Who will this training/coaching work for?
Growing Towards integrates evidenced-based coaching methods with years of teaching and academic advising experience. Building psychological flexibility with the ACT Matrix helps loosen up anxiety and negative thinking, while designing habits helps students build confidence and executive functioning skills.
Academic achievement is more than just skill in reading, writing, and math. It includes meta-skills like setting priorities, scheduling, capturing and processing information, and managing test anxiety. Often, students have to stumble on or cobble these skills together on their own. School often filters out and sorts students based on these skills and habits. Why not teach them directly so that everyone can succeed? This is the aim of growing Toward Academic coaching.
College is the best. And sometimes it's the worst.
Stepping up to college level work can be a steep learning curve. How do you set priorities when professors assign so much reading and writing? How do you take notes effectively? How do you manage getting grades in my classes and still have a life? How do I manage all this stress? Why does this seem easy for some people and hard for you?
Answering all those questions can be tough. You aren't on your own. Growing Toward coaching will teach you two core processes, the Matrix and habit design, to help you tame the overwhelm. You'll also have the benefit of a coach that's been there before. I went through college, two Masters degrees, and a PhD before becoming a teacher and coach.
Stepping up to college level work can be a steep learning curve. How do you set priorities when professors assign so much reading and writing? How do you take notes effectively? How do you manage getting grades in my classes and still have a life? How do I manage all this stress? Why does this seem easy for some people and hard for you?
Answering all those questions can be tough. You aren't on your own. Growing Toward coaching will teach you two core processes, the Matrix and habit design, to help you tame the overwhelm. You'll also have the benefit of a coach that's been there before. I went through college, two Masters degrees, and a PhD before becoming a teacher and coach.
Masters = Master of Pain?
PhD = Piled higher and Deeper?
PhD = Piled higher and Deeper?
What I learned from a B.A., M.Sc, M.A., and PhD....
Ask someone who received their Masters or PhD and they’ll usually tell you that it was both one of the best - and one of the worst - times in their life. A thesis is creative, difficult, and often nebulous task. The level of work and stress can be daunting. Having a team on your side will help make the most of your experience and keep your sanity. If you are lucky, you’ll have amazing colleagues and a great supervisor. If not then life can be downright miserable.
A coach will help round out your team, make the learning curve gentler, and help you avoid common pitfalls. I don't need just any coach though - you need someone who's been there. I have two Masters degrees and a PhD. I've been through it. I wish I had these tools and techniques at the start.
Ask someone who received their Masters or PhD and they’ll usually tell you that it was both one of the best - and one of the worst - times in their life. A thesis is creative, difficult, and often nebulous task. The level of work and stress can be daunting. Having a team on your side will help make the most of your experience and keep your sanity. If you are lucky, you’ll have amazing colleagues and a great supervisor. If not then life can be downright miserable.
A coach will help round out your team, make the learning curve gentler, and help you avoid common pitfalls. I don't need just any coach though - you need someone who's been there. I have two Masters degrees and a PhD. I've been through it. I wish I had these tools and techniques at the start.
The transition from college or graduate school to the job market can be a challenging one. People often lose the support structure they developed over the course of their years in school. It's a time of rapid change and learning. You'll probably have to adopt a different strategies and habits.
If you've worked with the ACT Matrix and Habit design (the two processes at the core of Growing Toward) then you'll be prepared. These skills are not academic specific. Rather, they are life skills that will apply equally well to negotiating the learning curve of beginning a new job or career.
On the flip side, returning to school after years in the job market can also be hard. You probably haven't had to read, study, or balance both school and work in a long time. The support of a coach can make all the difference to easing your transition and learning curve.
If you've worked with the ACT Matrix and Habit design (the two processes at the core of Growing Toward) then you'll be prepared. These skills are not academic specific. Rather, they are life skills that will apply equally well to negotiating the learning curve of beginning a new job or career.
On the flip side, returning to school after years in the job market can also be hard. You probably haven't had to read, study, or balance both school and work in a long time. The support of a coach can make all the difference to easing your transition and learning curve.
What will I learn? What's the process?
Not Therapy. Not traditional Tutoring. Training and Coaching.
Growing Toward coaching and training is different than what you'll get in most tutoring centers. We start by learning polynomials or crafting a hook for a 5-paragraph essay. We will start with a process to map out what is important and what's getting in the way. We will translate what's important to doable next actions and routines. We'll go over specific academic and productivity strategies (visual schedules, timers, spaced repetition, focused notes, micro-journaling, attention exercises, etc) and figure out the best strategies for you. These are the meta-skills and habits that make everything, including excellence on specific assignments or exams, more achievable.
