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frequently asked questions

what are Life Skills?
what is a Life Skills coach?
what is Life Skills Coaches Training?
where would I find Life Skills used?
what qualifications do I need to attend the Life Skills Coach Training Program?
do you offer placement services to build my 60 hours of Life Skills experience?
Can I take Phase I and Phase II together (or back to back)?
Do I need both Phase I and Phase II before I can begin using Life Skills in my work?
If I took Life Skills level 1 at George Brown College (or other college or university) can I go right into Phase II?
What is the connection between the LSCT and the Life Skills publications?
Can you deliver a workshop for our staff?
Can you provide Life Skills Coaches training for my organization?
The YWCA Toronto current certificates state the following "...has completed the requirements for phase 1 of the Life Skills Coaches Training Program". What does this mean?
Delivering Personality Dimension workshops outside of Canada.
I would like to represent the YWCA Toronto Life Skills Coach training in my community and deliver the training locally. Is that possible?
Are you recognized by the Canadian Alliance of Life Skills Coaches?
I’m interested in becoming a Train-the-Trainer for Life Skills Coaches
Can you tell me more about Survivability: Career Strategies for the New World of Work and the Action Manual?

what are Life Skills?

Life Skills are problem solving behaviours individuals use to manage their lives successfully.
These skills can be applied in all areas of a person’s life: career/work, family, community, self, leisure.
Some of the topics addressed in a Life Skills program might be: goal setting, problem solving, conflict resolution, values clarification, communication skills, and managing change.

what is a Life Skills coach?

A Life Skills Coach is a group leader who uses a particular model of

adult education
experiential learning
facilitates or coaches learning

It includes knowledge of specific theories and skills needed to manage

group dynamics.

what is Life Skills Coaches Training?

The Life Skills Coaches Training Certificate Program

was developed to teach group facilitators
applies methods, techniques and philosophy of the Life Skills model of adult education
uses group discussion, role-playing and interactive exercises, and creates a safe environment for participants to take risks and learn new behaviours

where would I find Life Skills used?

Life skills is a common component in:

adult education
employment and job search programs
support and education groups
social services for women
new immigrants programming
Life Skills is increasingly being used in secondary school programs and professional development in the private sector.

what qualifications do I need to attend the Life Skills Coach Training Program?

For Phase I:
It’s a good idea to have some knowledge/experience of working with groups before coming to Phase I. Usually people come to Life Skills Coaches training to learn how to work with groups that are of particular interest to them, or have a particular learning need. Usually, either before or after LSCT Phase I participants will have acquired some specialized training that gives them the knowledge they need for their clients learning (for example: employment groups, or youth groups, or mental health groups). The LSCT teaches how to work with their groups to accomplish their specific learning needs.

*If you do not have any experience working with groups you might consider attending the Introduction to Facilitation Skills workshop first, to gain some more preliminary skills that the LSCT program will require.

*If you are unsure about your qualifications please feel free to speak to one of our trainers.

For Phase II:

YWCA Life Skills Coach Training Phase I (or equivalent, i.e. Level II George Brown College)
Experience using the Life Skills model, to be documented in the registration form. (60 hours)

do you offer placement services to build my 60 hours of Life Skills
experience?

We are not able to offer you placements to gain your Life Skills experience.
However, sometimes in the training programs colleagues network with each
other and discover organizations and community opportunities to volunteer
or contract for short term facilitation projects.

Can I take Phase I and Phase II together (or back to back)?

Since Phase II requires that the participant has acquired some experience
using the Life Skills model, taking Phase I and II back to back would make this impossible. However, some of our clients come from a distance and find the expense of traveling two separate times onerous. In these cases or in other special circumstances we ask that the applicant speaks with the trainer to determine if it would be appropriate in their particular case.

Do I need both Phase I and Phase II before I can begin using Life Skills in my work?

