Psychosocial Recovery Coaching Skill Set

Ongoing professional development (PD) for psychosocial recovery coaches is crucial to maintaining high-quality, person-centered support.

Key areas for ongoing development and professional growth include:

1. Structured Practice Supervision 

Practice supervision is a structured process that differs from managerial supervision. It focuses on the coach’s reflection, competence, and quality of practice rather than performance standards. 

• Reflective Practice: Engaging in structured sessions to review and reflect on the coach-participant relationship, self-care, and professional boundaries.
• Lived Experience Support: Supervision for lived-experience coaches should be provided by those with significant experience in similar peer-work roles. 

2. Core Skill Enhancement

• Recovery-Oriented Practice: Deepening knowledge of recovery frameworks, including the National Framework for Recovery-Oriented Mental Health Services.
• Coaching & Mentoring Skills: Advancing skills in motivational interviewing, active listening, goal setting, and strengths-based approaches.
• Trauma-Informed Care: Training on trauma-informed coaching techniques that differ from traditional trauma therapy. 

3. Technical Knowledge

• System Navigation: Ongoing updates on the community services system, depending upon what sector/s you are working within.
• Reporting & Compliance: Strengthening skills in documenting progress, incident reporting, and preparing reports.
• Crisis Planning: Training in crisis management, early warning signs identification, and developing safety plans. 

4. Informal Learning and Communities of Practice

• Communities of Practice: Participating in networks with other professionals to share knowledge and discuss practice challenges.
• Private Study: Documenting reading, research, and attendance at relevant webinars or workshops.
• Lived Experience Training: Specialized training to help coaches (both lived and learned experience) effectively use their experience to support others. 

5. Specialized Knowledge Areas

• Cultural Competence: Training based on frameworks such as “Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing” and multicultural mental health frameworks.
• Diversity & Inclusion: Developing skills to work with diverse populations, including LGBTQIA+ and CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) communities. 

Organizations are expected to provide or facilitate these opportunities to ensure coaches are current with sector developments and can effectively help participants build capacity.