How to Coach Yourself and Others Empowering Coaching And Crisis Interventions | Page 70

This book is in B&W, not color - Print page in Grayscale for Correct view! Empowering individuals The blocks to empowering an individual are often psychological. Firstly, there is the phenomenon of alienation from the self. This is a phenomenon that has been identified as a psychological and emotional response to oppression. It is manifested through the inability to identify and articulate one's needs and take active steps to meet them. It can lead to low self-esteem and feelings of powerlessness, with the perception that one cannot influence and resolve issues in one's own life. Secondly is the use of stereotypes or stigmatisation. The migrants, who have repeatedly experienced rejection, for whatever reason, will feel stigmatised or of being subsumed under a stereotype. This will be exacerbated by their experiences of racism. The migrants might find themselves caught in a vicious circle of stigmatisation, rejection and, subsequent self-blame. This circle can be quite destructive for the individual. Three steps are important for the empowerment of individuals: The first step is to define the problem. To define the problem, different factors have to be considered, such as the specific legal framework of each country, particularly around their residency status and employment rights. Also the attitude of each country towards migrants and refugees is significant. In a society with an assimilationist approach, there is an expectation of complete adjustment to all relevant features of the host society. In countries where integration is the key-word, differences are accepted and even encouraged. The second step addresses the issue of self-determination. It is important to define the criteria of success for every individual. From this perspective it is possible to set targets against which the goals can be said to be achieved. Establishing self-sufficiency and belief in one's own abilities starts from the moment contact with the client begins. As soon as he or she is regarded as a valuable source of competence in dealing with the problem, an important step in the direction of empowerment has been taken. This leads us to the third step which relates to consciousness raising. It is necessary to confirm to the clients that they are the experts of their particular situation and the best arbiters of their own treatment. The acceptance of the independence of the client is crucial, otherwise there can be no talk of empowerment. An important precondition to any empowerment-process is access to information. A lot of problems arise because of a lack of information on both sides: Those seeking for employment and those able to give jobs. The availability of information on the labour-market and its regulations ensures that the clients are not reliant on the advisor to assess their options. For [email protected] Property of Bookemon, do NOT distribute 70