HIV Scotland: Life Coach

Today, with effective treatment, people living with HIV can live long and healthy lives, but we know that mental health can be a struggle, and access to support can be difficult.

Life Coaching is an innovative approach to improving mental health and wellbeing for people living with HIV in Scotland. By focusing on the mental wellbeing, we can ensure that people are supported not just with their HIV treatment, but holistically as a person. Traditional counselling or psychotherapy might not be your preferred choice, or you might just want some extra encouragement and support to get on the right path to personal fulfillment.

At times like these, our communities may be feeling a bit of uncertainty or anxiety about the road ahead. Through life coaching, you can explore and find a path towards the life goals and experiences that you are seeking.

Life Coaching is designed to provide people with positive, action-oriented goals to improve wellbeing and create a personalised map of the way ahead. Our ICF-Approved Coach, Antony Nash, will work with you to guide, encourage and, where necessary, challenge you to move forwards as you explore and own a path that feels right for you.

Please also look at Our Therapy&Counselling because it may be what you are looking for!

What can you Expect?

The coaching partnership is a conscious, intentional agreement between you and your coach to work together to enable you to reach the goals you have for yourself and your life. The coaching relationship consistently gives the power back to you in the understanding that you are the expert on you! The answers are always to be found within yourself and the coach’s role is to guide, encourage and challenge you as you work to discover the understanding you are seeking.

Through Life Coaching, you will gain a better understanding of:

who you are and what you want.
the obstacles that have been holding you back and learning to overcome them.
strategies to cope with the everyday stresses of life.
strategies to alleviate and mitigate the effects of depression and anxiety.
taking positive action and then maintaining your success over the long term.

Register for our Wellbeing support project and your details will be shared with our assessor to see if life coaching is for you!

* Life coaching is not a substitute for professional advice by legal, mental, medical or other qualified professionals. Life coaching is not a substitute for counselling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care or substance abuse treatment services.

Thanks to Gilead Sciences, Viiv Healthcare, Edinburgh Community Health Forum and the Scottish Government's Wellbeing Fund for supporting HIV Scotland Life Coach.

Meet our Life Coach!

Antony Nash, Life Coach

Hosanna Bankhead

Hosanna has obtained an MSc.in Social Development and Health from Queen Margaret University, launching her into the health sector. In 2008, Hosanna was employed by Terrence Higgins Trust as a Health Trainer for people living with HIV before becoming a Development manager for HIV Scotland. Recognising a huge gap in Africans accessing culturally sensitive organisations, Hosanna founded and led the Hwupenyu Health and Wellbeing Project until her retirement in 2019.
Chair: Dr. Nicoletta Policek

Dr Nicoletta Policek is Associate Professor in Policing and Criminology and Head of the Graduate School at the University of Cumbria, UK. Nicoletta’s specialisms are to be summarised in Human Rights legislation and Human Rights violations; migration studies; gender and sexuality studies; war, crimes against humanity and genocide; sex work; HIV/AIDS and public health; social impact of epidemics and emergencies.
James Alexander

Through his training as a psychotherapist, James has been working with and advocating for the HIV community in both London and Scotland for over 20 years. In this time, James has noted the provision of appropriate mental health support for the HIV community is often overlooked and underfunded. James' commitment to HIV Scotland is to overview and support its aims in changing attitudes towards HIV and mental health.
Dr. Melea Press

Melea researches sustainability and market systems. Melea's work crosses disciplinary and institutional boundaries; focused on increasing vitality and resilience within and across communities and ecosystems. Melea's research interests include issues of transparency, accountability, reporting, and legitimacy. Melea believes institutions across academia, the public, private and third sectors all have things to learn from and share with each other.

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