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Hi,

Here's an update to my professional article 'How to Tell if it's Depression or just Rotten Life Syndrome'. The total score needs to be doubled to achieve a percentage rating on the wellbeing continuum at the bottom of the page. 

It highlights what I have found over the years; that trainees want detailed guidelines when learning something new. It was the same for me when I was training. Theory is all very well, but I always wanted to know how it would benefit my clients.

I often felt over-burdened with theory and under-informed about the kind of ‘do this to get that’ steps that would take me from A to B and help accelerate positive outcomes. In bringing together the Fusion programme, I have outlined exactly what to do, how to do it and why it works.

Updates to the Skills Certificate workbook

I’ve also just updated the Therapeutic Coaching Skills Workbook. It now includes the kind of psycho education about mindfulness and the Observing Self, polyvagal theory, the brain connectome and gut microbiome that is useful for our clients to know.

The other important update is that anyone who enrols on the Distance Learner course will now be able to have the cost fully reimbursed against the cost of the Diploma.

Once familiar with the Fusion model, Diploma enrolment is a natural next step for many who want hands-on practical experience and access to the five session manual.

Counsellor to coach conversion 

For those who already have a counselling qualification, the Distance Learner NCFE accredited Skills Certificate helps take your training to the next level.

It's a nationally recognised qualification integrating advanced holistic life coaching, based on Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs, that sit comfortably with the Rogerian core conditions at the heart of all of the major counselling models.

In my opinion,Therapeutic Coaching is the new paradigm in mental health for the twenty first century. It's what our clients want in growing numbers and, for many counsellors, offers a gateway into the world of coaching where, let's face it, income potential is much greater.

I spoke to a Fusion Coach just this week who is about to increase her session rate from ￡95 to ￡125.

'It's worth it to my clients' she told me. It turns their life around in just five sessions. They see it as a real investment in their own wellbeing.'

Here's the article again with the update for you.

I hope it helps...

How to tell if it’s depression or just Rotten Life Syndrome

What do you do if you’re feeling down and you don’t know why?

The physical symptoms that go with low mood can be quite worrying. Here are some of the things you might notice:

You’ve started avoiding social events or activities you used to enjoy

You feel distracted, confused or find you have trouble concentrating

You are tired in the daytime

You have sleep disturbance at night or find you want to stay in bed in the morning

You’ve lost your appetite or started over eating

You’re smoking, drinking or using recreational drugs to make yourself feel better

You move slowly or perhaps feel fidgety and agitated

You’ve got more aches and pains than usual

You’ve lost interest in sex

Bad science

Chances are, if you’ve been feeling low, you might have paid your GP a visit, where perhaps you’ve been told you are depressed and need medication to rebalance the chemicals in your brain. You might well have emerged from the GP’s office clutching a prescription for antidepressants with the hope that the pills will ‘fix’ the problem and put you back on an even keel.

Sadly, the medical model of depression is flawed and based on bad science.

When previously unpublished trials are put alongside published trials, it turns out that around 30% of people make some improvement when taking the antidepressants. That sounds quite good, doesn’t it?

Not when the same studies show a similar improvement for those who were given a placebo, or dummy, pill.

And think about all of the potential side effects of those specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) that are being handed out in increasing numbers year on year. They include:

Nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea

Headache

Drowsiness

Dry mouth

Insomnia or nightmares

Nervousness, agitation or restlessness

Dizziness

Sexual problems

Impact on appetite, leading to weight loss or weight gain

Increased suicide risk in the first 3 weeks

‘Letterboxing’ or numbing of emotions

Dependence

Good science

The same studies also show the best long term results are for those who seek out talking therapy. There’s a good reason for this…

The Fusion Therapeutic Coaching mental health model views emotional wellbeing through the lens of our innate human needs and the simple understanding that our emotions have evolved to push us towards getting those needs met.

Our emotions are actually our very best friends, even when some of the feelings they send us are uncomfortable or distressing. But how can that be?

Here’s why; we ‘extract’ happiness from our environment.

If you are living a life that is not working for you and your needs are not being met, your emotions will tap you on the shoulder with sadness, anger, frustration, anxiety or any of the painful feelings designed to catch your attention and send you an important message:

‘Please make some changes…’

But what areas of your life do you need to make changes in?

