Melissa Martin, Assistant at OPI Living

Q&A with Melissa Martin – Associate Director of Life Coaching Services at OPI Living Programs

Melissa Martin, Associate Director of Life Coaching Services at OPI LivingIn an interview earlier this month, we sat down with Melissa Martin, valued member of our Department of Life Coaching Services for OPI Living Programs including the Optimum Performance Institute, specialized OPI Intensive for BPD and our Intensive Outpatient Program to discuss a few topics around her work.

Q: What have you learned from the participants?

A: Through coaching OPI participants from varied backgrounds, I have learned a lot of the different routines and tricks they use to effectively manage and complete daily living tasks. Some of our participants begin the coaching process already knowing what works for them, and just needing the accountability and structure to get into the habit (or back into the habit) of implementing their routines. By keeping an open mind to what the participant brings into the room, I am able to learn from them and share those tools with other participants.

Q: How have you motivated, inspired, and supported our participants?

A: In the Life Coaching Department, we guide our clients to set foot on a path toward reaching the goals that inspire them. What motivates our participants is helping them to start by achieving small goals at first, so they can gain confidence and feel a sense of accomplishment. At the same time, we remind them every step forward they take is leading them closer to the person they want to become. Grounding them in the “bigger picture” can really give participants the energy to perform the small (sometimes insignificant-seeming) daily action steps, so we remind them that they are building routines that will ultimately serve their long-term goals and help them live functional, independent lives.

Q: How have you been inspired by our participants?

A: I am inspired by how much the participants are able to show up and do the hard work they need to do on themselves day after day. The idea of “going to treatment” can seem like a break, but it’s far from it.  This is some of the most difficult, challenging work a person can do. They inspire me with their strength to persevere in the work they need to continue growing.

Q: What changes have you seen in our participants?

A: Seeing the participants make the subtle transition into adulthood is amazing to witness. I love to observe participants building up self-trust to make decisions on the trajectory of their life, and start moving towards the person they want to become. Along with this transition, I have also noticed increased confidence in their abilities and increased accountability for their actions and decisions.

Q: Any follow-up from participants?

A: I do receive an occasional email update that usually lets me know they are using a skill they learned while coaching at OPI or they reached a goal they started while here. A past participant recently emailed me who wanted to utilize coaching again, to support them in setting up new routines around time management and budgeting outside the context of OPI. It is great watching this participant utilize the skills they learned at OPI and be able to reach out when needing some extra assistance and accountability to reach their goals.

Q: Please share about the value of Tool Boxes for participants.

A: Our vision for the Independent Living Skills Toolbox was creating a life skills curriculum where the participants can learn, practice and utilize the skills they need to lead functional lives. The idea is to create activities where the participants can practice these skills in the context of their life at OPI. For example, in budgeting, we ask the participant to budget and track the spending of their allowance. For healthy living, we ask the participants to develop meal plans given the staple foods and grocery card provided. Not only do the clients learn practical skills they can implement while in the program, we also teach them the process, so they can implement these skills after they leave OPI. Lastly, when they have completed the Toolbox, they are ideally left with a sense of accomplishment for sticking with and finishing the lengthy curriculum.

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