Diploma: Positive Psychology Mindfulness Life Coach

In this lecture, your Instructor Positive Psychology Coach Braco Pobric will ask you to share your course expectations in the Q&A portion of this program.

In this Assignment, I would like you to share (in the Q and A Section of this course) what you expect to get out of this course based on the promo video and course description. 

1. A SURVEY OF EXECUTIVE COACHING PRACTICES

"Despite the ubiquity of executive coaching interventions in business organizations, there is little uniformity in the practices (e.g., assessment tools, scientific or philosophical approaches, activities, goals, and outcome evaluation methods) of executive coaches. Addressing the ongoing debate about the role of psychology in executive coaching, we compare the practices of psychologist and nonpsychologist coaches, as well as the practices of coaches from various psychological disciplines (e.g., counseling, clinical, and industrial/organizational). Results of surveys completed by 428 coaches (256 nonpsychologists, 172 psychologists) revealed as many differences between psychologists of differing disciplines as were found between  sychologist and nonpsychologist coaches.Moreover, differences between psychologists and nonpsychologists were generally small (average d = .26). Our survey also revealed some differences in the key competencies identified by psychologist and  onpsychologist coaches."

2. Three Keys to Mindful Leadership Coaching

"There are countless executive coaches I would never hire for myself, no matter how wise, insightful, dynamic or experienced. Admittedly, I’m a hard guy to please, so what I require might not be a good guide for others. However, if a coach can’t create an environment that dissolves the limitations of history, expectation, and assumption, I’m not interested."

3. Physician Burnout: Coaching a Way Out

"Twenty-five to sixty percent of physicians report burnout across all specialties. Changes in the healthcare environment have createdmarked and growing external pressures. In addition, physicians are predisposed to burnout due to internal traits such as compulsiveness, guilt, and selfdenial, and a medical culture that emphasizes perfectionism, denial of personal  ulnerability, and delayed gratification. Professional coaching, long utilized in the business world, provides a results-oriented and stigma-free method to address burnout, primarily by increasing one’s internal locus of control. Coaching enhances self-awareness, drawing on individual strengths, questioning self-defeating thoughts and beliefs, examining new perspectives, and aligning personal values with professional duties. Coaching utilizes established techniques to increase one’s sense of accomplishment, purpose, and engagement, all critical in ameliorating burnout. Coaching presumes that the client already possesses strengths and skills to handle life’s challenges, but is not accessing them maximally. Although an evidence base is not yet established, the theoretical basis of coaching’s efficacy derives from the fields of positive psychology, mindfulness, and self-determination theory. Using a case example, this article demonstrates the potential of professional coaching to address physician burnout."

4. Mindfulness and Coaching

"Coaching has been described previously as an applied positive psychology (e.g. Kemp, 2004; Grant, 2009) and similarly, mindfulness has also come to find a comfortable philosophical and contextual home within the broader field of positive psychology (Langer, 2009). The exploration of mindfulness and coaching as a methodological partnership has attracted burgeoning theoretical and research interest in recent years. Whilst empirical investigations relating to the topic remain sparse, embryonic findings haveyielded promising support for the efficacy of mindfulness techniques and practices when applied to a coaching context (Spence, Cavanagh & Grant, 2008). It was Jon Kabat-Zinn (1990) who highlighted that  mindfulness lay at the heart of Buddhist meditation, a practice that has itself flourished for more than 2,500 years. As  result, the related fields of mindfulness and meditation boast an extensive foundation of experiential knowledge derived from astern enquiry and practice that predates Western psychology itself by more than 2,000 years. Given the extent of the intrigue these two practice approaches now attract, it appears timely that an exploration of their structure, relatedness and methodology for facilitating growth and learning is discussed. Hence, the current chapter has three main intentions. The first intention is to provide a broad positioning of contemporary coaching and mindfulness in relation to their status as applied positive psychology practices. Next, it seeks to highlight and illustrate the inextricably symbiotic connection that exists between mindfulness and coaching, the complementarity of their theoretical underpinnings and how these can be brought together effectively, simply and logically within anintegrated framework.

