President's Message from Lori Candela
Lori Candela | Published on 5/9/2023
Hello Fellow Coaches,
Spring has sprung! In April, we held our first in-person meeting since September. It was a great way to connect with each other over breakfast and to explore the application of the new ICF Core Competencies. We practiced our coaching skills in dyads and chatted with two of our mentor coaches all while forming deeper connections.
May is an exciting time for ICF-CT. We’re currently in the midst of International Coaching Week (May 8-14), and I hope you’ve had an opportunity to participate in some of the wonderful activities that are underway. Many thanks to our chapter members who are offering pro-bono coaching as part. Be sure you don’t miss the chapter networking event this Thursday (register here).
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. According to Wikipedia, Mental Health Awareness Month (also referred to as "Mental Health Month") has been observed in May in the United States since 1949 and was started by the Mental Health America organization. In their report, The State of Mental Health in America 2023, statistics show:
- In 2019-2020, 20.78% of adults were experiencing a mental illness. That’s over 50 million Americans.
- Almost a third (28.2%) of all adults with a mental illness reported that they were not able to receive the treatment they needed.
- In the U.S., there are an estimated 350 individuals for every one mental health provider. However, these figures may actually be an overestimate of active mental health professionals, as it may include providers who are no longer practicing or accepting new patients.
We know that coaching can be a powerful tool for improving mental health and well-being. Many people struggle with anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues, and coaching – though not a substitute for medical care or therapy – can provide a supportive and encouraging environment for working through these challenges. We help our clients identify their strengths and weaknesses, set achievable goals, and develop strategies for managing stress and negative emotions. And we help them build self-confidence and improve their communication skills, which can have a positive impact on their personal and professional relationships. Jeanine Bailey, ICF MCC Executive Coach, share some thoughts in her article, Mental Health Month: How coaching can support mental health and wellness, about the role of coaching in improving mental health as well as some of the benefits of coaching which support mental health wellness.
We know, too, that there might be times when we need to refer our clients to therapy or other helping professionals. ICF Global has published two valuable resources to help determine when we might need to refer our clients who are facing mental health challenges beyond our scope as coaches:
June 30 marks the end of our chapter’s fiscal year and the time when some of our board members will be stepping down and new board members will be joining the team. Please mark Thursday, June 1 on your calendar to join us for our ICF-CT End-of-Year Celebration at Hawk Ridge Winery in Watertown, CT. Let’s get together to celebrate and appreciate each other, our coaching community, and the dedication of our Chapter’s volunteers! There will be dinner, networking, and fun at no cost for our members. Click here to learn more and register for this event.
Lori
Photo Credit: Teresa Hnat Studio