In 2010-11 the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland funded Comas to develop a Recovery Coach training programme.

The Recovery Coach training was developed as an in-depth course using an accreditation framework recognized by the Association for Coaching. Participants are required to attend all parts of the course and to practice their coaching during the course, and on completion with a ‘peer client’ (another course member) and a ‘practice client’ (an individual in recovery who is coached as a ‘real’ client but is aware of the trainee status of the coach). The trainee coach is also asked to complete a portfolio of exercises and reflections to demonstrate their understanding of coaching. These may seem like onerous requirements, but we strongly believed in the potential of people in recovery to achieve a level of skill comparable with professional coaches.

Although the Recovery Coach training programme was based on training similar to professional lifecoach training, significant development and adaptation was required, firstly to ensure that people with no previous experience and possibly no recent learning experience could participate from an easy and accessible starting point; and secondly to make the programme relevant to recovery from addiction itself, using a ‘recovery capital’ framework for the coach/client self assessment tools.

The Recovery Coach training began in November, 12 people attended an open introductory evening and nine people went on to start the course. 8 people are now in the final stages of this course, and 1 person has relapsed.

The Recovery Coach training programme includes:

• An introductory session – what is Recovery Coaching, course requirements
• Introduction to coaching, recovery capital and code of practice
• Foundation skills of coaching
• Using a coaching framework – assessment and goal setting
• Coaching people on a personal development journey
• Emotional intelligence
• Practice coaching with other trainees
• Practice coaching with a ‘client’
• Assessment – observation of coaching, peer and client feedback, portfolio of learning.

Recovery coaching - Amanda

Amanda attended the recovery coach training course after being made aware of it by a service supporting people with alcohol problems. Amanda was very shy and lacked confidence in her own contributions to group discussion and exercises. However during the programme she gradually became a more active contributor to group discussions. She sought reassurance less, and accepted the positive feedback from the group on her contributions. Amanda has been determined to complete the course in spite of personal challenges and setbacks she has experienced during the course.

At this stage, Amanda recognizes that she does not wish to become a recovery coach as she does not feel ready to take on this responsibility. However, she has used the course to learn more about recovery and gain more self awareness about how she can ‘self coach’ herself to set positive goals for her life in spite of some of the difficulties she is facing in her family life.

Amanda described the course as “the best thing I have ever done, and one of the most important things that have helped my recovery over and above all the services I have used over the years. I’ve learned so much about myself and I feel like a totally different person since being on the course”.

Recovery coaching - Peter

Peter has been in recovery for 2 years and has been involved with the Serenity Café for 1 year. During his 10 year addiction he was in prison for 2 years. He attended the Recovery Coach training course as he is keen to develop his skills and is considering a career in the voluntary sector. Peter is intelligent and articulate but has no formal educational qualifications. He approached the course lacking confidence and with quite low self esteem. Peter says of the course: “I found it challenging but really stimulating. I learned a lot but the way the course involved us in exercises and actually practicing coaching on each other was really important, so that you could actually feel yourself improving and learning.”

During the course, Peter secured temporary employment and feels the skills he learned helped him to be effective in his new position. He is looking forward to being able to coach people in recovery and is very committed to “giving something back” after being on the course.