5. MINDFULNESS IN CONFLICT COACHING

This thesis examines how conflict coaching may benefit from integrating mindfulness into the conflict coaching process. Drawing from the literature on conflict coaching and on integrating mindfulness in the fields of ADR and executive coaching, this thesis argues that mindfulness meditation can help conflict coaches develop qualities of mind necessary for the  evelopment of a reflective practice as defined by Schön (1983, 1987). It is also argued that the stages of development of Buddhist mindfulness as described in the Satipatthana Sutta offers a framework for developing one’s ability to engage in double-loop learning and reflection-in-action. In addition, this thesis will discuss how conflict coaches may introduce mindfulness into their coaching process and to their clients. Finally, methods for measuring mindfulness throughout the coaching process will be discussed.

6. The role of mindfulness in coaching

In this article we explore the concept of mindfulness as a tool for helping both coaches and coachees. We argue that the coaching practice of the coach can be enhanced through using mindfulness as a preparation tool. We highlight research evidence on the impact of mindfulness in managing stress and contributing towards improved performance. We argue that coachees too can benefit when the coach shares these techniques with the coachee.

7. Mindfulness at work and in coaching

Mindfulness promotes health and well-being. Its applications and benefits have been the subject of research for thirty years and there is growing evidence of the positive effects across a multiplicity of domains.

Organisations today are confronted by challenges brought by continuous change, globalisation, growing cultural differences and a constant need for efficacy and efficiency. These and other factors contribute to the ever increasing pace at which organisations operate to remain competitive in a difficult market place. This trend is challenging the well-being and health of the working population and indirectly of the economy itself. The costs of ill-health as a result of stress and other work related disorders is a significant drain on resources. It is estimated that in the UK in 2006/07, some 30 million days were lost due to work-related ill-health; around three quarters of the cases were musculoskeletal disorders, stress, depression or anxiety. In people terms, some 2.2 million people were reported to be suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work. When looked at in terms of the working population, around 14% of all working individuals believed their work to be very or extremely stressful (HSE, 2007).

8. The Role of Mindfulness and Psychological Capital on the Well-Being of Leaders

In today’s highly competitive and extremely complex global economy, organizational leaders at all levels are facing  unprecedented challenges. Yet, some seem to be handling the pressure better than others. Utilizing 4 samples of CEOs/presidents/top (n = 205), middle (n = 183), and junior (n = 202) managers, as well as 107 entrepreneurs, using Structural Equation Modeling we tested the direct effect that their level of mindfulness (heightened awareness) and the mediating effect of their psych logical capital (i.e., hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism) may have on their mental well-being. In all 4 samples, mindfulness was found to be negatively related to various dysfunctional outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and negative affect of the managerial leaders and burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion and cynicism) of the entrepreneurs. For all 4 samples, the model with psychological capital mediating the effects of mindfulness on dysfunctional outcomes fit the data best. The study limitations, future research and practical implications of these findings conclude the article.

9. Brief Summary of Mindfulness Research

Researchers’ interest in mindfulness practice has steadily increased as studies continue to reveal its beneficial effects. Current research looks at how the brain responds to mindfulness practice, how relationships benefit, and how physical and mental health improves, as well as other topics. The following presents a sample of the results from investigations seeking to uncover more of what mindfulness can offer to enhance human well-being.

10. How Does Mindfulness Training Affect Health? A Mindfulness Stress Buffering Account

Initial well-controlled studies have suggested that mindfulness training interventions can improve a broad range of mental and physical health outcomes (e.g., HIV pathogenesis, depression relapse, inflammation, drug abuse), yet the underlying pathways linking mindfulness and health are poorly understood. In this article, we offer a mindfulness stress buffering account to explain these health outcomes, which posits that mindfulness-based health effects are mostly likely to be observed in high-stress populations for which stress is known to affect the onset or exacerbation of disease pathogenic processes. We then offer an evidence-based biological model of mindfulness, stress buffering, and health.

11. Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation

With the widespread and growing use of meditative practices in hospitals and academic medical centers for outpatients presenting with a range of chronic stress and pain-related disorders and chronic diseases, under the umbrella of what has come to be called mind/body or integrative medicine, the question of possible biological mechanisms by which meditation may affect somatic, cognitive, and affective processes becomes increasingly important. Research on the biological concomitants of meditation practice is sparse and has mostly focused on changes that occur during a period of meditation compared with a resting control condition in a single experimental session (1–3). Whereas these studies have been informative, they tell us little about changes that are potentially more enduring. Moreover, virtually all forms of meditation profess to alter everyday behavior, effects that are by definition not restricted to the times during which formal meditation itself is practiced. Thus, in the current report, we focus not on the period of meditation itself, but rather on the more enduring changes that can be detected in baseline brain function as well as brain.

12. A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind

Unlike other animals, human beings spend a lot of time thinking about what is not going on around them, contemplating events that happened in the past, might happen in the future, or will never happen at all. Indeed, “stimulus-independent thought” or “mind wandering” appears to be the brain’s default mode of operation (1–3). Although this ability is a remarkable evolutionary achievement that allows people to learn, reason, and plan, it may have an emotional cost. Many philosophical and religious traditions teach that happiness is to be found by living in the moment, and practitioners are trained to resist mind wandering and “to be here now.” These traditions suggest that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Are they right?

Assignments

Assignments are great way for you to practice, and reflect on the course material. Please be aware that your Instructor, Braco Pobric will not be responding directly to your Assignment. If you have any question about the program, assignments, or anything else discussed here please post your question in the Q and A portion of this course and your Instructor will post an answer usually within 48 hours.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are looking to get an Accredited Certificate (and optional CDP / CE Credit Hours) you will need to be an active participant and respond to at least 5or more Assignments from other students.  This will show your active participation which is our requirements for the Accredited Certificate.

In this program you will find number of different assignments. Assignments are a great way to apply your knowledge and improve the skills you’ve learned, without exiting the course! If you wish, you can also learn from fellow students by receiving feedback on your assignments, or by sharing your thoughts on theirs.

Completing an Assignment

Assignments are posted in the curriculum of the course. Just like lectures, you can begin an assignment by clicking on it in the curriculum accessible from the left hand side in the video player, or on the course dashboard in the Course Content section.

Please note: currently assignments are not supported on the mobile app. To take and complete an assignment, open the lecture in a desktop or laptop computer.

With gratitude,

Your Instructor,

Braco

If you graduated earlier the Mindfulness Practitioner Course, please review it before you move on to a Mindfulness Life Coach Certification. 

Awareness of Pleasant Events

Instruction: For seven days, be aware of one pleasant activity / event while it is happening. At a later time (but not later than that evening) reflect on your experience.

 What was the event / experience / activity?

 Were you aware of the pleasant feelings while the event / activity was happening?

 How did your body feel during this time? Describe your impression here.

 What feelings, thoughts and moods accompanied this event?

 What thoughts pop in your mind now while you reflecting on and writing about your experience?

Savoring Techniques - Experience and Reflection

Context

Commit to being a part of your “daily vacation” every day for seven days. Choose a different vacation every day. Examples include going for a scenic walk, eating out, chatting with a friend at a coffee shop, having a hot bath, seeing a play, attending a fair, watching the sunrise while sipping on a mug of coffee or tea, browsing an art gallery. There are unlimited possibilities; focus on personal enjoyable activities.

Before daily vacation

Your daily vacation is a time to relax. Be sure to set aside worries, fears, judgments, any emotions or thoughts that would detract from your enjoyment. Situate yourself in a way as to avoid distractions.

