‘New Leaf’ Life Coaching
The life coaching programme is aimed at individuals who are resistant to direct therapeutic intervention and those who have progressed with individual or other therapy options and are ready to consider developing life skills in preparation for release or moving on within their sentence plan.
The ten-session training programme is based on the Co-Active Coaching principles and enables prisoners to develop life skills. The objective of every session is to give participants tools to create changes, and to increase self esteem and flexibility to cope with life in prison and following release.
The coach training process helps participants to assess where they are, where they want to be, and what they need to do to achieve their goals. The process also enables participants to assess their core values and beliefs and assists them to consider these features in relation to offending and destructive behaviours. Core issues covered in the life coaching programme include:
- Build self-esteem, self awareness and accountability
- Improve communications skills
- Develop emotional intelligence
- Develop life planning and goal achievement skills
- Develop conflict resolution skills
- Increase awareness of choice and personal responsibility
The programme module involves 16 sessions over eight weeks – two group sessions per week for eight participants. Each session lasts two hours.
The programme commences in HMP Pentonville in 2009.