Deborah S. Mayer, president and owner of Crossroad Solutions Coach, Bio:
Deborah is a professional certified coach with training in leadership coaching at Georgetown University and Adler Professional School of Coaching-Arizona and is recognized by the International Coach Federation (ICF).
Deborah coaches one-to-one and leads interactive workshops and retreats on life, transition and leadership development for both deaf and hearing communities.Deborah demonstrates a remarkable commitment to her clients’ growth and achievements. Deborah is a local and national educator, facilitator and a strong advocate for deaf children’s and adults’ rights. Deborah has a bachelor’s degree in deaf education from the University of Tennessee and a master’s in deafness rehabilitation and counseling from New York University. She holds professional certifications in rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation administration from the Commission on Rehabilitation Counseling and the Post-Employment Training-Administration of Programs Serving Individuals who are Deaf, Late-Deafened and Hard of Hearing program (PET-D) at San Diego State University. Deborah is certified as a Deaf Mentor in Illinois and Parent Advisor in Missouri trained in the SKI-Hi Curriculum. Professional experiences include director/counselor in programs for deaf/HOH students at Lehman College and LaGuardia Community College, both in NYC, and outreach specialist for Relay Missouri. She provided MCPO/PEPNet with consulting, informational and training services. She taught graduate courses at Maryville University. Deborah loves learning, traveling, cooking, dancing, family life and beach walking.
Tell me about your job– how did you get into this line of work?
I entered the coaching field when as a deaf parent, I saw how effectively and quickly my deaf child enthusiastically responded to coaching techniques by a Parent Coach over traditional counseling approaches.
I work with deaf and hearing individuals, families, groups, teams and leaders. Coaching sessions are anywhere in person, through videophone, webcam or video relay. I also give presentations, workshops, retreats and training sessions.
If you are stuck at a crossroad in your life and dont know how to move forward, that is where coaching comes in.
An advisor, counselor, psychiatrist, social worker or therapist usually focuses on the past to define current problems and tells you what to do. This is the old do-as-I say approach that deprives you of personal achievement. A coach enters a partnership with you. You coach walks with you to discover the greatest in you. You will be empowered to create your own action plan and move forward to a fulfilling and meaningful life.
What is the best part of your job?
Reaching out to more people and see satisfying results.
What are some of the challenges of your job?
Geographical location and being visible.
I find myself dealing with different people from all walks of life. Not one person has the same goal or desire to change.
What was it like growing up deaf/hard of hearing?
My generation was different than today’s generation as my deaf teenagers grew up with technology advancement. We didn’t have captions, TTYs or even pagers. Cochlear implants did not exist yet. Education was through touch, feel and see.
What advice would you give a deaf/hard of hearing person who is looking for a career like yours?
I would advise deaf/ hard of hearing person to acknowledge if they are either people oriented person or hands on person before they take this job. The person would love being with people and understand the human mind and emotions with training in Human Services field before taking on coaching work.