Our Coaching
We use Areas of Balance as our guide in coaching. We first break the areas into Head, Heart, and Body, then further break those areas down to support students in finding balance.
Head
Self-Care
There is no balance without self-care, and while we've all heard the term, many young adults don’t understand its importance or what it means to them. Self-care includes any action we take to self-soothe, regulate, and feel better about ourselves. It can take the form of mindfulness, therapy, exercise, or hobbies. It impacts every area of balance, from physical pursuits that release mood-boosting endorphins, to books that stimulate the mind and increase competency. Self-care can also be practical, being aware of personal hygiene, the cleanliness of one's physical space, or our sleep patterns.
Financial/Career
An important aspect of ultimately being able to lead a truly independent life is not only the ability to make money but also the skill needed to understand and manage it. We support students with coaching around budgeting, spending, how to save for an apartment of their own, and even things like investing in stocks. We also coach young adults around vocational and career choices, helping them craft or fine-tune their resumes, learn how to network, secure an internship in a field they are interested or get out into the workforce with a part or full-time job.
Heart
Social
Human beings are social creatures, and having people to share things with is essential to our well-being. When we feel lonely or isolated it becomes increasingly hard to feel balanced or happy. This doesn't mean having alone time isn't important as well, so we coach young adults on the differences between alone and loneliness, and also how to identify what they need for a healthy social life. We help them navigate this tricky landscape, see how their social life is connected to other areas of balance, and make sure they are not isolated.
Family
Families can be challenging to navigate for so many of us, no doubt about it. Getting to a place with our family that we feel good about is vital, and that can, and does, look very different for all of us. As a young adult, you are not a child anymore, and therefore some aspects of your relationship with your parents need to be redefined and updated. Our coaching helps in figuring out how to accomplish that. Our regular email and phone updates keep parents informed of progress and challenges, and help to establish new communication patterns.
Body
Physical
We can be taking care of everything else, but if we neglect our body, it's all for nothing. We encourage our students to move each day in a way that works for them. For some, that means going to a conventional gym, while others may choose to enroll in yoga classes, a rock climbing gym, parkour, or do something on their own such as running, walking, or being part of a sports league. Our young adults often talk to us about how once they establish the habit of an exercise routine, they notice how it impacts other areas of their lives in positive ways, which is exactly what our coaching is aimed to do.
Nutrition
You could have the nicest car in the world, but without gas or electricity for power, it's not going anywhere. Our body is no different. What we consume is quite literally what fuels us and makes all other areas of balance possible. Our nutritional coaching starts with meal planning, moves to grocery shopping and what a balanced cart looks like, and ends with what is on the plate. We help our young adults better understand the connection between nutrition, physical, and mental health and to take ownership of what they purchase, consume, and how they feel.