Dear Rachel,

How comfortable are you with dealing with emotions?  Yours?  Your clients?  Your patients? 

It doesn’t take much to realise that our emotions and our emotional state have a great deal of influence on almost everything we say and do. But despite this truth, few of us are taught how to be deeply aware of our emotions at any given moment. Consequently, we can feel helpless to know how to handle life’s ups and downs or cope with difficulties, either personal, relating to others or challenges that affect our communities.  

Our schooling and academic training rarely helps us to consider the idea that emotions are something that can be effectively managed rather than suppressed. That’s where the concept of Emotional Intelligence comes into play.  

Emotions are even more heightened when you, your colleagues, clients or patients are living with a medical condition.  

• Fear.
• Anger.
• Denial.  
• Grief.  
• Sadness.  
• Worry.  
• Confusion.  

These are just some of the emotions that can surface.  

Much has been discovered in the past few decades on how our emotions play such a significant role in our everyday success and in our client's / patient's ability to feel safe and secure with us, digest information and take action.  It may sound too simple, but by becoming more aware of our own emotional state at any given moment in time will we see a profound ripple effect on our daily interactions with people. Stated bluntly, there is little that equals the power of our emotions if only we are open to learning how to effectively recognise and use this powerful resource.

If your client base includes people who live with a medical condition, it is my experience that discovering the impact YOUR emotions have on practitioner/client interactions, developing skills to build more productive relationships, using them will postively impact not only your whole life, but the lives of all with whom you connect. 

If you are interested in stretching outside your comfort zone, and strategically developing your emotional skillset, there are several opportunities for you to explore this further.

1. "What is Medical Coaching?" FREE webinar, hosted by ICF Ireland and facilitated by Shiri ben Arzi PCC, on Tues 7th February.

CLICK HERE to book now.  This is particularly relevant to coaches, healthcare and HR professionals who are curious to learn more about the theoretical and professional pillars of the Medical Coaching model, clarify how Medical Coaching is different from other interventions and coaching disciplines and share stories and case studies to give a deeper understanding on the profound impact and added value of this niche.  

FYI: The ONLY LIVE Medical Coach Training in Ireland in 2017, starts 30th March 2017.  I am a graduate of the 2016 course and will be attending the 2017 as well... the learning was that rich and relevant! There isn't a day that goes by, in either my practice as a pharmacist or my practice as a coach when I don't use at least one skill that I learned on this programme.   Feel free to contact me if you are curious to learn more. 

2. The LEAD Online Mastermind Programme is created specifically for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Leaders to support the non-clinical aspects of CPD in a time-efficient, practical and experiential way.  The next 4-month module,  begins in April and the theme is ENGAGEMENT OF OTHERS and each month has a focus on deepening communication skills, demonstrating empathy, dealing with conflict and motivating others.  Participants can apply these skills to support medication adherence, enhance team performance, negotiations and more.  To review the programme content CLICK HERE 

3. The Medical Coaching Learning Community is a multi-disciplinary, international online community, affiliated with ICF Ireland open to anyone with a passion for delivering patient-centred care.  To join or find out more, CLICK HERE and scroll down for more information.  Past topics and speakers include:

1. The Art of Not Knowing with Dr. Cherie Carter Scott MCC
2. Using the Coach Approach with the Grieving and the Dying with Dr. Don Eisenhauer PCC
3. The Inner Story – Healing from the Inside Out with Joan Jacobs
4. The Coach Approach to Treatment Adherence with Rachel Dungan MPSI ACC