Health coaching

Helen Bevan of Lifelong Coaching is offering a free one hour 1:1 coaching session to discuss a topic/issue that you would like to work on. In the session, she will work with you to get an outcome by the end of the conversation. As someone with hypermobile EDS (hEDS) and other chronic/invisible illnesses Helen is able to empathise and understand the difficulties of everyday life with these type of conditions.

In a coaching conversation, the coach and coachee partner to have a useful conversation to move the coachee forward. It is a safe, confidential space without judgement to talk through topics that the coachee decides to bring. The coachee will bring the topic that they would like to work on and Helen will work with you to come to a helpful outcome in the given time. This outcome may be a plan, a change in thinking, a change in feeling, or becoming unstuck etc.

An example of an outcome could be: I would like to have more energy in the mornings and by the end of this conversation I would like to have planned a night time routine to achieve this and feel confident that it is achievable.

The coach will check in with how much challenge and accountability you feel is comfortable to help you stick to your goal. Coaches do not give advice but guide you through your thinking using tools such as reflecting, powerful questions and reframing to empower yourself to make decisions about your own life. These will bring on learnings about yourself that you can apply to other situations.

Coaches can make offerings of knowledge or experience but only if it doesn’t get in the way of the work. As the discussion goes on, other things may come up and it may change direction which is ok as long as it is most helpful for the coachee. The coach will be there to keep you on track.

Here are some examples of topics or goals for a coaching session:

• I’ve just been diagnosed with EDS and feel like my identity has changed. I would like to feel more like myself by the end of this conversation.
• I don’t feel comfortable telling people about my diagnosis and would like to find a way to talk about it with people close to me.
• I find it hard being sociable when my symptoms flare and want to think of three ways to cope with this.
• It’s difficult for me to prioritise healthy eating around my illness and I would like to come up with ways to make it easier.
• I want to manage my energy better on a day to day basis with work, family and social activities. I’d like to feel more confident in this by the end of this conversation.

Your free one hour coaching session may be enough to get you back on track. If you feel you would like further sessions with Helen, she is offering six x 1 hour sessions (one every fortnight) over a three month period with a check-in by email or text in the week in between. The three month programme costs £180 to EDS UK members (instead of the full price of £480). Please note, Helen Bevan is not employed by EDS UK and does not receive any payment from the charity.

To register for the coaching please complete the form below.

Any information provided on this form will not bee seen by EDS UK but submitted directly to Helen. Please refer to her privacy policy if you have any concerns over how the data is handled.