Recent research has shown that mentoring is an effective tool to combat reoffending and support those leaving prison (Hean & Sæbjørnsen, 2023), (Lowther-Payne et al., 2024). In London, organisations such as Spark Inside, Switchback, and Standout are all using mentoring or coaching to help prison leavers turn around their lives. Continue reading
Coaching, like many parts of our lives are being changed by rapid advancements in technology. I believe that it’s not a case of whether or not artificial intelligence will influence coaching. It’s more about understanding what and how AI can support coaching. That way we can be ready to make the most of it! Looking to the future is always a creative endeavour of what could be and might be…
Like a lot of terminology in the helping professions, the word ‘boundaries’ has crossed over in recent years into the public domain. As is often the case, the concept of boundaries in mentoring is rather more nuanced than we find in its daily use. Boundaries give shape and structure to mentoring. They help us to recognise mentoring’s limitations. However, boundaries also offer freedom, creativity and safety. Here, we offer some brief examples of where we are likely to encounter boundaries in mentoring and explore the role that they play in delivering good quality practice.
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We are a one-stop shop for all aspects of setting up and running your mentoring programme. From developing the rationale, through influencing stakeholders, to communications and publicity. Plus briefing and matching of the participants, whilst offering support, especially through the early stages. We even take care of the day-to-day running of your programme, with evaluation to inform future programmes.
Join three virtual sessions of group supervision in early 2022. Ideal if you’re a coach or a mentor wanting to share your experiences and learn from others. Your expert supervisor will guide the group and hold the space, so that you feel comfortable to express yourself, reflect on your relationships and learn more skills. Supervision is a crucial part of your practice with educative, quality control and ethical check-in qualities.
When you have decided to engage with supervision you need to consider which mix of activities will best suit you and your practice. There are three formats of coaching supervision available to a coach:
This article briefly outlines each of these to help you consider which might be the right choice for you.
Initially the reason a coach engages with supervision may be to simply satisfy the requirements of a professional body. However, experience suggests that once the coach has undertaken supervision they see the value of supervision and what it brings to them and their coaching practice. Supervision supports the personal and professional development of a coach in whatever their capacity as a coach. There are numerous benefits for individual coaches, whether they are an external or internal coach, as well as benefits for organisations with internal coaching programmes.
How do you make sure you are well equipped for your role as a coach after gaining your qualification? How do you make sure that you are keeping yourself and your clients safe as a practising coach? Can you make sure that you and your practice are ‘fit for purpose’? The answer is to make sure that, as part of your continuing professional development as a coach, you undertake effective coaching supervision.
As an experienced coach who qualifies as a coach supervisor, you will be able to:
Mentoring programme design during a pandemic is no different to how you would normally develop and design a programme. However, there are certain tweaks you need to make to ensure the programme flexes to some of the constraints and challenges of this Covid-19 time. Here are our top tips of what to be aware of when designing a mentoring programme currently.
