1-2-1 coaching
"Thank you. I began my day quite anxious with thoughts of panic in meetings, but after our session I managed to sustain a pretty anxiety-free day. I could feel it creep up at times, but overall I managed it well. I really believe this was thanks to what I've learnt in our mindfulness sessions."
Focusing on the individual
Group work and self-help tools are not for everyone.
Sometimes you just need to be heard independently by someone trained to actively, and objectively, listen. It can be very helpful to take the necessary time out to identify and express how you feel, or what you're going through at work.
Skills-based 1-2-1 coaching can be extremely empowering. You can gain a better understanding gain of your stress response in a safe space, and to identify how you can best manage, cope and feel more in control.
Due to the more personalised nature of coaching interventions, it can also be incredibly effective in helping you to take positive action.
Stress management and mindfulness coaching
We offer 1-2-1 coaching with Minds That Work CEO and founder director, Victoria Brookbank*.
She uses a skills and mindset based coaching approach, drawing on evidence-based mindfulness, emotional intelligence expertise, and techniques to re-evaluate unhelpful thinking for stress management.
These interventions can help promote positive mental health, destigmatise attitudes, reduce emotional distress and improve work effectiveness.
Using interpersonal and informational activities and techniques, Victoria works with you to build skills in stress management and reduce symptoms of overwhelm and worry.
Based on the principles of the WorkplaceMT course and The Centre for Stress Management, the goal is to help you better understand and manage your mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
It's about learning sustainable methods to change the way you understand and react to your stress response, focusing on the importance of self-awareness and techniques of self-care, whilst seeking professional help where necessary.
We offer an eight week programme of 1 hour per week where each session includes the three elements of mindfulness practice: formal practice, key psychological principles and short guided meditation practices and moments designed to easily incorporate into your working life.
We also offer ongoing stress management and mindfulness coaching sessions and regular catch-ups to support you with your practice and workplace stresses.
*this coaching is skills-based, not a clinical or therapeutic intervention.
If you are looking for counselling or psychotherapy please visit welldoing.org. If you are in crisis please contact the Samaritans.
8 week programme
An overview of the 8 week 1-2-1 mindset and mindfulness coaching.
1) How to focus your mind
We look at what mindfulness is, how it can help, and the principles of practice.
We spend almost half of our waking lives thinking*. That's a lot of time 'in our heads'.
When most of that thinking is worrying about our future, or regretting our past, it can be exhausting and have a negative impact on our happiness levels.
Learning to tune into and focus our minds through mindfulness practice can help alleviate difficult symptoms.
*2010 research by Harvard University psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert
2) Mind/body feedback loop
We look at how thoughts, feelings and emotions can often be a product of our body, rather than of our mind.
Often our body detects our thoughts before we have consciously registered them. We then react to them as though they are real.
Learning to tune into these bodily signals helps manage their potential negative impact.
3) Striving and resilience
We look at using mindfulness to 'mind the gap’ between our desired and actual situation.
Learning to identify and manage your thinking and reacting, can reduce your habits of avoidance, rumination, and worry.
It can also help increase creativity and performance, cultivating the 'being mind' rather than the 'doing mind', helping you to better manage emotional challenges.
4) Self-kindness
We look at what self-kindness means for you.
We can sometimes be so hard on ourselves. But we can learn to meet this with inner kindness, and recognise and soften our harsh inner voice.
Learning to do this gives you the opportunity to pause and gain more inner peace.
5) Thoughts and perspective
We examine your thinking so that you can better catch your thoughts and notice their impact.
By adopting a mindful approach to life, you can learn to recognise that thoughts may not be facts.
You can learn to reframe your thinking to help reduce unskillful and unhelpful thinking habits.
6) Working with challenging situations
We apply mindfulness skills to processing difficult emotions and uncomfortable feelings.
We work through holding them in your awareness with an attitude of curiosity, self-kindness and self-acceptance.
You will notice how you are becoming better at responding more wisely, rather than blindly reacting to thoughts and situations.
7) Understanding your inner critic
We work further on softening your inner critic with deeper practices of self-compassion.
We look at better understanding the differences between internal and external validations, and the impact these have on your happiness levels.
8) Developing intention and next steps
We look at the implicit aspect of mindfulness: intention.
Learning to set an intention to practice mindfulness and use the tools and techniques you've learnt, rather than setting goals that often fail.
We identify practical ways to help you commit to observing and managing your emotions and reactions, enhancing your day-to-day routine so you can thrive.
Enquire about 1-2-1 coaching
Please email us victoria@mindsthatwork.com or use the form below to send an enquiry.