Actually, it can be surprisingly easy to begin to work it out with a visual prompt like the Coaching Wheel of Life used by life coaches or with a wellbeing indicator.

Here’s how you use it: 

The Fusion wellbeing indicator

The Fusion wellbeing indicator shown here has sections relating to major areas of life.

Working with a coach is an ideal way to work out what changes you might need to make but it is also something you can start to do for yourself, by scaling each area of life and adding the totals up to place a mark on the wellbeing slider. The higher the score, the more likely you are to be feeling ok and that life is good.

The lower the score, the more likely you are to be feeling low or distressed in some way. These are the areas of life the indicator assesses. 

# Work

We can get so many of our needs met from our working environment, by having work we find meaningful, rewarding and fulfilling. Bearing in mind many of us spend a considerable amount of time at work, it’s a good idea to focus on your job and career and wonder ‘Is work actually working for me?’

Consider, if you could have any job you wanted and failure was not an option, what would that job be? Are there dreams and aspirations from your past that you’ve boxed up and put away on the shelf?

If you could have the perfect year at work, what would that look like? Break it down. Make a list of goals. Do you want to stay in your current job and make changes or get promoted?

Do you want another role in your current organisation or do you need to look for other employment? If you’re self employed, what changes need making? Is your work/life balance all you want it to be?

Do you need to work smarter rather than harder? Are you managing your schedule so that you are making the best and most efficient use of your time?

Having an idea of your perfect work life will also give you an idea of how near or far you are from that now. 

# Money

Is money causing you stress? Do you owe money you can’t pay back? How much money do you need to stop you worrying about it? Do you need to win the lottery to be happy?

Many people say they just need enough to give them choices about the kind of life they live. If you had enough money, how would you be living? Have a clear picture in your mind. What would you be doing that you don’t do now? Where would you be? Who would you be with?

What would your work life balance be? Would you give up work or make other changes? 

# Emotional health

How’s your sleep? Do you wake up in the morning feeling tired? Can you focus and concentrate? How’s your appetite? Are you smoking or drinking more than usual?

And how about your relationships; are you avoiding people or feel you just can’t be bothered to make the effort to go out and socialise?

These can all be indicators that something in your life is causing you stress.

How will you know when you are feeling better? What will you be doing that you don’t do now? What would other people notice about you? Be clear in your own mind about what the happy you looks like. 

# Physical health

Even though you might be feeling stressed, you might be physically well and thankful to your body for keeping you going.

Or you might be noticing more aches and pains than usual; perhaps there are headaches, back ache or stomach upsets?

When we ignore what our emotions are trying to tell us for long enough, the body joins in and sends an even stronger message... or can bring us to a halt altogether!

Twelve months from now, what would a perfectly healthy you look like? Do you need to lose weight, stop smoking or cut down on the alcohol?

When you consider a 100% healthy you, think about the lifestyle that would support that? And what do you need to do to get you there?

Write down as much detail as you need to construct a clear picture. 

# Partner

You may not have a partner and that’s ok, or you may have a partner who is causing you a lot of stress.

If you don’t have a partner and would like to have one, consider the kind of person who would make your ideal partner and construct a picture of their personality. Do they need to be gregarious and outgoing or would you prefer someone quiet to spend time at home with?

What qualities would you value in your ideal partner?

If you do have a partner, consider now how you would like that partnership to look by the end of next year. Do you need to make changes? Is communication an issue? Are there problems which need addressing?

# Family

The family situation can be a complicated picture for many. Do you want less or more contact? Don’t confuse quantity with quality.

Some areas of your family may be working better than others. Chances are, it’s the parts that are not working that capture your attention and make you feel bad.

Be clear about how much stress you experience in your family unit and what changes you might need to make. Some relationships feel toxic or controlling and can cause so much distress that, if things can’t be improved, you have to give yourself permission to just let go of them. 

# Friends

As the old saying goes, ‘you can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends.’

Try drawing a spiral on a piece of paper.

At the centre, write down the names of those you are closest to and, as the spiral winds out, other names of those you are less connected to. Do you see enough of the people that really matter to you? Do you see too much of the others?

