The CATALYST Method
for Agencies
Working with people, regardless if in community social services or in a for profit setting, always has its own unique challenges. Staff are asked to be adaptable, to be their best, provide great customer service, and to work collaboratively with the community to meet their client’s needs.
Agencies have to stay focused on the bottom line, the quality and quantity of services provided, and of course HR needs. Clinical supervisors often become so focused on meeting the agency’s needs that they forget, that even though their staff has likely attended graduate school or for some undergraduate, most people entering into the field don’t actually know how to work successfully in the social services.
Most people rely solely on their natural talents and given strengths, and they have faith in the old adage “fake it till you make it!.
The CATALYST Method is a shift in thinking that moves from an expectations model to a teaching model. From directing or managing model, to teaching people how to thrive while serving others and how to bring about balance in their life so that work actually fulfills them instead of consuming them.
The CATALYST Method has eight separate parts, which like any good system, are interdependent and inter-related to others.
By learning and applying the CATALYST Method to within your agency, you can support your staff in creating a strong foundation through trusting themselves in their role, it will allow them to be adaptable, work collaboratively with others, provide the highest quality services, and allow all of you to create the work environment where everyone thrives.
The CATALYST Method
Cultivating Roots
The truth is we are social beings. How we see the world, how we see ourselves, is significantly influenced by the way we think others see us. This is why trust matters so much to our success. It is beyond having mere connections, it is having deep connections with people in your life that anchor you to the ground when storms approach.
Agency
There is nothing more powerful than a person who knows that they are in control of their own life. They understand that they hold responsibility for the decisions they make and the direction of their life. Having agency gives you the freedom to listen to your intuition, trust your gut, and follow your heart. You know who you are and what you are here to do, and make sure that what you are doing, is guiding you to create the life you are here for.
Trust the Process
Even though this phrase gets used so regularly in today’s world, it would be hard to move forward if you didn’t have faith that you were on the right path, consciously or unconsciously. To trust the process means that you trust that the choices you are making will put you on the path, which will shape and mold you to become the type of person who can reach their desired outcomes.
Alignment Before Action
There are several ways to get tasks done. The most common way people motivate themselves or others to get things done is through fear. An arm gets twisted and we are told, “this must get done or else.” In this moment, no one does their best work. Alignment is the place where we want to lean into the task at hand, where we are emotionally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually ready to do what needs to get done.
Learning
Common wisdom seems to be “do what you love”. They tell you to think back to when you were a kid in hopes of finding something from within that compels you forward. What I tend to find, especially in social services, is that what people tend to find joy in learning about is a better indicator of what they want to do or what their purpose is. So a better question could be, “what do you love to learn about?”. Where do you invest your time?
You Invest in Others
What I have found is that investing in others brings me the most joy, the most satisfaction, and the most peace. In watching someone move into their potential; to do something they didn’t believe they could. As you treat others as you would like to be treated, as someone worthy of a deeper level of trust, then you will find those individuals through the process who in turn invest in you.
Simplify the Challenge
I often say that the problem or challenge people are focused on, is often not the problem or the challenge that the person is actually struggling with. When you break down a challenge into a core elements, it becomes easier to find a solution that impacts the entirety of the challenge. But you have to be curious, because the simplest answer is always the most difficult to find.
Trust Yourself
The most common obstacle that most therapist’s struggle with is imposter syndrome. They struggle with doubt of who they are and what they are doing. Fear…of messing up, not being enough, or all of the other fears about how or why we will fail keep us from moving forward. If we can learn to truly trust ourself despite our fears, then we become capable of helping every person that comes through our door, not because we are amazing, but because that process has helped us to develop courage to face difficult things and allowed for humility to be our guide as we understand that fear comes for us all.
Take the First Step
My goal is to assist in developing clinicians to realize their potential in helping others, simplifying complex systems, and guiding the people they serve to healthier, safer, and more meaningful lives. If any of these trainings could help you or your staff solidify who they are and their approach, please reach out to discuss how we can make this happen for you or your team.
