Coaching is an intensive short-term (1-3 week) onsite experience in which one of our highly trained staff members (e.g., a school psychologist) works directly with organizational staff in real-world program environments to design & implement social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) support strategies. We work alongside staff members, modeling intervention strategies, as well as coaching staff as they implement those strategies themselves. This applied learning experience is a powerful alternative or compliment to traditional workshops or meeting-based intervention planning.

A core philosophy of this approach is collaboration - working together out of a strong belief that everyone involved brings expertise - not only the coach, but the staff member, administration/leadership, and the child him/herself. All have deep yet complimentary perspective.

Any organization serving a consistent group of children throughout the week (e.g., 15+ hours per week, 4+ days per week) is eligible, from community organizations to shelters and schools. Organizations that primarily serve at-risk kids (e.g., shelters, intervention schools) are particularly well-suited, but many organizations could benefit.

Our goal is twofold: First, to provide direct support to the kids and staff identified through the development of support plans. Second, to use those experiences as teaching moments so staff can learn techniques to apply to other situations.

Throughout the duration of the visit, we assume a co-staff position with existing staff, taking on the same responsibilities in the same contexts, from daily routines to discipline. By working alongside staff, we are best able to model for staff how to handle difficult situations. While we certainly will not understand all of the complexities of daily responsibilities, we do what we can to integrate into the fabric of the organization.

We begin each day with goals for the day, then end each day with observations about how things went. As our visit progresses, these daily goals and observations become refined strategies, eventually leading to a finalized support plan.

Support plans outline strategies developed for a particular child, and how we got there. During coaching visits, we work each day trying out new things to see what works with each child. At the end of our visit, we leave staff with a finalized support plan outlining our work, along with potential next steps.

Actually, we suggest you let the staff members themselves self-select into the opportunity, as this builds buy-in and commitment. The experience itself is challenging, requiring open-mindedness, humility, effort, and a desire to learn. Staff who are resentful or feel threatened will not likely be able to take advantage of the experience. By contrast, working with staff who deliberately opt-in allows us to take a more directive approach with staff - even though we take a leadership role in strategies, the intimidation factor is minimized by staff having been given the choice to participate.

In terms of eligibility, all direct care staff are eligible, from caregivers to teachers up to counselors & administrators, but all must have - as a primary responsibility - the direct care of children. Leadership team members who only occasionally or indirectly work with kids are not a good fit.

We highly encourage active participation from leadership staff, even if not directly participating in the coaching experience. This often involves communication throughout each program day related to intervention development, staff development, etc. Leadership staff are in an excellent position to provide follow-through support for staff after our Coaching visit. In addition, leadership staff may identify other program-level strategies (e.g., disciplinary systems) that might be a good compliment to Coaching.

If the organization has dedicated staff for mental health support, their involvement is crucial as they are the center of ongoing SEB support. They may participate directly in the Coaching experience, and/or be involved in other important ways as well. Coordination with these staff are integral to success, and often provide much-needed onsite expertise to successful follow through.

The exact number depends on visit length, type of program, and type of behavioral issues, but in general we think it's good to start with 1-3 kids per staff member, and 2-4 staff members. We can expand onsite if we feel we have the spare capacity. It can helpful to announce this limited capacity when presenting the opportunity to staff to emphasize that the opportunity is selective, increasing the appeal of the experience.

While we can work with any child or behavioral issue, it helps to identify kids who may be able to show progress within our visit time frame, including assessment, support planning, & implementation. Kids with more complex challenges may require more time, and may be less ideal candidates. In addition, behaviors that occur very infrequently (e.g., fights that are significant, but only happen every so often) are less ideal because we are likely not able to have enough contact time with the problem to help staff. Finally, selecting kids who have problems that are common amongst all children can help maximize learning as staff may be able to apply new strategies to more kids.

There are many issues in general that may require more intensive or specialized support than could be addressed by Coaching. We may be able to provide some of these assessment and intervention services directly onsite during our visit, or we may be able to help identify which kinds of local providers might be helpful. However, as long as those kids remain in the care of the organization, the reality is that - whether it's the best fit or not - staff will need to work with kids to do what they can. In that sense, we may not be able to fully address every issue, but we can do what we can to help staff do the best they can.

This entirely depends on your staff and your organization. There is often follow-up work in terms of intervention implementation (behavioral issues are seldom resolved in such short time frames, even if effective strategies can be developed). In addition, staff may identify additional areas of growth or interest. We can follow-up via electronic communication, remote workshops, and/or return visits.

At this time, we are providing 100% scholarships for all staff & organizations. As such, there is no cost for participation. We may ask organizations to provide housing if possible, but this is not required. In addition, it can be helpful to offer participating staff of their organizations a stipend for participation as an additional incentive, but this is optional, and we may be able to identify resources to assist organizations who are not able to do so themselves.