Coaching, Occupational Therapy, and the Transition to College: How Are They Related?

What is coaching?

When people hear about coaching, they may gravitate toward their understanding of a life coach. Life coaches are often viewed as a person who can help you “figure out” your life or someone to address challenges and obstacles you are experiencing. A person being coached may be perceived as struggling to move forward in an area of their life or having difficulties to work through. While this understanding is not wrong, there is more to how coaching can be practiced and performed. Coaching can be utilized in just about any setting. A coach can be a certified life coach alone or have other credentials in healthcare, education, business, or another field of work.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) outlines the core competencies of a coach (Updated ICF core competencies, 2021). Coaches demonstrate ethical practice by being respectful, honest, and confidential. The mindset of a coach is to recognize that the client can make their own decisions, and the coach is there to be present and open to what the client is saying. An agreement is made where the coach describes the process of coaching. The client directs the topic area of each session. Success is determined by what the client wants to achieve, not what the coach would like to happen. Throughout a session, the coach is fully engaged with the client. The environment is safe and comfortable to meet the client's unique needs. As the coach asks questions, they listen actively and pay attention to what may be under the surface. The coach may even observe what they are seeing or evoke awareness in the client of their perception. When a client understands the perspective they might not have been aware of previously, the coach can help the client move forward to identify a solution or next step. The client learns to grow and overcome barriers to success in a given situation. At the end of a coaching session, the client feels empowered with an action plan that the coach has brought them to simply by being present and asking the right questions (Updated ICF core competencies, 2021).

Coaching for Students Transitioning to College

Coaching is a partnership. Coaching can feel different to clients because a coach is not making recommendations for their client. The coach acts as client's partner in moving forward. Understanding coaching through the ICF core competencies can bring awareness that coaching techniques can be implemented in almost any setting. When it comes to students with disabilities, if a student is seeking guidance on developing independent living skills, a coach can help the student create specific solutions for developing skills that the student has identified as essential. The coach listens, learns, and supports the client. 

Using coaching for young adults with intellectual disabilities is a new and developing concept. Regarding college, the following skills are vital to success: self-determination, self-advocacy, and independent living skills. Coaching allows individuals to make decisions, advocate for themselves, and increase independence. This happens when the individual determines their next steps or action plan. Being coached allows the individual to take ownership of their growth.

Occupational Therapy Role for Students Transitioning to College

An occupational therapist aims to promote successful participation in meaningful occupations for a client. Pierce et al. (2020) followed several school occupational therapists over two academic years to determine the impact of occupational therapy services on high school students with disabilities. Interventions included the following: life skills, social skills, prevocational exploration, work activities, and long-term student-led projects. The rate of functional behaviors increased and peer-group-based occupational therapy transition interventions were effective. Occupational therapists know about activities of daily living and work-related skills. This knowledge can transfer to help students with disabilities more successfully transition from high school (Pierce et al., 2020).  

Coaching, Occupational Therapy, and the Transition to College

In a study by Harrington et al. (2021), researchers considered the perceptions of students with disabilities participating in an inclusive post-secondary education program (IPSE) and the impact of an occupational therapy coaching intervention. Following the intervention, the students saw improvements in both their grades and professional skills. Students experienced personal growth in the following areas: healthier habits, self-determination skills, autonomy, insight, and goal setting. Coaching support made students comfortable sharing their concerns to receive support. Students also could recognize their success and the value of accountability (Harrington et al., 2021). Coaching is an additional intervention method that allows the occupational therapist to ensure that the client thrives at a given activity.

Combining the expertise of occupational therapists and their goal to promote participation in meaningful occupations with a coach approach may contribute to a more client-centered and holistic approach to helping young adults with disabilities. 

Coaching Resources

If you are a healthcare professional considering utilizing coaching principles within your practice, you may be interested in the company Function First Coaching™, owned by occupational therapist Hélène Thériault. Through her training titled “Dive Into a Coach Approach®,” Hélène seeks to empower healthcare professionals to gain valuable coaching skills to treat patients or clients holistically. Her website can be found below:

Function First Coaching

References

Harrington, E. E., Santos, G. O., & Potvin, M. (2021). Postsecondary education students with disabilities’ perceptions of occupational therapy-led coaching. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9(2), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1790  

Pierce, D., Sakemiller, L., Spence, A., & LoBianco, T. (2020). Effectiveness of transition readiness interventions by school-based occupational therapy personnel. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 40(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/1539449219850129  

Updated ICF core competencies. (2021). In coachingfederation.org. International Coaching Federation. https://coachingfederation.org/app/uploads/2021/07/Updated-ICF-Core-Competencies_English_Brand-Updated.pdf