NO. Most employers will be satisfied with your qualifications after completing Phase I at the YWCA. The Phase I LSCT program gives you the basic knowledge and hands-on experience needed to begin delivering LS lessons. At the beginning it is best if the new coach could be supported by a colleague or supervisor in order to give helpful feedback.

If I took Life Skills level 1 at George Brown College (or other college or university) can I go right into Phase II?

Most college programs begin their LSCT programs with the assumption that
students have no group experience whatsoever, which begins the training at a more fundamental level than the training offered by the YWCA. Therefore, Level I at George Brown would be equivalent to our expectation of some group experience. If you have taken Level I at George Brown you would need to attend Phase I at the YWCA. If you have Level II at George Brown you may be able to come into Phase II at the YWCA based on how much experience you have accumulated since you took the first levels. However, we always welcome your enquiries and welcome you to discuss your experience or personal circumstances with one of the trainers.

What is the connection between the LSCT and the Life Skills publications?

The LSCT program was developed by the YWCA out of the work drawn on the Saskatchewan NewStart Life Skills model. Their aim was to develop a manual that outlined this philosophy and methodology; and describes how they had set up their Life Skills programs to meet group members’ specific needs. Since that time the YWCA has joined with George Brown College in a creative partnership, sharing resources and ideas. Together they developed the (New) Dynamics of Life Skills Coaching text. The YWCA then began the development of the Discovering Life Skills manuals, vol. 1 – 9. The material in these manuals is a collection of work developed by Life Skills coaches in the field in many diverse communities and edited by the Life Skills coach trainers at the YWCA. Today, every organization we know engaged in training Life Skills Coaches uses these texts as the basis of their training.

Can you deliver a workshop for our staff?

Yes, we offer professional development workshops for clients. We can deliver these at your location or in our training room. Some of the topics we offer are teambuilding, facilitation skills, assertive communication skills, and many more. We would have a trainer discuss your needs and objectives, and consider things like the size of your group, the date of the training, and so on. The trainer may recommend a Needs Assessment be conducted to ensure that you will get the workshop you want and need.

Collect the following information from the caller:

Name of contact person coordinating project)
Person (who signs contract)
Phone
Fax
Email
Suggested date for the training
Topic of workshop
Location
Any other information offered, particularly about their reason for
needing the training now.

Can you provide Life Skills Coaches training for my organization?

YES! We will want to discuss location, facilities, number of participants, materials needed, accommodations, and fees. We charge a flat rate for training at your location and we require that you register the participants and arrange the details. If your organization wishes to host a Life Skills coach training please contact our office.

Copywrite permission to use materials in my workshop

As stated in our publications, any of our worksheets may be reproduced for
educational or training purposes provided that each page (or exercise)
acknowledges the source as YWCA Toronto. Some exceptions for copyright
permission include developing new training manuals intended for large distributions using full, partial or fragmented sections of any or all YWCA Discovering Life Skills publications series. If you are in doubt, it is best to contact us to request written permission. Our publications are intended as tools and resources for coaches and facilitators and permission to reproduce material will not be unreasonable denied.

Certification versus Accreditation

As far as we know all those who attend life skills coaching training programs in Ontario receive a certificate from the institution that trained them reflecting the nature of their learning and/or accomplishments. For the most part, certificates make reference to the trainee meeting some course requirements stated in the course curriculum. This kind of certificate does not constitute accreditation because for the most part certification does not involve the measurement of competencies. Currently there is no professional body that ‘Accredits’ Life Skills Coaches.

When in doubt about what a certificate may stand for, it is best to review the terms of certificate and what the institution that trained you certified you to be or to have achieved. People who have obtained the life skills coach training use the term Life Skills Coaching Certificate instead of Certified Life Skills Coach.

The YWCA Toronto current certificates state the following "...has completed the requirements for phase 1 of the Life Skills Coaches Training Program". What does this mean?

It means that participants meet the requirements to earn the certificates. In both phases you need to have full attendance, prepare an original lesson and deliver it with the group assigned to you. For Phase 1 the certificate attest that you were exposed to the theory and principles of the NewStart model of adult education and you learned the model sufficiently to use it to develop an original lesson plan that you delivered as well.

