Professional Coaching Skills: A Reflection on the Benefits to Chaplains in two Voices
Engaging with Professional Coach training requires a commitment to a journey. It is both an art and a discipline.
Claire Bamberg: During my Professional Coach training, I found myself wishing that I had known (officially) what I was then learning, in several previous roles. One such role was that of Chaplain. I train Professional coaches in a way that offers educational opportunities applicable to many careers and settings. It has been my honor to have Chaplains find our program highly beneficial.
The Rev. Gillian Murphy-Stephans has completed the classroom hours necessary for the PCC credential and is finding Professional coaching skill sets helpful in connecting with patients, families, and staff. She and others report:
- An increased level of trust and candor
- More efficacious (and efficient) conversations
- Increased satisfaction based on feeling heard and understood
- A productive and collaborative exchange of information
Gillian: Applying my coaching skills has exponentially expanded my chaplaincy work. Listening is an art form that chaplains learn as foundational knowledge; coaching expands on that core skill set and adds the art of asking powerful questions. After a decade of working as a chaplain, adding coaching to my toolkit rounded my practice in ways I didn’t even realize I needed.
As an acute care chaplain, working on-call and day-time shifts in several different hospital locations, I was able to step into difficult situations with limited pre-existing knowledge of a patient and/or family, and by asking the right questions and drawing on the attunement skills necessary for coaching, I could provide immediate care in emotionally charged moments with much greater ease. With little time to establish rapport, especially in emergent circumstances, I was better equipped to ask direct and clear questions with compassion.
Becoming a palliative care chaplain, working with people with serious illness as part of a multidisciplinary team, I regularly draw on the skills learned and honed from coaching, especially related to group dynamics and decision-making in the context of deep grief. This has been especially helpful in family meetings, where my role is centered on facilitating, providing emotional and spiritual space, and balancing the power dynamics inherent in a hospital setting.
Chaplains know we can’t alleviate anyone’s physical suffering. Using coaching skills expands my ability to accompany others with deep listening and presence. With powerful questions, I can help draw out and give space for patients, families, and staff to name what they need and what gives them meaning.
