Consultation and Coaching Groups

 

There is nothing quite like being a part of a supportive professional group. Group work has become a mainstay of my coaching work and is also an essential part of my own personal and professional well-being. The benefits of working within a group of supportive colleagues are far-reaching. Surprisingly, many of the benefits are felt well beyond the actual group time.

 

Picture yourself being faced with an uncomfortable interpreting situation and, while managing it as best you can in the moment, also being able to say to yourself, I'm going to discuss this with my consultation group. When you know you will have a chance to look at this situation with colleagues, there is a subtle and important mental shift in thinking. It can free up mental resources that you need in the moment. The 'difficult' situation immediately becomes something that also holds possibility for shared learning, deepened understanding and potential improvement. As stress decreases, you have more mental agility to stay creative in the moment.

 

 

I offer short term and long term groups and retreats:

 

Short term groups are designed around a topic such as increasing resilience; managing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma; and compassionate caregiving for our elders with dementia. Short term groups usually meet twice a month for 7-10 sessions.

 

Long term groups typically meet monthly and run for the entire year. These groups rarely have openings during the year, but welcome new members in the beginning of a new year.

 

Whole Interpreter retreats are designed for the whole you. Retreats are about learning and they are for refueling and restoration. It can be time to get away from your routine and allow you to surface. Retreats are intended to give you a balance of learning, creativity, connection and reflection. Some are co-facilitated in ASL with a Deaf coach and some are in spoken English. Watch for upcoming retreats.

 

Groups offer:

 

• Shared experiences with other interpreters

• Access to genuine and productive social support

• Normalization of experiences

• Amending cognitive distortions

• Help for interpreters to maintain objectivity and professional boundaries

• An opportunity to reconnect with others

• Sharing of potential coping resources

• Offering and receiving validation and support

• Opportunities to share new information about our work

• Opportunities to vent feelings in a productive, positive, professional and confidential manner

• Support for dealing with the after effects of intensity

• Decreased isolation

• Increased awareness of the risks of occupational stress as a preventative measure

• Increased empathy and compassion for self and others

• Reinforcement and broadened options for personal coping strategies

• A chance to try coaching with less of a financial investment

 

Most groups are based on the original PSCPI model. PSCPI, (pronounced 'pah skippy') stands for Peer Support and Consultation Project for Interpreters. PSCPI was originally designed in 2006, by Marty Barnum and myself to support mental health interpreters who were experiencing burnout. It turned out that the design creates a nourishing and challenging environment for interpreters doing any kind of work.

 

Groups can be designed to meet the needs of individual teams and may be held in-person, on the telephone or online. CEUs may be available.

 

Contact me to talk about joining a group or to discuss Train the Trainer opportunities.

 

Arlyn Anderson, MA, PCC, CPCC

Whole Interpreter Enterprises, LLC