Case Study
Marcus’s Story
Marcus’s firm contacted Atrium Clinic to refer him for coaching.
They described Marcus as a ‘great, helpful guy’, who was liked by colleagues but was at risk of failing his probation period. He was a new graduate to the HR department but missed deadlines and made errors in areas of process which were covered in the induction period.
Marcus’s first assessment session in the clinic involved him sharing his story with school, college and work so far and his difficulties in his current job. It transpired that issues with deadlines, time and organisation were not new to Marcus but he observed that university had been a more supportive context where he had succeeded with extended deadlines for assignments and exams. He had struggled with the induction process in this job, struggling to recognise and retain key information and not knowing how to re-reference it. The clinician collected metrics on wellbeing and an ADHD type trait measurement tool. Marcus agreed and contributed to a formulation of his needs and was assigned to the Focused coaching pathway.
Marcus used the first session to set goals for the coaching work and the subsequent sessions focused on strategies for managing difficulties in those example areas. The final session brought in Marcus’s manager with his full agreement. The psychologist facilitated a discussion between them where Marcus described the conditions when he could do his optimal work and the manager offered support and clarified expectations.
After four coaching sessions, Marcus passed his probation and was on a project to re-write the induction programme for future new starters. The psychologist and Marcus discussed whether he would like to be assessed for ADHD but Marcus declined saying that his progress was enough. He would re-consider that idea if circumstances changed. His manager notified Atrium two months later that Marcus had received an internal customer champion award. Marcus said, ‘Thank you Atrium. I feel I have had a second chance and will make the most of it with my new learning’.
“I finally have a better understanding of how my recurring difficulties relate and feel more able to manage myself and my wellbeing. I am still playing football every week. Thank you”
Marcus
