The Coaching and Therapy People: providing life coaching solutions for disabled people
The Coaching and Therapy People – an organisation founded by disabled entrepreneur Nath Fernandes – provides personalised life coaching and therapy solutions to individuals with disabilities across the UK. Here, we find out more about Nath and the services his company has to offer.
Meet our founder – Nath Fernandes
Our founder, Nath Fernandes, is an NCFE-qualified life coach with cerebral palsy. He has worked within the disability sector for more than 10 years and is passionate about assisting others to achieve their ambitions.
Using his entrepreneurial skills, the concept of The Coaching and Therapy People was born in 2022 to satisfy the need for a life coaching and therapy company.
Nath can provide input based on first-hand experience rather than being solely reliant on qualifications. Plus, we provide professional knowledge from our HCPC registered occupational therapist.
Born in 1992, Nath has continued to defy doctors’ expectations by achieving a First Class degree in Business Enterprise from the University of the West of England in 2014.
Armed with this, he subsequently founded a successful business, which now has bases in Bristol and London.
Aside from this, he works closely with the Social Work department at the University of Birmingham as well as educational institutions across the UK to raise awareness of disability.
Outside of work, Nath’s main passion is travelling the world (40 countries and counting) in an electric wheelchair (mostly) to discover how attitudes towards disability varies between cultures, which is then documented in his travel blog, The Wheelchair Traveller.
Nath hopes that it will inspire other disabled individuals to explore the world regardless of their impairment.
When not hard at work or travelling, you will generally find Nath either at the gym or catching the train to an urban orienteering event.
What is a life coach?
We find that the term can easily be confused with counselling or therapy – life coaching is neither of these. Rather than focusing on the emotional aspect of these services, it is more about using the coach’s skills and training to assist our clients to make their own decisions and create solutions to problems that they may be experiencing.
To do so, we set “SMART” goals that both parties can crunch down into, more achievable ‘sub-targets’ over a set number of (or ongoing) sessions.
Over these sessions, “homework” may be set by our coach to work towards your main target.
How can a life coach benefit me?
It is no secret that living with a disability can be challenging at times, especially with the added stress of attending things like hospital appointments and care assessments on top of the daily grind.
Our life coach can assist you to put all of this in perspective by focusing on what really matters to you, whether it is improving health or wellbeing, or simply seeking to discover a new hobby.
Research has also shown that our sessions can boost your self-esteem, which is crucial when working towards achieving your ambitions.
How do we incorporate occupational therapy into our services?
Our occupational therapy service is core to everything we offer as it allows us to, not only provide life coaching solutions but also write Initial Needs Assessments/Progress Reports (where necessary) and recommend products that will assist our clients to achieve their ambitions.
In certain cases, we work as part of a multi-disciplinary team alongside other therapists to provide a holistic approach.
What is the main ethos behind The Coaching and Therapy People?
Our ethos is simple, we strongly believe that, given the right toolset, whether it be through life coaching or therapy, everyone can reach their full potential and achieve their ambitions regardless of any impairment.
An example of our work
After Nath conducted an initial consultation with RJ, it was identified that one of his goals was to improve his health and wellbeing. Using Nath’s prior knowledge of adaptive yoga, he was able to contact a local yoga teacher offering this service and arrange a taster session.
As a result of RJ’s complex needs, Nath worked alongside his multi-disciplinary team (comprising of a physiotherapist) and himself to seek out products such as wedges enabling him to feel the full benefit of the session.
After the session, he felt positive and relaxed and plans to do weekly sessions in the near future.
Who do we work with?
Although we work with individuals and their families, we also offer our services to the following:
- Case managers
- Deputies/solicitors
- Local authorities
- Schools and colleges
- Therapists of different disciplines
We are always open to working outside the above remits, simply get in touch with us to discuss your requirements further.
I’m interested in engaging with your services, what are the next steps?
Great! The first step is to get in touch with us to discuss how (and if) we can assist. You can email us – info@coachingandtherapypeople.uk or complete our contact form.
If it feels that it is something we can assist with, we will arrange a FREE “Meet and Greet” with you either via Zoom or in person (travel fees apply) to discuss your requirements further and see whether we are the best “fit” for you.
What are your fees?
Dependent upon the service you require, we charge between £40 per hour to £80 per hour.
For more information about our services, please visit our website. or by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
By The Coaching and Therapy People
More on Disability Horizons…
- Resilience and determination in hospital with a long-term health condition
- How you can enjoy magical adventures with an all-terrain power wheelchair
- Driving forwards: a memoir and reflection of life by TV presenter and disability advocate Sophie Morgan
- Exercise equipment to help you stay active if you are disabled
