Rebecca Rodrigues - Association for Coaching Member

Where did my journey into coaching begin?

I have been passionate about supporting people for as long as I can remember. About 10 years ago I decided that I wanted to pursue my passion and I became a counsellor at ChildLine, NSPCC whilst studying Sociology at University. It was then that I realised I had a lot to offer that could add significant value to peoples lives. I took a real interest in both making sense of my own patterns of thinking and behaviour and also other peoples. I continued to embrace all the opportunities that were offered to me at university, enabling me to build my knowledge, skills and experience to help and support people.

What experience do I have?

When I left university, I worked in a drug and alcohol service for several years helping both young people and adults to overcome the battle of addiction, and to overcome the addiction to deal with their battle. My passion continued to grow. I learnt a lot about the world and other people during my time here, but I also learnt a lot about myself. I realised that I am a good listener; listening to what is being said, but also to what isn’t said. Qualities such as honesty, integrity and compassion are engrained in everything that I do but being able to understand how other people work and how other people make sense of the world, is probably my biggest secret to success.

One thing that struck me during my time in my role within the drug and alcohol service was that no matter what the age, circumstance or gender of the individual that I worked with, their main challenge was almost always their own mind. Ultimately, we all seem to struggle in one form or another with our own internal thought patterns which can impact on our lives in a number of ways. It could be in relation to confidence, stress, motivation, anxiety and many more. Of course, we all experience these differently and our struggles may play out in different ways. I too have experienced many internal and external challenges, and perhaps it is this that helps me to relate to others in the way that I do.

After several years working in a drug and alcohol service, I then moved to a Secure Children’s Unit where my role was delivering forensic intervention to help young people to understand and make sense of their behaviour, their experiences and to build the confidence, resilience and tools to create an alternative life for themselves. As part of my role here, I also supported staff to build their own confidence, skills and resilience when working with young people and the challenging behaviour that they often present with. This helped staff to ensure that they were performing at their very best level, whilst also ensuring their self-care and development was a priority.

When and how did I become a Coach?

In 2017, I began training as a Life Coach completing first the Certificate and then the Diploma and during this process I began to set up my own private practice called Your Next Chapter. Throughout the last 8 years I have also trained in a number of different approaches including, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioural Approaches and Counselling Skills to name a few. Each of these I am able to apply in my role as a Life Coach. Each of these approaches are focussed on supporting people to make positive changes in their life and to overcome challenges that they face. This makes my approach with individual’s very holistic and person centred and enables me to draw upon a number of tools and skills, depending on what is most suitable for that individual.

Why did I become a Coach?

I absolutely believe that every single person, (no matter what their past experiences may be) is capable of living a truly content, fulfilling and meaningful life. With the right tools, perspective and self-belief, I feel sure that all individuals are capable of overcoming unhelpful patterns of thinking or behaviour, cultivating self-acceptance and achieving their goals.

I want to share my experiences, passion and learning with you. Together we can overcome the challenges which you face and put a plan in place to ensure that you are able to achieve the life that you deserve.

Teen Coaching & Adult Coaching

Managing Change
Studying For Success
Identifying and Achieving Goals
Re-gaining Purpose
Finding Direction
Managing Unhelpful Thoughts and Feelings                                                                 Building Resilience
Achieving Balance
Managing Unhelpful Behaviours
Building Confidence & Self-esteem