Delivering Personality Dimension workshops outside of Canada.

Qualified facilitators are qualified everywhere, regardless of the country in which they were trained. We do have a distributor in the United States as well as in Australia and Hong Kong/China, and will be adding one for the United Arab Emirates shortly if discussions go well. If a facilitator is working in one of these areas they would want to connect with the appropriate distributor and/or refer clients that they are working with to the local facilitator.

I would like to represent the YWCA Toronto Life Skills Coach training in my community and deliver the training locally. Is that possible?

Yes, we are in the process of expanding our network of trainers and Sarnia is our first pilot project under the new strategic plan of the department. Send us your information and we will include you in our mailing list the next time we send a call for trainers in your area. You must be an experienced Life Skills Coach and have completed level 1 and 2 in order to qualify to be our trainer.

Replacement Certificate

This is a problematic issue and for the most part we do not issue replacement certificates particularly if the course was taken more than a year before it is requested. We are not an academic institution and therefore are not required to keep track of the certificates we issue. In addition to that we have a large pool of trainers and tracking them down to ask for references is almost impossible.

Advanced Life Skills Coaches Training

Unfortunately, we did not conduct Advanced Life Skills programs at the present time. Our plans are to turn the Advanced Life Skills Coach training into a Preparation for Accreditation program and lead the way to develop an accreditation process for Life Skills Coaches.

Are you recognized by the Canadian Alliance of Life Skills Coaches

Although we've never discussed recognition by CALSCA as such, The YWCA has been training Life Skills Coaches all over Canada for over 30 years and we are the national publishers of the Life Skills manuals and the New Dynamics of Life Skills which is the theory book used by all trainers in Canada. We have a very long relationship with CALSCA and keep updated of their efforts to increase the profile of Life Skills Coaching.

I’m interested in becoming a Train-the-Trainer for Life Skills Coaches

We are in the process of developing two projects related to life skills coaching (LSC).

One is to develop a competency based LSC training model that will lead to accreditation or 'certification' by an independent governing body. This new model will have 3 levels and at each one candidates will be asked to demonstrate a set of competencies related to the application and practice of group facilitation skill using the LSC model.

The other project is the development of a national network of LSC trainers who can assist the YWCA Toronto maintain and expand our LSC training across Canada.

Trainers in this network will be trained and licensed by the YWCA Toronto to
deliver our training in their communities. These projects are part of our long term plans and not something that will be happening in the very near future. We anticipate to complete a draft of phase 1 of the competency based model in 2008 with phase 2 and 3 about a year later. We also plan to develop a bridging program for current and experienced coaches who could allow them to advance toward accreditation quickly.

Can you tell me more about Survivability: Career Strategies for the New World of Work and the Action Manual?

The publication and training program makes reference to the blend of skills, learning and attitudes that people need to survive, thrive and compete in a complicated world of work. This program examines the skills and attitudes needed in today's world of work from the individual's point of view.

Self-Assessment is a major component of the Survivability Career Guide. During a Survivability Self-Assessment Workshop, people are asked to assess their current abilities in ten different skill development areas. Once completed, the assessment becomes a personal skills profile, providing a snapshot of the skills the individual currently possesses and a broad understanding of the skills needed to move successfully through a changing workplace. Throughout this manual you'll find a structured process and step by step directions for facilitating the day-long workshop, the self assessment process and personal action planning.

The Action Manual is a psychodrama resource for experienced facilitators. It combines theory and practice, understanding and action for work with individuals and groups. Each chapter has an introduction, ideas and exercises that inform and facilitate that phase. The techniques in each chapter include a theory box, step-bystep instructions and possible applications.

Psychodrama professionals, Life Skills coaches, counselors and therapists who want to enliven groups will appreciate the time-tested and engaging exercises in this book.

Register online or download the registration form (PDF format).

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