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Workplace Training and Consultation
“Custom Employee Wellness Programs That Enhance Productivity
Customized Employee Behavior & Performance Training
Chicago IL, MI & IN
Shifting Forward is a dynamic, solution-focused training designed to help teams overcome conflict, strengthen communication, and build a culture of accountability and growth.
Grounded in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), this training moves beyond surface-level solutions by helping employees identify strengths, take ownership, and apply practical strategies for real change. With over 15 years of experience in therapy, HR, and staff development, our team delivers personalized, results-driven sessions that make a measurable impact on performance and workplace culture.
Key Focus Areas
Turning workplace conflict into communication, accountability, and real results.
Shifting Forward turns strained supervisor–employee relationships into productive partnerships built on clear expectations, mutual respect, and shared ownership of outcomes.
Fostering a Culture of Accountability, Growth & Teamwork
Program Highlights
Choose between on-site sessions or live virtual training, tailored to fit your organization’s needs and schedule.
Training is built around your organization's unique challenges and areas for growth, with a focus on employee behavior and performance.
Participants benefit from individual or small-group coaching, ensuring practical application and personal growth.
We foster a nonjudgmental space where employees can openly explore challenges and opportunities for improvement.
What makes our approach different?
With over 16 years of experience in mental health, training, and employee development, we bring a unique combination of clinical insight and workplace expertise to every session we hold.
At Impactful Counseling Services, we understand the complexities of workplace dynamics firsthand — from team conflict to employee burnout. Our founder, Lynette G. Collins, served as an HR Manager in a long-term care facility, leading initiatives to improve communication, boost morale, and support performance in high-stress environments. That insider perspective shapes how our team partners with workplaces today.
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At Impactful Counseling Services, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is central to how we help people make meaningful, lasting change. Our founder, Lynette G. Collins, brings over a decade of SFBT practice and has designed and facilitated trainings on applying it to:
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Navigate difficult client relationships
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Balance collaboration and direction
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Build internal boundaries and boost motivation
I have led coaching and onboarding for new hires, while also providing day-to-day supervision and team support. We understand how to train professionals in a way that feels relevant, respectful, and results-oriented.
We will work toward creating a space where employees feel safe to be honest about challenges. This can lead to real conversations and transformation, especially around sensitive topics like behavior, accountability, and conflict.
We emphasize what’s working, helping employees leverage their strengths and internal resources to build momentum for change.
Each participant will leave with a personalized development plan that outlines:
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Areas for improvement
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Strengths to maintain
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Skills or behaviors to expand
Shifting Forward — Sample Engagement: Strengthening Communication in a Medical Office
A primary care practice doubled its providers in a year, but front-desk and clinical workflows never caught up. The short-staffed front desk rooms patients late and passes questions to the medical assistants without context. The MAs feel they're cleaning up messes that aren't theirs — and one senior MA has grown short with a newer front-desk hire, who's now stopped asking questions for fear of being snapped at, so small errors slip through to the providers. The office manager senses the sinking morale but addresses it with all-staff emails and group huddles instead of direct conversations, because confrontation feels uncomfortable. Nothing changes. The providers are quietly frustrated, one MA is "looking around," and everyone is trying to do good work while it falls apart.
Phase 1: Discovery & Goal Setting
Understanding Your Team
Prior to the training, leadership and key stakeholders participate in a brief consultation to identify:
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Current challenges
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Desired outcomes
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Organizational strengths
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Areas where communication or collaboration could improve
Together, we identify what success would look like and establish clear goals for the training.
Sample Questions
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What is working well that you'd like to see more of?
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If this challenge improved, what would be different?
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What would employees, supervisors, or customers notice first?
Phase 2: Identifying Strengths & Opportunities
Building on What Works
Rather than focusing solely on problems, participants explore:
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Existing team strengths
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Successful communication patterns
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Times when challenges were less noticeable
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Resources already available within the team
This creates momentum and helps employees recognize that meaningful change is already possible.
Focus Areas May Include:
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Communication
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Team collaboration
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Accountability
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Employee engagement
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Leadership effectiveness
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Workplace morale
Phase 3: Interactive Team Training
Creating Solutions Together
Through facilitated discussion, reflection activities, small group exercises, and practical skill-building, participants learn how to:
Improve Communication
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Ask questions effectively
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Share information clearly
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Provide constructive feedback
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Address concerns professionally
Strengthen Workplace Relationships
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Increase understanding across roles
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Reduce assumptions and misunderstandings
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Improve employee-supervisor interactions
Increase Accountability
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Clarify expectations
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Promote ownership and follow-through
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Focus on solutions rather than blame
Build on Strengths
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Recognize individual and team successes
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Leverage existing skills and resources
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Increase confidence and motivation
Phase 4: Action Planning & Team Commitments
Turning Ideas Into Action
Participants develop practical, realistic next steps that support continued growth.
Together, the team identifies:
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Behaviors to continue
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Areas for improvement
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Communication commitments
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Shared goals for success
The outcome is a simple, actionable roadmap that employees can immediately implement.
Phase 5: Follow Up & Reinforcement
Supporting Long-Term Success
Organizations may choose to include a follow-up session to:
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Review progress
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Celebrate successes
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Address barriers
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Refine action plans
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Reinforce positive changes
The focus remains on sustaining momentum and helping the team continue building upon its successes.