During daily vacation

Be in the present and experience what is happening. Notice the sensations that come and go. Notice how you are feeling and how your emotions ebb and flow with changing external stimuli. What positive emotions are you feeling? Take a mental note of all of them. Outwardly express the emotions

Post daily vacation

Plan for tomorrow; what will tomorrow’s daily vacation be? Look forward to it.

Daily before bed

Take at least five minutes to rekindle the positive emotions that you savored during your daily vacation that day.

At the weeks’ end

Recall all of the positive emotions that you felt and savored in the past seven days. Recall how you felt this past week as compared to a normal week for you.

Are there any differences? How do you feel right now?

Reflection Paper: Take 20 - 30 minutes to reflect on your "Daily Vacation" experience.

Simple Mindfulness Techniques To Try This Week

Mindful Breathing

To breath mindfully, you need to focus on breathing in and breathing out, and think only about your breath.

Mindful Walking

Focus on your steps, your body, your breath, the environment and your surroundings. Focus on the moment of being.

Mindful Eating

Look at the food before you eat it, focus on the shape, texture, smell, color, taste, etc. Think about what was required to produce this food and all the steps necessary to bring it to your table.

Mindful Driving

Driving mindfully is not just a good practice, it is the right thing to do to ensure our safety and that of others. Focus on the moment of driving. Observe other drivers but pass no judgments. Pay attention to everything that is in front of you. Listen to the sound of your car, to sounds on the road. Watch for signals people give you from ahead. Drive mindfully.

Reflection Paper: Choose one mindful exercise to practice this week. At the end of the week, write down reflection on that exercise. What worked well? Why? What are you going to do differently based on that experience?

The Mindfulness Pause

This Mindfulness Pause is a very quick exercise and it can take less than two minutes. It will create a less stressful space to work. From here you can continue your coaching…

The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006; Baer et al., 2008) is a 39-item, multidimensional assessment tool designed to measure a person’s level of mindfulness. The questionnaire is the result from a factor-analytic study of five independently developed mindfulness questionnaires. The analysis revealed five factors that appear to represent elements of mindfulness as it is conceptualized in the scientific literature.

Goal

The purpose of the FFMQ is to measure five interrelated components of mindfulness:

Observing

“... noticing or attending to internal and external experiences, such as sensations, cognitions, emotions, sights, sounds, and smells”

Describing

“... labeling internal experiences with words”

Acting with awareness

“. . . attending to one’s activities of the moment and can be contrasted with behaving mechanically while attention is focused elsewhere (often called automatic pilot)”

Nonjudging of inner experiences

“... taking a nonevaluative stance toward thoughts and feelings”

Nonreactivity to inner experience

“. . . the tendency to allow thoughts and feelings to come and go, without getting caught up in or carried away by them”

Suggested Readings

Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J., & Toney, L. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13, 27–45.

Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Lykins, E., Button, D., Krietemeyer, J., Sauer, S., et al. (2008). Construct validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples. Assessment, 15, 329–342.

The CAMS-R is a 12-item measure designed to capture a broad conceptualization of mindfulness with language that is not specific to any particular type of meditation training.

Instructions: People have a variety of ways of relating to their thoughts and feelings. For each of the items below, rate how much each of these ways applies to you.

______ 1. It is easy for me to concentrate on what I am doing.

______ 2. I am preoccupied by the future.

______ 3. I can tolerate emotional pain.

______ 4. I can accept things I cannot change.

______ 5. I can usually describe how I feel at the moment in considerable detail.

______ 6. I am easily distracted.

______ 7. I am preoccupied by the past.

______ 8. It’s easy for me to keep track of my thoughts and feelings.

______ 9. I try to notice my thoughts without judging them.

______ 10. I am able to accept the thoughts and feelings I have.

______ 11. I am able to focus on the present moment.

______ 12. I am able to pay close attention to one thing for a long period of time.

Scoring: Items 2, 6, and 7 are reverse-scored. After appropriate reversals, sum values for items 1 - 12. Higher values reflect greater mindful qualities.