RESTOR8R
RESTOR8R: Ivan Library’s Coaching Program
Capacity 5
RESTOR8R is a coaching program designed by Ivan’s founder, Jenny. Jenny is not certified as any kind of coach, but she does have eighteen hours of graduate coursework in Psychology. This should not be relevant, however, as RESTOR8R describes its program as “Material Needs Therapy.”
“Material Needs Therapy” has no Google results, therefore Jenny feels justified in claiming she invented it. As the inventor, Jenny also feels justified in establishing the qualifications needed to administer “Material Needs Therapy,” and she has decided that librarians are best suited to this modality.
“Material Needs Therapy” is based on the idea that an individual’s true functioning cannot be accurately assessed until their material needs are met. The role of a Material Needs Therapist is to guide and assist their client through the process of meeting those needs. A Material Needs Therapist is intended to complement the work of any mental health professionals that the client may already be seeing, and should not take the place of a trained psychologist, MSW, or LPC.
The basic RESTOR8R program costs 20.00 per month and includes access to the RESTOR8R Discord, as well as one 30-minute phone session each month. During the client’s phone sessions, Jenny reviews the assignments list and records the client’s progress. Once the client’s status has been determined via these progress reports, Jenny then reviews the action items the client should achieve before the next phone session. If Jenny has any tips or guidance which would assist the client in their pursuit of these action items, she will assist the client in implementing these suggestions.
Where no assistance can be given, she will simply hold the client accountable for their progress since the previous session and establish goals for the next session. In cases where a client’s obstacles prove insurmountable, she will work with the client to determine alternative approaches to a comparable result and revise the client’s assignments list accordingly.
Interested parties can join RESTOR8R by visiting IVAN Library’s Patreon and subscribing at the $20.00 per month tier. This level of membership entitles members to one 20-minute phone coaching session per month, for detailed assistance. More than just a subscription— IVAN’s RESTOR8R is a community. New members should check their confirmation email for a link to the RESTOR8R discord.
Following each phone session, the client will receive an updated copy of their assignments list. Should the client come to feel that the program is not helping them, they may cancel their membership at any time.
The process of Material Needs Therapy includes assessment, goal-setting, planning, execution, and re-assessment. The assessment phase focuses on the first four levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, belongingness, love, and esteem needs.
During the analysis phase, the Material Needs Therapist and the client work together to identify outcomes that would result in the meeting of the identified needs. Once the list of outcomes is determined, the client and therapist then list the required steps for achieving those outcomes. These steps are then merged into a schedule of assignments, and the remainder of the therapist’s work involves guiding the client through the established assignments until all material needs are met.
Once this process has concluded, the client is asked to describe their self-fulfillment needs. The Material Needs Therapist and the client will then repeat the process of identifying outcomes that would result in the meeting of the client’s self-fulfillment needs and listing the required steps for achieving those outcomes. The client may then choose to work through these steps with the Material Needs Therapist; present the plan to their existing mental health professional, or present the plan to a new mental health professional. The Material Needs Therapist can assist the client in identifying and contacting an appropriate provider, if necessary.
The primary metric through which material needs are assessed can be termed “precarity:” How precarious is the client’s situation? Do they have a dependable income, sufficient food, and safe shelter? As an example, let us consider the hypothetical client, “Katie,” as an example.
Katie is working as a bartender and renting a room from Sharon. Neither Katie’s income nor her housing, healthcare, or retirement are secure. Katie needs secure housing, health insurance, a 401k, and a predictable income. To meet these needs, Katie needs a better job and a higher credit score. Katie did not finish high school, so her first goal is to get a GED and an Associate’s Degree, so she can get a better job. The second goal is to improve her credit score, so she can qualify for her own lease. With these two goals established, all that remains is to identify the obstacles standing between these goals and Katie’s current situation.
To surmount these obstacles, Katie needs to identify a GED program, apply and enroll in this program, complete the program, identify and enroll in an associate’s program, complete the program, update her resume, and apply for jobs. While she is working through these steps, she also needs to get copies of her credit reports, identify the negative entries, and work to erase or correct these entries.
As a librarian, her Material Needs Therapist will be able to assist her in finding the best programs and the right numbers to call, and the proper way to complete, submit, and support her application(s). The Material Needs Therapist will be able to help her to understand her credit report and identify which entries should be disputed. which entries should be paid off, and which entries must be allowed to simply expire. Once credit has been repaired, the Material Needs Therapist will also be able to assist Katie in collecting, compiling, and transmitting the documents required for an acceptable lease application.
Once Katie has a GED, an Associate’s Degree, a high credit score, and a lease in her own name, Katie may find her depression and anxiety considerably improved. She may find that stable employment and housing were 75% of her problem. Even if this does not turn out to be the case, other mental health professionals will be able to glean a clearer picture of Katie’s issues once her material needs have been met.