Arranging The Wood
It is kind of ‘old fashioned’ to learn anything by rote these days. Memorisation of times tables has fallen out of favour in education. Gone are the days when classes of bored youngsters would recite for example, ‘7 ones are
Let’s Talk about Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental health and wellbeing, a phrase that has become common to hear over recent years. When I started teaching we barely talked about the mental health of our students. I dealt with a number of mental health issues during my
Youth Worker Wellbeing and Coaching/Mentoring
Youth Worker wellbeing has never been more important than it is right now. We have lived and/or worked through a year and a bit of the kind of scenario that not many of us could have predicted. Youth workers are
Promptings made perfect – what happens when it’s time to move on?
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ― Leo Tolstoy There occur pivotal moments in all our lives. Should I stay or should I go? Wait or jump? 2020 was a pivotal year. It caused so many of us
The role of Pastoral Supervision
Before the days of Zoom, I was sitting with a young church minister, clutching our cups of coffee, preparing for a first session of pastoral supervision together. “How are you feeling about doing this?” I asked, remembering the resistance I
Lessons on Pornography Addiction – help for mentors and coaches
Pornography addiction is a growing problem in society, affecting men, women, children and marriages, and bringing with it a range of problems; from relationship breakdown and emotional intimacy to sexual problems. More and more people are seeking help as they
Reflections on Mentoring and Coaching during Covid
The coronavirus outbreak has left many people feeling frightened, worried and overwhelmed – and this is affecting my mentees in different ways. How mentees experience the current situation will be different for each individual, and this is also true for
Be who you are meant to be…
Natalie Andrews reflects on the ever-surprising call of God on her life, and how this has continually inspired her to use mentoring and coaching skills to enable others to reach their potential. How might you see God moving you to
Getting comfortable with power
Coaching gave me my power back! Are you comfortable with power? Prior to July 2014, you won’t catch me having coaching conversations with anyone, either face to face or online. I grew up living life as a victim, constantly reacting to whatever
Grandparents in lockdown
The lockdown is of indeterminate length. I am a grandparent forever. My enforced Coronavirus sabbatical has provided me with the opportunity to reflect on life in general and three of my key roles in particular – husband, father and grandfather. The
