Health and wellness coaches are specialists with a wide range of expertise and degrees who work with people and groups in a client-centered process to support and empower the client to achieve self-determined goals relating to health and wellness. When coaches use clearly defined knowledge and skills, clients can mobilise their internal resources and external resources to accomplish real change.

A patient-centered strategy in which patients at least partially decide their goals, employ self-discovery or active learning processes along with subject education to work towards their goals, and self-monitor behaviours to improve accountability, all within the context of an interpersonal connection with a coach. The coach is a healthcare practitioner with training in behaviour change theory, motivational approaches, and communication strategies. They help patients acquire skills for lasting change and establish intrinsic motivation for better health and wellbeing.

There must be training on a model for health and wellness coaching that:

1. Is patient-focused
2. Allows clients to choose their own change objectives;
3. Promotes a process of self-discovery
4. Promotes patient accountability
5. Content expertise

How Coaching Works:

Health and wellness coaches work with our clients to improve their health, vitality, and well-being through the use of practises that have been shown to improve health and prevent disease, such as weight loss, exercise, diet, stress management, sleep, and mind-body and positive psychology interventions. Expanded capacity for lifestyle change and sustainable lifestyle change are the results of health and wellness coaching. Numerous people experience difficulties that are detrimental to their health, such as unmanaged stress, excessive weight, poor fitness, low energy, inadequate amounts of good emotions, or a medical condition. They struggle daily to invest in their health and wellbeing in order to promote vitality and avert illnesses that are preventable.

The majority of people can be classified as “contemplators,” however some people are what behavioural psychologists refer to as “pre-contemplators”—either in denial or at extremely low confidence levels regarding lifestyle change. People often consider leading healthier lives and balance the advantages and disadvantages of change. There are a lot of sincere efforts and good intentions. The implementation misses the mark because people lack the psychological and lifestyle information, abilities, procedures, attitudes, tools, and support necessary to change their lifestyles on their own and sustainably.

Coaches assist clients in overcoming obstacles, developing resources like self-empathy, self-motivation, self-awareness, mindfulness, fresh viewpoints, confidence, optimism, and resilience, and enacting lasting change. Their new ways of living ingrain themselves into who they are.

The main dimensions of the work of health and wellness coaches include:

1. Serving as wellness role models
2. Enabling a holistic and tailored integration of numerous lifestyle aspects
3. PEnabling the timely acquisition of lifestyle knowledge and skills;
4. Enabling the development of psychological resources necessary for long-lasting transformation
5. Assisting a transformation process
6. Linking up with additional resources and qualified professionals as required or requested.

Standards for qualifications, training, and certification, as well as the distinction between health coaches and wellness coaches are needed and a priority for this emerging profession.

Contact me to discuss a bespoke workshop for your team.