Nurse Coaching Reflection
When I stood up to give my ‘elevator speech’ at the end of Cohort 4 (2012), I said I wanted to bring together my passion for end-of-life work into this new skillset of coaching. Like many of you have experienced, it’s been interesting to see how this work is unfolding post-INCCP…and what opportunities have come my way over the years.
I was initially doing one-on-one, family, and some group coaching around topics of living with serious illness, conscious aging, and planning for the end of life.
Then several of us who are INCA faculty created an INCCP with an end-of-life focus, which drew nurses who wanted to bridge the worlds of coaching and serious illness.
As part of my graduate studies in 2016, I wrote a book for nurse coaches called Re-imagining the End of Life: Self-Development and Reflective Practices for Nurse Coaches.
Conscious Dying and Nurse Coaching
In early 2019, I was asked to be part of the faculty for the Conscious Dying Institute (CDI), based in Boulder, CO, but with programs around the country. There’s no question that my integrative nurse coach training, certification, and teaching experience helped open the door for this new work opportunity.
CDI trains people to serve as end-of-life doulas, a new and rapidly-growing field that is calling all kinds of people to be part of a new paradigm for how we live the last part of our lives.
The other program I’m particularly excited about is their end-of-life coaching program, bringing together CD practices, Caring Science principles, and coaching skills.
It also deepens the self-awareness of the doula and/or coach through onsite transformational & embodiment practices, which are quite powerful experiences for people.
I’m reminded that this transformative coaching process is at work in us anytime we imagine a vision for ourselves and our work…we set goals and realistic action steps…we gather support and inspiration around us…and we take one step forward at a time.
I’ve had plenty of moments of self-doubt and fear…and have to keep re-focusing back on why I care so much about this work.
We are all creating a new future together, one full of wellbeing, conscious living…and even conscious dying.
Learn more about the End-of-Life Coaching course for nurses
