Life Skills Coaching Programs in Toronto
Generally, life skills are defined as psychological and social abilities for adaptive behaviours that enable someone to effectively cope and overcome the challenges of day to day life. As a client-centred facility, we understand that each client has their own unique challenges. This is why we design our treatment to be specific to the clients needs and wants.
Addiction education provides a life-skills based education where we address individual barriers and obstacles, helping overcome anything that blocks clients from achieving their goals.
A “life skill” can be understood as anything useful in your life. Learning how to drive a car, make a resume, use a computer, socialize with others, etc.
Categories of Life Skills Coaching Program
6 areas that Addiction Rehab Toronto covers:
Interpersonal Skills and Communication
Interpersonal skills include writing skills, verbal skills as well as non-verbal communication skills; such as body language or tone of voice. Listening skills (how we interpret verbal and non-verbal messages) are also essential, needed to provide clarity in what others are communicating to you. A key factor of interpersonal skills is emotional intelligence, being able to understand and manage our own emotions and the emotions of others is important to successful communication. Other examples include negotiation, persuasion, and influencing others; working to find mutually agreeable situations. Conflict resolution and mediation; working with others to resolve disagreements in a positive manner.
Problem-solving and Decision Making
There are many styles to decision making, ranging from unfolding, organic, rational, linear etc. The skill is best understood as being able to make decisions under stressful situations and within a brief period of time. Problem solving is defined as a skill in assessing new information, creating new ideas, and providing new solutions also under stressful situations and under pressure. Working with others to identify and define the best course of action is also an important part of problem solving.
Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking
Creative thinking entails a process of generating original and unique ideas, thoughts, concepts, perspective, and at times providing an unconventional solution to address a challenge or create a change. When you are thinking creatively, you are thinking with intent on defining possibilities, exploring ideas, and developing hypothesis leading to reliable theories. Thinking with intent, creating original thoughts, being open-minded, original in problem solving etc. Critical thinking is the process of analytic thinking, interpretive thinking, synthesizing and evaluating information based on observation, reason, or communication. It is when you think with clarity and logic to make informed decisions or judgments.
Self-Awareness
By exercising self-awareness, our clients are prepared to have the ability to know when they are about to use and stop the thoughts and behaviours leading to substance use. Diving deeper into the present moment, you will sharpen your mind to be more aware of triggers, emotions, thoughts, and behaviours that may cause harm to the self. By exercising self-awareness you develop the capability to understand physical, emotional and cognitive states allowing you to shift or change your perceptions quickly from negative ones to positive ones. It is your conscious knowledge of character, motives, and desires.
Empathy and Sympathy
Encompassing significant parts of emotional intelligence. The ability to understand and feel the experiences of others because you yourself have experienced them, best known as empathy, and also having the ability to understand the experiences of others without your own personal experience, attempting to find relevance, this is known as sympathy. These skills best relate to interpersonal skills, by exercising empathy and sympathy, you will better understand the emotional states of others, allowing to establish a deeper connection or bond in the moment. This can lead to greater involvement in the lives of others and others playing a more significant role in your life.
Assertiveness and Self-Control
The skills needed to say “no” when other people impose thoughts or behaviours on you because they do not align with your attitudes and beliefs. Also, remaining calm when provoked or tempted by others. Being passive, in contrast to assertiveness, is a means of compliance with the behaviours of others and a compromise of your individual rights and self-confidence. Many people adopt a passive response because they feel a strong need to be liked by others. People with this type of behavioural pattern typically do not see themselves as equals and place greater weight on the desires and feelings of others. This is also characteristic of allowing others to take responsibility, having others lead and decide for them. Continuing this behaviour can affect self-confidence, self-efficacy, and may cause feelings of inferiority. By practicing assertiveness and self-control you will go through life in a more confident manner, transferring and generalizing to other parts of life. It will help you create a stable identity.
Resilience and Self-Reliance
The skill of quickly recovering from setbacks, being able to research, and solve problems on your own without the help of others is an important part of self-reliance and resilience.By being equipped and prepared, the challenges of the real world will produce less stress and allow for more time to do what you want. Examples of self-resilience benefiting your life would be researching and understanding what diet is best for you, not consuming processed foods rich in sugar, fat, and salt, and deciding what foods make you feel good. Another example would be maintaining your own sleep hygiene, clean bed sheets, an organized room and 7 – 9 hours of rest every night will build your resilience through out the day, allowing you to be more productive and make progress in your life.
It’s important to note that different life skills apply at different stages in your life. For example, when you are younger, study skills are important; reading, writing, organization, preparation etc. After, employment skills such as interviewing, leadership, resume writing etc. may be very important or even necessary to learn. When you are older you may need to negotiation and bargaining skills when purchasing a car or house. When and if it is time to start a family, parenting skills are fundamental to maintaining a proper household.
All of these skills should point to personal development and an understanding of the importance in life-long learning.
Addiction Rehab Toronto employs life-skills education in both our treatment facility as well as our Sober Living facility. In Sober Living, we typically utilize vocational life skills such as resume writing, job searching, interview skills, etc.
For more information, please call our toll free helpline at +1 (855) 787 – 2424.