It's also different than therapy. While learning and practicing with the ACT Matrix often results in better psychological flexibility and mental health, that isn't our main focus in teaching and coaching. We focus on skill-building and moving towards goals. Our goal is to go from "just OK" to thriving.
It's also different than therapy. While learning and practicing with the ACT Matrix often results in better psychological flexibility and mental health, that isn't our main focus in teaching and coaching. We focus on skill-building and moving towards goals. Our goal is to go from "just OK" to thriving.
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Recognize that some things you are doing aren't working as well as you'd like. That's ok. You're feeling stressed right now because deep down you know you could do better. You just need some help and tools to get there.
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Learn to break free from old patterns by using the ACT Matrix. The Matrix is a powerful, evidence based tool to build psychological flexibility. Just by writing and sorting what's going on into this diagram, you'll start to feel better. It will be easier to form new habits and get moving in the right direction. After just a couple of sessions, you'll be able to use this tool to give yourself a mini-coaching session and map out what's going on whenever you feel like you need it. This tool is also powerful for weekly or daily planning when you are feeling overwhelmed.
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Once we do our initial assessment and map out what's going on, you'll learn some specific strategies based on your needs. However, we'll go beyond just giving you information. You'll learn a habit design process that that will allow you to find the specific strategies that fit you best and translate them into bite sized habits. This behavior change process will not only work for academics, but behavior change related to health and wellness as well.
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The next step is to consistently evaluate your growth, what's working and what's not working, and what can you try differently next time to continue getting better. Your coach will be your greatest ally in this process. Along with your coaching sessions, you'll have access to an online coaching and tracking platform. You'll know you're progressing because your growth will be tracked and visible to you and your coach. The goal of Growing Toward coaching is not to have you as a client forever, though some people might want to continue with the support of a coach or our online accountability system. When you complete a course of coaching you'll have a process and a set of skills to keep growing and adapting to the demands of your academic program or any area of your life.
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What will it take?
Coaching sessions and workshops are virtual (over zoom). If you live in Central Oregon, we can meet for in person for a coaching session or workshop. We can determine the best meeting place together.
Packages
- FREE Introductory session (60 minutes, click here to sign up)
- Let's have a chat! This will introduce you to the core process and help determine what your needs are.
- Single 50 minute session - $75
- Sometimes just learning one skill or focusing on one small behavior change makes a huge difference. In this case, simply paying for sessions on an as needed basis might be all you need.
- Personal 3 hour Workshop + 3 week follow-up online course/tracking (inquire for group pricing) + $200
- This is one of my favorite options. Three hours allows you turn learn the ACT Matrix in detail, learn several high leverage strategies, and go through the habit design process. Included in the price is 3 weeks of online habit tracking and written follow-up coaching.
- 12 - 50 minute coaching sessions for $750
- Signing up for a package of coaching sessions gives you the time to learn the core processes and the support of a coach through the pivotal months of an academic transition or the semester. With a coaching package, we can also do some tutoring level work.
- One off
- If you just need someone to get you started or just want an introduction to the ACT Matrix and the core process, a personal workshop might be perfect. This gives you a 3 hour workshop format where you will learn the basics of the Matrix, creating habits, and some select high leverage academic skills.
- Weekly/Biweekly/Monthly
- 1:1 coaching sessions can be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly depending on your needs. These will typically be 50 minutes. In addition to the weekly coaching session, you should plan 10-20 minutes per week filling out weekly planning forms. This will help you get clear on the priorities and build confidence for the week ahead.
- Daily
- Individual daily goal setting, scheduling, and tracking will take 5-15 minutes per day.
Benefits
How long?
- Increased support
- Increased accountability
- Increased clarity
- More meaningful work
- More accountability
- Greater efficiency
- We will assess what worked, what didn't, and what's next in each coaching session. We will also track metrics and check off your goals with an online tracking system. Session notes, worksheets, and next actions will be available on this system. Your results will be VISIBLE to you and your coach.
How long?
- The goal of Growing Toward coaching is not to have you as a client forever. Yes, after your first coaching package or workshop you may choose to continue with on-going coaching or another course. However, even in one package or workshop you'll learn a process and a set of skills that can be life-changing. Once you learn and practice the ACT Matrix and principles of behavior design, you gain a new lens on the world. In addition, all the worksheets, session notes, and work we've done in coaching remains available to you in our online system.
