Our Smoking Cessation Advisors play a crucial role in motivating and helping local people to quit smoking for good. Kerry Brown is a stop-smoking advisor in Cumbria who also manages the Facebook and Twitter pages. We asked her to tell us more about her role and how she engages with clients to encourage them to quit.
What is a regular day like in the life of a Smoking Cessation Advisor?
We arrive on site in the heart of the local community and our day starts by contacting our existing clients, reminding them of our clinic times and places. Over the course of the day we help our existing clients during their follow up consultations. When clients return it is always nice to find out how they have got on with their quit attempt and if they have had a bad week. We have a good chat about what might be causing them trouble and provide them with advice, sometimes it is advice from our own personal experiences (most advisors are ex-smokers).
We also seek new clients who might be interested in becoming Smoke Free, sometimes people might not be ready to commit to quit there and then, so we provide them with a timetable of our clinics so they can return when they are ready.
What is the best thing about being a Smoking Cessation Advisor and what do you enjoy most about your role?
The best thing for me about being a Smoking Cessation Advisor is being out and about within the community meeting new people on a daily basis. I really enjoy helping people and it is great to see people that come back and are doing well with their quit smoking plan – you can see it in there face, they almost have a glow about themselves. Most people when they complete their quit smoking plan leave our service as friends, we are sad to see them go but happy for them that they have succeeded.
How do you encourage people to stay motivated during their quit attempt?
When people come in and ask us for our help to quit smoking, during our first consultation we establish what their motivations are for quitting smoking. Then if that person should be struggling we remind them what they told us in the beginning and ask if this is something they are still aiming for. Sometimes when people have smoked for a long time it can be daunting to think of life without a cigarette/roll up so we advise that if this is the case they don’t look that far ahead and just take it one day at a time.
Smoking is usually associated with certain triggers so we ask ‘when do you smoke?’ It is always good to have a little insight into the client’s daily routine to try and foresee when they may struggle. We can then brainstorm some ideas with the client to see what the client can do instead of smoking or if needs be, we can provide a combination nicotine replacement therapy.
Social Media is a great way to engage with clients and potential clients and Smokefreelife Cumbria have a very effective social media presence- How do you use sites like Facebook and Twitter to encourage and motivate local people to give up smoking?
Social media is a great way to spread the word. There are lots of different pages/groups that are in the local area where we work, so if we intend on going to a new area I use Facebook/Twitter to engage an interest in that area.
I always like to share photos of where we are working so new clients know where to find us. On our page I am able to share photos of clients that have successfully completed the 12 week programme. It is always great to do this as people who view the page with an interest in quitting smoking can see that other people have done it and that they can too! Clients new and old are also able to share their experiences of quitting with our service and are able to contact us direct at any time.
We regularly post interesting facts about smoking and quitting smoking and share interesting news stories relating to our cause.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a Smoking Cessation Advisor?
To be a Smoking Cessation Advisor it is essential to have a deep understanding of the difficulties smokers face on the road to a smoke free life. I think being an ex-smoker gives you the necessary experience which can be shared, although having good people skills and being empathetic also helps.
Follow Smokefreelife Cumbria:
Twitter @smokelessfells
