What is Wellness Coaching?
Just like an athletic or sports coach can help an individual develop and excel in a particular sport, a health & wellness coach can help a person to excel at living their best life, even if they have chronic medical conditions. While the coaching process can look a lot like talk therapy as it involves a back-and-forth exchange between two individuals, it is unique, however, in that the individual being coached (coachee) is the one who creates the goals and strategies for the attainment of these goals.
Because wellness coaching is a fluid and multi-dimensional skill, it can help with various health issues, such as weight loss, stress reduction, chronic health issues and adjusting to a life-altering health event.
The Technique
The wellness coach's relationship with their client always acknowledges the client is the expert in their own life. Additionally, the coach understands that their role is to listen intently without judgment and to identify and encourage the client's inherent resources to help them progress towards reaching their goals.
One effective strategy wellness coaches use is motivational interviewing. This technique uses open-ended questions to assist clients in eliciting their reasons for change. Instead of pressuring you to lose weight, a coach might ask a client, "how do you think losing weight might enhance your life"? This approach, based on research, has been proven effective in several studies. It recognises that telling someone what to do might make them feel demotivated and that people who want change based on their own reasons and conditions are much more likely to succeed.
Positive psychology is the cornerstone of the Wellness Coaching process. Rather than focusing on what is "wrong" or what needs to be "fixed, " a Wellness Coach helps their clients leverage their strengths and marshal their innate resources to realise their goals.
Does it Work?
Wellness coaching is an evidence-based, clinically effective intervention for managing various health conditions. Clinical studies show significant improvements to multiple bio-marker risk factors in diverse populations. These risk factors include systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Also, wellness coaching has been shown to reduce hospital stays and enhance the quality of life for patients with COPD.
Comentários