“I learnt how to turn negativities into ways that I can move forward.”
As someone who works as the first port of call in a very busy day ward, Kath is constantly at the beck and call of consultants, doctors, nurses, patients and others. She knows that prioritising her tasks and clearly communicating with all these people is critical to her job. She found completing the ITL3 programme provided her with the strategies she needed.
“I used to store things up and didn’t explain myself properly,” Kath says. “The course taught me different skills that I have within me. I learnt how to turn negativities into ways that I can move forward. I used to wake up, have a shower and go to work. Now, I take ten minutes to think about the previous and the present day. I think about things that might have gone wrong that I could do better next time and about how I can improve.”
Kath is very open and honest. She describes herself as a ‘bit of a rough diamond’. But she says the course has definitely smoothed some of the rough edges. “I’m more professional now. If I get stressed, I’ve learnt how to calm down. In the past I would have just said things straight out without thinking first. But this course has taught me how to express my thoughts professionally and calmly and in a manner that’s more appropriate for the workplace.”
Kath uses these strategies at home too. “I hear my kids say oh so-and-so is a real goose, and I’m like ‘No, you don’t know what’s going on in their life. You don’t get nasty back. You sit down and say are you okay?’”