Off 2017 Success, ICF Sets Date for 2018 International Coaching Week

For nearly two decades, Dr. Sandra Schiff has served as the president of Health Mate, Inc., in Southeast Michigan, where she provides career goal training as well as consultation in matters such as transitions and corporate leadership. Working to stay at the forefront of coaching science, Dr. Sandra Schiff remains active in her field through professional organizations such as the International Coach Federation. 

Based on the most successful and influential International Coaching Week (ICW) in the history of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Vice President of Global Development and Membership Colmon Elridge recently announced that the event will be held again May 7-13, 2018. During this celebration, ICF coaches and chapters worldwide promote organizational awareness by offering free services in their local areas so that people have the opportunity to see how beneficial coaching can be in their lives. 

During the 2017 event, upwards of 60 different ICF chapters across the globe participated, offering 300 different coaching opportunities to individuals in their areas. These types of services included workshops, webinars, joint efforts with local business, and coaching sessions offered at no cost.

Union Institute and University - Doctoral Degree Program

Prior to becoming president of Health Mate, Incorporated in southeast Michigan, Sandra Schiff attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where she earned a master of social work in 1981. Sandra Schiff also earned a doctorate in geropsychology and organizational development from the Union Institute and University in 1996.

Started in 1964, the Union Institute and University is a pioneer in adult education, helping to create the format of traditional classroom education along with online classes. The university offers doctoral, bachelors, and masters programs and has over 15,000 alumni. The university also provides students from around the world the opportunity to study wherever you are with its flexible distance learning program.

The flexible scheduling for doctoral students allows them achieve educational goals without having to alter personal lifestyles or work schedules. The program requires students to complete a 66-hour program within seven years. The doctoral programs feature seminars in foundational and research studies to enhance the classroom and online training.

NOW WHAT?(R) Seminars - Facilitating Life Transitions

A leadership coach and executive located in Southeast Michigan, Dr. Sandra Schiff has extensive experience in change management and facilitating organizational effectiveness. With a focus on executive leadership and transition coaching, Dr. Sandra Schiff has recently received authorization to function as a NOW WHAT?® facilitator. 

Based on Laura Berman Fortgang’s book, Now What?: 90 Days to a New Life Direction, and related workbook, each NOW WHAT?® Seminar encompasses a dozen teleclass sessions over a three-month period. Participants include parents considering returning to work and professionals contemplating career transitions. 

Led by Life Blueprint® facilitators, seminars are typically small and rely on an easy-to-use private telephone bridge. Discussion centers on helping participants determine what they want to be “when they grow up,” take action to achieve such objectives, and allow jobs to reveal themselves. Support extends to any major transitions, such as divorce. One unique aspect of this is the Life Blueprint® methodology for finding the DNA that leads to fulfillment and happiness.

Seeking out Companies That Offer Lateral Growth Potential

A Southeast Michigan executive and leadership coach, Dr. Sandra Schiff also functions as a NOW WHAT?® facilitator. As such, Dr. Sandra Schiff assists clients in career transitions by helping them define their skill sets and realize rewarding opportunities by finding their paths. 

Some companies encourage not just vertical movement, but also lateral movement. This recognizes the fact that performing the same job can turn into a dead end over the years. For some, it makes sense to seek out organizations that offer a variety of interrelated positions and actively encourage cross-functional movement over the course of a career. 

Rotational programs typically immerse employees in a number of departments and workflow settings and give them a well-rounded base of skills that they can take with them in better defining their capacities and talents. This is one aspect of a company that it may make sense to research before settling on a job, no matter how appealing it appears in the short term.

Wayne State University Receives Future of Nursing Scholars Grant

Committed to helping individuals and organizations alike achieve their potential, Dr. Sandra Schiff focuses on career, leadership, and transitional coaching. An alumna of The Union Institute with a PhD in organizational development, Dr. Sandra Schiff received both her MSW and BA from Wayne State University (WSU), where she serves as an adjunct faculty member.

WSU recently joined a select group of universities when its College of Nursing was selected as a recipient of the Future of Nursing Scholars grant. Along with fewer than 30 other universities to offer the scholarship, WSU will be able to provide more assistance to nurses who are looking to earn their PhDs.

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the scholarship will be granted in the spring to a student who will begin his or her doctoral studies the following fall. Via the grant, students not only receive financial support and mentorship, but also gain access to opportunities to develop their leadership skills in preparation for management roles within the nursing profession.

The Everyday Practice of Mindfulness

Dr. Sandra Schiff provides personalized life and career coaching to individuals and families. In a recent blog post, Dr. Sandra Schiff focused on the importance of mindfulness, which she characterizes as being employed in describing a variety of concepts and practices. 

Mindfulness can involve making a conscious effort to be in the present, taking deep breaths, or meditating. While many think of meditation as clearing the mind, there is more to it than that.

Another aspect of mindfulness centers on changing the emotional relationships one has with thoughts and accentuating the productive and positive. This may involve sifting through a myriad of competing thought patterns and settling on those that are most beneficial or productive in defining life goals. 

