Research shows that many physicians are reluctant to engage in face-to-face counseling. Yet they’re often in desperate need of a compassionate supporter and listener who understands the enormity of the work, life and family challenges they face.
That is why we created the Balanced Physician programs. We know physicians very well. We’ve known from the start that to make this process work, we must make it enjoyable. Real. And very different from the traditional methods most physicians resist.
Here are some of the key aspects of our unique approach, which make the Balanced Physician such a welcome relief. And makes our end goal a lot easier to achieve.
First and foremost, a coach.
Athletes and high-level executives rely heavily on coaches. Physicians are in a similar, demanding profession. Those demands make it difficult to take time out to reflect, prepare, re-strategize. A really good coach gives physicians an outlet, a place to voice and reflect upon the challenges and issues they’ve been dealing with for months and years. It’s amazing, and quite empowering, how the solutions appear that couldn’t be seen before.
What exactly is Coaching?
Candid and confidential
This is a huge advantage of the Balanced Physician programs. The elephant in the room, you might say. No matter who hires and pays for us, we do not share the content of any meetings with anyone in the organization, unless the physician wants us to. So we can explore issues that physicians cannot share with a partner, colleagues, or employees, and choose not to share with a spouse. As one relieved client said, “You’re the only one I feel comfortable sharing certain issues with that I avoided in the past.”
A fresh perspective
An external and organization-independent coach brings a fresh perspective on people and events in the organization. We see patterns and make connections that are not apparent to those on the inside. So we become a valuable ’sounding board’ for the physician - by asking questions, listening, and sometimes giving feedback from our perspective as an expert, but an outsider.
Proactive
Life is too short – and the costs too great – to be reactive. So we help physicians deal with stress before it becomes burnout. We help newly recruited physicians integrate into the team, because it’s very costly to replace a physician who didn’t have the support to succeed. We help our physicians achieve work-life balance before their children grow up, leave the house, and leave the guilt that they never made it a priority to be home for dinner each night.
Personal and professional
The Balanced Physician coaching is all about the whole Physician. The Doctor. The Leader. The Spouse. The Parent. It’s about an individual physician’s strengths and how to leverage them. It’s about being a role model and leader for family, staff, patients and community. It’s about the long-term vision of a life and the legacy each physician wants to leave behind.
Flexible and customized
All of our programs are just-in-time support for all of the many kinds of challenges a physician faces. Each coaching session is tailored to what our clients want to accomplish in their lives and how fast they want to get there. No topic is off-topic as long as it matters to our clients and their progress. They have access to a coach throughout the week through email and telephone.
A no-risk approach
We want you to get familiar with coaching first before you decide to make that investment in yourself. Continue reading about the 8 Principles the Balanced Physician programs were built upon or if you feel comfortable already, call us at (770) 428-2334 or email us to schedule a preliminary consultation. Tell us what you are currently facing and let's strategize together whether our programs are a fit for you. If our coaching program is not the right tool for you, we will offer you different resources.
