Back in late January I wrote that I was looking at becoming a life coach for the Ali Forney Center. Since then I’ve been to a general orientation session about the program and have attended the first of six training sessions.

I knew this was going to be a challenging undertaking and the initial training drove that point home. Some current life coaches spoke to the group and they talked about the ups and downs of working with the clients, especially how it can take weeks or months before you’re trusted. Of course it makes sense since these clients have the experience of being abandoned over and over again, so you have to prove yourself to them. They said the clients will test you on this often as they sort out where you fit in their lives and if you actually keep coming back. I think I can handle being tested.

The testing starts April 11. The group of new coaches I’m in will attend the April LIFE (Learning Independence for Empowerment) Retreat. The clients in the program attend these monthly workshops, which feature topics that will help the clients out in the real world. The first retreat I’ll see in action is on “Boundaries.” Eventually, along with the other life coach responsibilities, I’ll help to create and deliver these workshops.

I continue to be excited about the opporutnity to work with these young adults as I get more into this program. I have a feeling it’s going to be significantly different from my time at The Door. Time will tell…