Mindfulness may take the form of an hour of quiet each day or involve taking time at intervals to focus inwardly throughout the day. It may also involve closing the eyes and concentrating on breathing or keeping the eyes open and focusing on a flower or stationary object in the distance. Whatever the process, undertaken regularly and with specific intention, mindfulness has been shown to have a significant positive effect on those who practice it.

Wayne State Creates New Tinnitus Diagnostic Tool for Animals

As a Certified Care Transitions Coach, Sandra Schiff works with families to help them address the self-management skills required during transition situations. Sandra Schiff also works part-time as a professor at Wayne State University’s School of Social Work. 

Wayne State University maintains a reputation as one of the leading public research universities in the United States, as highlighted by the recent development of a new tool by a team of researchers at the university that may help shed a light on the underlying issues behind tinnitus.

The paper accompanying the research, A Conditioned Behavior Paradigm for Assessing Onset and Lasting Tinnitus in Rats, which was published in PLOS ONE, notes that almost 50 million people in the United States have tinnitus, which commonly manifests as a consistent ringing in the ears. The diagnostic tool created by researchers takes the form of a training regimen that allowed them to determine whether or not the rats tested had tinnitus, if it had a pitch, and how long the condition lasted.

The key takeaway is that the tool allows for this training, which would usually take a number of months, to be completed in just over two weeks. As such, it expedites the tinnitus research process in animals, which may, ultimately, lead to faster medical breakthroughs in relation to humans.

WSU’s School of Social Work Holds B.S.W. Welcome Days

As the president of Health Mate, Inc., Dr. Sandra Schiff develops programs that facilitate executive leadership, transitions, and parenting. As she continues to focus on coaching services, Dr. Sandra Schiff currently serves as an adjunct faculty member of the Wayne State University School of Social Work in Michigan.

WSU’s School of Social Work offers undergraduate, masters, doctoral, graduate certificate, and continuing education programs in social work that prepare students for professional practice. In its 81st year, the school continues to advance social welfare policy and practice by providing communities with educated and skilled social work professionals.

To educate prospective students on the social work profession, the Wayne State University School of Social Work conducts B.S.W. (Bachelor of Social Work) Welcome Days. This event covers in detail all aspects of the B.S.W. program, including the application process and curriculum. Career opportunities in social work are also discussed.

How Motivational Speakers Can Help Employees

As the president of Health Mate, Inc., in Southeast Michigan since 1999, Dr. Sandra Schiff has provided individuals and business with various services, including training, consulting, and coaching. Additionally, Dr. Sandra Schiff has served as a motivational speaker at local and national conferences.

Motivational speaking in a business context can bring new perspectives to employees in several ways. By encouraging employees to think about their own experiences and “dig deep” for inspiration, motivational speakers can enable them to overcome “mental block.” In doing so, they can potentially come up fresh ideas and new approaches to long-standing problems, perhaps some of which may have seemed insurmountable.

Additionally, if your business notices a drop in sales and profits, a motivational speaker can help increase its sales. With fresh ideas and strategies, in addition to a healthy dose of optimism, employees can get back on track and generate additional revenue for your business.

The I Rise Family Empowerment Program

Dr. Sandra Schiff brings more than 30 years of experience to her role as president of Health Mate, Inc. Dr. Sandra Schiff gives back to her community by sharing her skills and experience with organizations such as the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, where she serves as an I Rise Family Empowerment Program (I Rise) personal coach.

I Rise supports working parents using a combination of financial and career coaching, motivational tools, and child care support. Each month the life/career coach present a motivational forum addressing topics important to working families such as career advancement, raising college-bound kids, finding your purpose, budgeting, resume strategies, and other topics regarding successful family life. By providing a range of resources, the program empowers families to achieve more for themselves. 

The staff works with the parents of children currently enrolled in YMCA child care. Participants typically have annual incomes between 100 percent and 200 percent of the national poverty level.

Wayne State Receives Ranking of 67th in US Academic Quality

Sandra Schiff is a part-time professor at Wayne State University. Working as an adjunct faculty member, Sandra Schiff teaches in the Wayne State University School of Social Work.

Wayne State University has been ranked 67th in academic quality in the United States. Wayne State University also ranks 225th world-wide. This prestigious honor was based on the number of publications produced in higher education institutions. Wayne State was listed as an A+ school, the second highest rating behind A++. In the United States, only 37 universities are ranked as A+, among which are Purdue University and Brown University.

Wayne State University is one of the most renowned urban research universities in the United States. Over a recent 90 day period Wayne State received over $33.7 million in research grants, including awards to study "the use of buprenorphine in combating relapse in recovering opioid users," "improving asthma management in youth," schizophrenia research, "HIV prevention among youth," "environmental influences on child health," to "develop a data-driven health informatics system for addressing health challenges," a study of PTSD, a grant to "advance the understanding of Alzheimer's and dementia," and a grant to "impact Detroit public school students' interest in STEM," science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Five Training Programs of the Peoplemap System

Sandra Schiff focuses on training, consulting, and coaching services. A member of the International Coaching Federation, Sandra Schiff is also a certified Peoplemap executive coach. The Peoplemap System offers five training programs that help individuals develop their intrapersonal and interpersonal skills.