What would make you happy if failure was not possible and you could have anything you wanted?

To have good friends we need to be a good friend too. Are you there for others? Do you put energy into nurturing your friendships? 

# Learning

The human brain loves to learn. Just being bored can create lethargy and depression in itself.

What are you doing to learn new things? Remember, just outside your comfort zone is where the real growth happens. All too often we confine ourselves with fear and maintain the status quo to avoid risk.

Consider this time next year. What new experiences would you like to have? What news skills would you like to be learning? How would that affect your life?

Would it lead to new employment or a new hobby? Would you be travelling more or meeting new people? 

# Environment

Are you happy where you live? Do you feel safe and secure there or are you being bullied or controlled? Do you have neighbour problems?

Are there changes you would like to make inside or outside the home?

Or would you rather be living somewhere else? What would your ideal home look like? Where would it be? How would it feel to be in your perfect home and how would that affect the rest of your life? 

# Achievement

When we work towards a goal and get to the finishing post, we experience a real sense of achievement that sends feel-good hormones flooding into our brain.

And when we make efforts to ensure the major areas of our life are really working for us, we have positive inner feelings that connect us to the outside world. Our life has asense of meaning and purpose.

The happiness algorithm

Happiness is a temporary state of mind that comes and goes. As the saying goes;

‘Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it the more it eludes you.

But, if you turn your attention to other things, the butterfly of happiness will come and rest gently on your shoulder.’

Happiness may be transient, but our ongoing ‘wellbeing’ is something we can start improving for ourselves by ‘turning our attention’ to what is working and what needs to change.

It all starts with making friends with our emotions, inviting them to come and sit alongside us for a while.

Then, all we have to do is listen to what they are saying…

..and think about what our choices are.

Download your Fusion Wellbeing Indicator here. 

Frances Masters  MBACP accred GHGI

Managing Director Fusion Therapeutic Coaching Ltd 

Therapeutic Coaching Professionals

If you are a coach who counsels, a counsellor who coaches, a teacher, doctor, nurse, mentor, priest or hypnotherapist; if you work in any of the helping professions or are interested in studying in a helping profession, you can be invited to join the 'Therapeutic Coaching Professionals' private Facebook forum, by clicking 'like' on the Fusion Therapeutic Coaching Face book page) and applying to the 'Therapeutic Coaching Professionals'  Facebook forum. It's a supportive professional group where we share tips, tools and the kind of interventions that really help our clients move forward quickly.

Diploma 2020

We are enrolling now for the 2020 Diploma programme at Chalgrave Hall, Tebworth, Bedfordshire, just 5 minutes from M1 junction 12. The Diploma will run over two weekends in 2020. Early booking is recommended as numbers will be restricted 

July: Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th

September: Friday 25th-Sunday 27th inclusive

Diploma fee: ￡1,395 after deduction of the ￡100 early booking discount

The Fusion Distance Learner Therapeutic Coaching Skills Certificate

  Frequently asked questions 

Who can take Fusion’s Therapeutic Coaching Distance Learning Certificate?  

The course is designed for people who wish to gain an understanding of the integrated principles and practice of the Fusion Therapeutic Coaching Model To apply, you will need to have good communication skills and have experience of working in a caring role. 

How does the Fusion Therapeutic Coaching Distance Learning Certificate work?  

Distance learning means you can study from home or work, at your own pace and in your own time. Students will receive a working course manual and study guide, together with written assignments, reflective tasks and questions. 

You will also have access to a professional tutor to provide you with support via email, post or telephone. They will be happy to answer any questions you may have and give you advice on successful completion of the course. Ongoing support will last for one year from the date you receive the course. 

How long do I have to complete the programme?  

Twelve months. If the course is updated, the information will either be posted on our supporting website or sent to you free of charge. Completion of the course will take in the region of 80 study hours which can be spread over the 12 month period. 

Is there an end of course examination?  

No, the programme is completed by an end of course Q and A which you send by e-mail or post for assessment. 

The Integrated Coaching Academy runs the only accredited distance learning Therapeutic Coaching course in the UK. 

Course fee ￡425

 Get your application form here