"Taking care of others by taking care of you."
The Life Success Coach Program uses a trauma-informed care model built on the 5 core principles of creating trust, offering choice, fostering collaboration, promoting safety, and empowering others. Carey Services uses this model to strengthen staff and provide better care to individuals served.

Life Success Coach Program Key Messages
- The Life Success Coach Program recognizes that all people face life challenges. Learning – and practicing – healthy ways to deal with challenges creates direct personal impact and will lead to improved interactions with others.
- The Life Success Coach Program uses an evidence-based model to help people overcome trauma and facilitate individual growth.
- The Life Success Coach Program empowers people to use their strengths to turn abilities into opportunities.
- The Life Success Coach Program is a core component of Carey Services’ vision of seeing a world where all people are empowered and equally valued community members.
What Is Trauma-Informed Care?
Trauma can result from a single event, or it can result from exposure to multiple events over time. The harm can be physical or emotional, real or perceived, and can threaten the individual or someone close. Trauma has a lasting impact on the individual’s functioning and well-being. Everyone's experience with trauma is different and people respond to trauma in various ways.
Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a strengths-based framework that recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role trauma may play in an individual's life. It reframes trauma reactions- these are the individual’s best attempt to cope with the experience of trauma. TIC focuses on 5 core principles:

Trustworthiness
The trustworthiness principle contains several interconnected ideas: being clear in describing tasks and in overall conversation, being consistent in dealing with others, being respectful in all interactions, and demonstrating and maintaining proper interpersonal boundaries.

Choice
The choice principle emphasizes that each person has control and the opportunity to make their own decisions in their daily life; people should be provided clear and appropriate messages about their rights and responsibilities to make well-informed decisions.

Collaboration
The collaboration principle emphasizes being considerate when making decisions with—or about—other people, ensuring you are sharing any power and not dominating conversations while working to allow stakeholders to have a significant role in program development, service planning, and evaluation.

Safety
The safety principle emphasizes that we should ensure all people are physically and emotionally safe in their surroundings, such as providing adequate training, making sure that common areas are welcoming and accessible, and privacy is prioritized.

Empowerment
The empowerment principle emphasizes prioritizing an environment for all people that promotes skill building, allows people to feel validated and affirmed in their work and activities, and is encouraged to use their strengths when facing challenging situations.
Life Success Coach Program FAQ
The Life Success Coach Program uses a trauma-informed care model built on the 5 core principles of creating trust, offering choice, fostering collaboration, promoting safety, and empowering others. Carey Services uses this model to strengthen staff and provide better care to individuals served.
The LSCP looks at all areas of the agency to assist with the alignment of trauma-informed care principles, with the goal of reduced turnover and increased independence for individuals.
This is a comprehensive program for all employees and individuals served at the agency.
The goal is that every aspect of Carey Services would function seamlessly through the Life Success Coach Program using trauma-informed care to inform daily practices and decisions.
The process began in Dec 2019, when AWS Foundation awarded Carey Services the grant to begin developing this program.
Transform Consulting Group is providing consultation and guidance for program creation.
Olivia Kaplan was hired and onboarded as the Life Success Coach to develop the program in Oct 2020.
This is a 3-year grant, with the goal of the program being sustainable beyond the grant timeline due to positive outcomes.
A growing understanding of the prevalence and impact of trauma experienced by people
The large disparity of trauma experienced by the disability community as compared to the general population
A desire to provide more support to staff and individuals in their difficult experiences- encourage personal growth, self-care, development of coping skills, etc.
The funding for this program came from a grant awarded to Carey Services by the AWS Foundation. This grant funds the LSC position, consultation, program development, and evaluation over 3 years.
We desire for the culture at Carey Services to encompass safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, and empowerment- this program is a way to make this shift a reality. Carey Services wanted each person to feel valued and empowered in their job and while receiving services. By equipping people with the tools to care for themselves, we can help them better care for others.
There is potential for greater impact here with the proper, consistent implementation of the TIC framework in all areas of the agency.
Individuals-served:
- Person-centered practices
- Greater independence
- Continuity of care
- Living their best life
- Community-focused, community involved
Staff:
- Personal growth
- Best practices
- Self-awareness and self-care
- Greater comradery
- Professional Quality of Life
Life Success Coach Program Toolbox
- Community Resources
- Food Pantries (Local Food Pantries)
- Churches (Benevolence Funding) Local Churches (Search by city)
- Grant County Resource Guide
- Community & Family Services Blackford County
- Health and Wellness
- Wellness experiences in the community (Yoga, YMCA, etc.)
- Shred Shed (Offer a variety of yoga classes)
- Grant County YMCA
- The Wellness Center
- Best way to get a healthy meal for cheaper
- Purdue Extension Nutrition Education
- Community Gardens
- SuperCook app (finding recipes with the food you already have in the fridge/pantry)
- 2-1-1
- Phone numbers to utility companies, pharmacy companies (Good Rx) that will help with medical expenses, MGH patient assistance
- Marion Municipal Utilities: (765) 664-2391
- Indiana Michigan Power Company (800) 311-4634
- Marion Water Works Department (765) 662-3961
- NIPSCO Water Utility (800) 464-7726
- Vectren Energy (800) 227-1376
- Waste Management in Marion
- Grant County Recycling Center
- Good Rx Website
- Good Rx Pharmacies in Marion
- MGH Patient Assistance
- Link to Medicaid Application
- Family Resource Center
- Wellness experiences in the community (Yoga, YMCA, etc.)
- Hotlines
- Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-332-7385
- Crisis and Suicide Intervention Service 317-251-7575 or TEXT CSIS to 839863
- National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE(7233)
- 1-800-787-3224 (TDD)
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- Mental Health Resources
- Coping Skills
- Self-Compassion
- Mindfulness
- Trauma resources
- Training/resources for individuals on emergencies (what to do if a staff passes out, etc)
- Public transportation
- City of Marion Bus Schedules and Route Maps
- https://www.lifestreaminc.org/transportation/ (Provide transportation services in Grant and Blackford counties)
- Wabash County Transportation
- Community-wide events
- City of Marion Parks & Rec Events
- Friends of the Gardens Events (family events at Matter Park)
- Hartford City Events
- Wabash County Events
- See LSC for:
- Counseling Referral Tree
- EAP
- Afena Loan
- Kingdom Builders
- Mental Health Resources