CORE Mental Fitness Coaching, a division of forward thinking inc, is focused on coaching in the area of mental fitness and the art of developing and tracking Psychological Capital.
Our proprietary PsyCap 4+4 model allows organisations to track and understand the mental fitness of their teams and use diagnostic data to design environments which promote employee / student wellbeing with benefits for productivity, retention and emotional wellbeing.
Psychological Capital
Psychological capital or ‘PsyCap’ was a concept originally developed by American organisational psychologist Fred Luthans. It relates to an individual’s positive psychological functionality and is analogous to the idea of positive mental health. People (and therefore organisations) with high levels of psychological capital are likely to be high performing as well as happy and empowered.
PsyCap can be considered a subset of human capital, something which can unlock the potential of a workforce, leverage a previously untapped form of competitive advantage and therefore play a key role in enhancing an organisation’s long-term value.
4+4 Model
Researching the area with support from psychologist and wellbeing expert Dr Madoka Kumashiro at Goldsmiths, University of London, our findings suggests that there are four CORE attributes that contribute to psychological capital at an individual level:
Confidence
Optimism
Resilience
Energy
We have also identified four conditions for success: Purpose, Autonomy, Recognition and Relatedness. These are related to the environment an organisation creates which supports the development of the four attributes. Organisations wishing to invest in driving up psychological capital in their organisations can align their investments and related action plans against each component of the 4 + 4 model.
Workshops
How to Strengthen Your CORE
You can think of resilience like a ‘SPRING’. If you have a strong spring, it’s going to stretch a little bit when stressed, but if you have a weak spring it’s going to stretch a LOT. Your ‘spring’ is your own capacity for resilience, your ability to deal with the weight of life when it comes.
This workshop outlines actions that everyone can take to improve their mental fitness and the strength of their ‘spring’ using the four CORE attributes of Psychological Capital.
Building a Resilient Team
A companion workshop to ‘How to Strengthen Your CORE’, this programme is about how we can help to create the ‘conditions for success’ in which to build strong Psychological Capital and mental fitness.
Team
Paula Talman
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Paula is a registered nurse in both adult and paediatric nursing. She is also a mental health first aider, a children's author and a mindfulness teacher. A former Director of Compliance, Health and Welfare within the education sector, Paula has a wealth of experience in child development and mental health in both the hospital and educational settings.
Paula has an MSc in Nursing Science and has completed a research study on attitudes towards adolescence with mental health issues. Her passion lies in supporting children with their mental, physical and social development as they journey through life, helping them live life well.
Zoe Edwards
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Zoë joined the consultancy as a graduate trainee in 2015 and has since progressed through roles as Analyst, Junior Consultant, Consultant and now Associate Director.
Studying for an MSc in Psychology and with experience working for mental health charity Shawmind as a secondee, Zoë is an experienced workshop facilitator currently training to deliver certified mental health courses.
Jane McKenna
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Jane is a qualified coach with a 20-year career in Retail. Over the last two decades she has held senior management positions across Operations, Merchandising and Partnerships, managing teams in the UK, US and Europe.
Jane is passionate about supporting young people at the very start of their careers, and offers next steps coaching and guidance as a Careers Adviser. Jane provides careers advice in schools and mentoring with The Girls Network, Brightside and The Fashion Retail Academy.
Catherine Chevallier
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Catherine has a wealth of experience working in large complex organisations. Confident, assured but with a warm and engaging manner, she is a positive facilitator who brings energy, enthusiasm and a practical approach to her projects.
Catherine has an MAA in Leadership Studies from the University of Exeter. Having spent much of her early career with M&S, she was ultimately Head of Change for the International Division.
Catherine has worked with forward thinking inc since 2010 on change projects for clients including Everton FC, the Alzheimer’s Society, Microsoft and CBRE.
Catherine is a Trustee for the suicide prevention charity CALM and sits on two school Boards.
Julie Nicholds
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Julie has an extensive background in HR. Working with employers to support long-term employee absence due to mental ill-health, Julie developed an interest in preventative and proactive wellbeing resulting in her becoming an accredited Mental Health First Aid trainer. She has delivered courses and webinars to a wide range of organisations including primary and secondary schools, supporting teacher resilience and wellbeing, helping them recognise the importance of their own mental fitness so that they can better support students.
Until recently Julie sat on the Board of mental health charity Shawmind as Compliance Lead. She joins the CORE Mental Fitness Coaching team in August 2023.
Dr Madoka Kumashiro
READER IN PSYCHOLOGY
@ GOLDSMITHS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
Madoka is a personality and social psychologist whose primary research interest is in the areas of personal growth and well-being. Specifically, how close interpersonal interactions (e.g., with managers, co-workers, mentors, social media network) influence personal growth, allow people to become closer to their ideal self, and motivate individuals to achieve their most important goals.
Madoka worked closely with the research team at forward thinking inc to develop the PsyCap 4+4 approach. She acts as Associate Consultant for the consultancy on select projects and keeps us up-to-date with the latest thinking on psychology and human dynamics in practice.