The ‘Family Coaching’ staff seminar was held from December 14th to 16th, 2009 at the CCP’s Community Center, Kawangware. The seminar empowered the staff with skills of assisting and equipping families to coexist as a unit through enhancement of rules and roles within the family unit. Margaret Mbugua, the Medical Site Manager, facilitated the training and covered the following topics: The shade of the children, understanding family systems, firming up parental system, joining with the child, key concepts for coaching teens, setting up family system and family goal setting. The shade of the children is derived from the family’s generational patterns. A family system is a unit where each member of the family plays a critical and unique role guided by the set family rules. In firming up parental system, there must be a willing ‘give and take’ approach to improve relations in the household. On the other hand, parents join up with their children by teaching them wisely and living a life similar to what they teach them. “Its parental duty to teach children the concept of wise living so that they can understand that wisdom is the noblest and purest pursuit of all,” Margaret said. The three key concepts for coaching teenagers were to support them maximize their potential, understand and help them develop self esteem. In setting up the family system, family roles and rules are made for the family to continue functioning as usual. Family goals must be set and be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time framed, flexible and agreed by all family members. For parents to bring out the best in their children, the following coaching skills must be applied: Active listening, support their children where necessary, collaborate with them in important issues, guide them, focus on the important issues, motivate and encourage them, strategize and finally understand them. At the same time, the staff were divided into groups of three and led through practical sessions of family coaching. To sum up the seminar, three groups comprising the married and two groups of singles came up with the benefits of the training to themselves, the organization and its practicability. CCP’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Board, Jim Behr, keyed up the staff to move forward and exercise the knowledge and skills acquired. He appreciated the staff and the facilitator for making the seminar successful and promised a continuation of the same come next year. He said that the training had opened up the staff to understand family unit which will help them assist families in the Sponsorship Program that live with the orphans, abandoned and special needs children. Each participant would be awarded a certificate of completion on December 19th, 2009 during the Staff Christmas Party.