapport building, defining goals, action planning, motivating and confidence building all important concerns for the Key Worker.

Yvonne McShane, Project Officer based in Cedar’s Newry office and who completed the course said, “This training has challenged us all to bring what we were doing with clients to a higher level and the new skills we have acquired will equip us to provide support to help achieve the best future for people with a Brain Injury.”