a stock-like whiteboard image Are you familiar with the CUW Life Coaching program?
Students can benefit from life coaching to excel in and out of the classroom. This program is intended to assist with life objectives, approaches to problem-solving, and difficult choices we face throughout our lives.
In the fall of 2021, CUW launched the Life Coaching program, which was developed by certified Life Coach and trainer Tracy Tuffey, MSW, LCSW, and Dr. Charnetta Gadling-Cole. Dr. Daniel Upchurch and his agency, Positivity+, also worked to certified CUW life coaches and provided CUW with the platform that was used at the start of the life coaching program.
This program aims to assist students’ mental, physical, and spiritual well-being while increasing their possibilities and providing them with the necessary support. It can be difficult to balance challenges when embarking on a new journey, but these coaches can offer guidance and help you create a strategy to reach your objectives in life can be difficult at times, and in college, you are discovering who you are.
A majority of these coaches hold certified licenses in support, coaching, and therapy. We currently have ten different life coaches on staff at our campus. Kari Metts, Eugene Pitchford, Holly Griskell, Rob Collier, Marnie Lawler McDonough, Vittoria Sipone, Aimee Wiley, Jess Valdes, and Tracy Tuffey.
Kari Metts, a coach who has been a Life Coach at CUW since the program started, was the one whom I spoke with. I conducted a Q&A session and discussed the advantages of life coaching and why students ought to select it.
Q. What does the Life Coaching program offer & what is it all about?
A. “Life Coaching is a service provided to students who would like tips on time management; study skills; prep for presentations; encouragement; support; a sounding ear to discuss topics for a paper or project. A Life Coach is someone at the ready for a student to talk to when it’s a pressing issue and can’t wait. We are NOT a replacement for students that are in need of or who are currently receiving professional therapy assistance.”
Q. Why is it beneficial to students?
A. “Life Coaching is beneficial to students because we “coach and assist” with the mundane things that can’t wait. We know that life is hard, because we’ve been in your shoes, survived and we want to provide advice and encouragement. I like to say that there are lessons in the messes and your response determines the outlook. You will either learn from it, not repeat it; or, wallow in it and remain stuck.”
Q. How should a student go about finding a Life Coach?
A. “Go see Rebecca Hasbani, Intake Coordinator, or send her an email at Rebecca.hasbani@cuw.edu, or visit the Life Coaching website.”
Q. Anything else you think is beneficial for students to know?
A. “Yes! The main job of a Life Coach is to listen; assist; encourage and support. We want all students to be successful during their academic journey and provide some pointers that they can use afterwards.”
Every day, college students deal with a variety of stressors. Our daily lives involve a variety of challenges, such as those related to money, education, professional choices, personal lives, and even interpersonal relationships. In college, we are maturing into responsible adults, and enduring all these challenges while attending classes can be extremely exhausting. Because of this, life coaching can be a highly useful technique for assisting students in overcoming these difficulties. This program’s objective is to assist college students in managing their stress and anxiety. Talking to a Life Coach can assist people in reaching their goals and furthering their personal development while also continuously improving themselves. It’s critical to ask for the assistance you require because, although we occasionally tend to believe we are capable of doing it all, we are not.
Need a Coach?
After reading more about Life Coaching, I believe that many college students should take advantage of this fantastic opportunity. It helps you focus on your simultaneous physical, mental, and spiritual well-being and has a great impact on your everyday life. Additionally, the Life Coaching program greatly improves and shows excellent academic achievement by assisting with planning and organizing to ensure that you are maintaining task completion. Finally, it supports personal development and fosters a positive outlook that leads to significant achievement in life.
Visit the Life Coaching page on the CUW website to find out more about this as well as the backgrounds of the Life Coaches!
— Paityn Taormina is a writer, editor, and social media assistant for The Beacon. She is a senior majoring in Mass Communication while minoring in Social Work. Paityn is on the Acrobatics & Tumbling team and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in May of 2024.