Peoplemap’s basic program is designed to teach individuals how to manage all relationships successfully. This one-day session also includes a basic technique for achieving personal peak performance.

The leadership development program focuses on specific skills. These include dealing with crisis, developing communication skills, and promoting growth.

Meanwhile, the teambuilding program helps organizational teams achieve greater cohesiveness. The skills taught in this program promote productive working relationships. 

A targeted session, the peak performance program helps individuals set pragmatic goals and achieve positive results. Its foci include motivation, personality style, procrastination, and self-image.

The fifth program, executive coaching, addresses all skills needed by people in leadership positions, including setting a vision, creating a plan, and encouraging creativity.

About the Now What? Coaching Program

As a personal, transition, and leadership coach, Dr. Sandra Schiff draws on training in a variety of techniques and methodologies. Certified as a Care Transitions coach and a PeopleMap facilitator, Dr. Sandra Schiff recently received her credential as a facilitator of the Now What? Coaching system®.

Based on the book by Laura Berman Fortgang, the Now What?® Coaching methodology empowers the pursuit of positive change. It is a fully customizable curriculum that aligns each individual's life and professional situation to his or her needs, wants, and values. Certified facilitators lead clients through the program over the course of 90 days, during which time the client develops a specific action plan geared toward pursuit of a particular goal.

The program centers on the belief that the client's sense of purpose will drive his or her success. For this reason, Now What? facilitators and program representatives do not review a client's resume, but instead assess work situation as part of an individual's entire life experience. Meanwhile, clients engage in in-depth reflection and complete weekly assignments to reveal new goals that successfully excite and motivate over nine out of 10 individuals to move forward.

Now What? - A 90-Day Program to Help People Live Their Best Lives

A Southeast Michigan-based coaching services professional with over three decades of experience, Dr. Sandra Schiff has served as president of Health Mate, Inc., since 1999. In addition to being a certified Care Transition Coach, Dr. Sandra Schiff is an Authorized Facilitator of the Now What? Program.

Developed by bestselling author and professional coach Laura Berman Fortgang, Now What? is a 90-day program that helps people advance their careers and improve the overall quality of their lives. People can either follow the Now What? curriculum on their own or under the guidance of an Authorized Facilitator who has been trained by Laura Berman Fortgang via several months of in-depth coursework.

The main goal of Now What? is to help people uncover what they want in life and then make the changes to attain it. Fortgang’s program, which is outlined in her book Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction, establishes week-by-week goals and provides tips and exercises to achieve them. Professional coaches trained in the program help clients implement the curriculum through guided questioning and exploration that establishes a strong foundation for ongoing and sustainable life improvement.

Phases of Life Transitions Coaching

Dr. Sandra Schiff is the president of Health Mate, Inc., a business in Southeast Michigan that provides individuals with various consulting, training, and coaching services. Dr. Sandra Schiff has personally served as a Life Transitions Coach, a role designed to guide individuals through significant changes in their lives.

Life Transitions Coaching helps people establish and fulfill their life goals in more effective ways. The coaching process consists of three phases: Beginning, Creating, and Maintaining. It requires full commitment from the individuals seeking coaching and the coaches themselves. An individual must fully engage in the process by keeping scheduled appointments with the coach, setting weekly goals, and reporting progress.

Phase 1, the Beginning phase, establishes the transition the individual is currently making, taking into account opportunities, personal strengths, and potential challenges. This phase typically takes one to three sessions to complete and requires the individual to provide the coach with information about the transition, identify needs and values using tools provided by the coach, and establish initial goals pertaining to the transition.

Phase 2 is the Creating phase, which requires the individual to create a vision and plan and then begin carrying it out in daily life. This phase typically lasts one month to six months and asks the individual to explore options for the future, create a vision and mission statement, and come up with specific tasks for achieving the established goal. With the help of the coach, the individual creates both a long-term and a short-term plan for achieving goals during this phase.

The third phase, Maintaining, requires the individual to maintain the plans created in Phase 2. This involves planning tasks to complete between sessions, identifying successful completion of tasks, and planning for any obstacles. This phase lasts from one month to six or more months.

Social Work a Rapidly Growing Field

Sandra Schiff, PhD, has a long and varied career in helping professions. Head of her own consultancy, which focuses on executive and leadership coaching, Dr. Sandra Schiff is also an adjunct professor of social work at Detroit, Michigan’s Wayne State University, where she earned her master of social work (MSW).

According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), social workers are highly trained and experienced professionals who have earned social work degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral levels and completed a minimum number of hours in supervised fieldwork. US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics projections indicate that social work is among the fastest-growing careers in the United States.

NASW loosely defines social work as psychosocial services and advocacy. Social workers help people restore or enhance their capacity for social functioning, NASW says, as well as help them overcome such challenges as poverty, discrimination, abuse, addiction, illness, divorce, disability, and unemployment.