Wellness Coaching

Wellness Coaching

By: Ashley Dickerhoff

Health care has been a hot topic in the United States for a long time now.  If you search “health care in the United States” in google news a few alarming key words show up multiple times: “bad”, “poor”, “costs”, “crisis.”  “We are currently experiencing a wellness crisis in our culture, what some may call a wellness culture war” (Strohecker, 2005).  On one side of the issue our country is experiencing spiraling health care costs from unhealthy lifestyle practices, quick fixes for immediate gratification, consumption of chemical-laden and toxic foods, and treatment based health care (Strohecker, 2005).  Instead of focusing on illness, the focus should be on maintaining wellness.  Wellness coaching is a career field that works within the interdisciplinary team to help clients stay well, recover from illness or injury, and discover their “best selves” with an emphasis on wellness (Mayo, 2013).

The National Wellness Institute defines wellness as “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.”  It is a conscious, self-directed, positive, affirming and evolving process of achieving full potential (National Wellness Institute).  Leaders in health and wellness also agree that wellness is multidimensional and holistic, encompassing lifestyle, mental and spiritual well-being, and the environment (National Wellness Institute).  The six dimensions of wellness include occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional (National Wellness Institute). 

While wellness might seem like a new type of culture or practice to us, it has actually been around for a very long time.  “The systems of ancient Chinese, Ayurvedic, Greek, and Islamic medicine (Unani) viewed health as a state of balance and illness as the result of not living in accordance with natural laws” (Strohecker, 2005).  Good health and longevity were the primary focus of medicine, and the secondary focus was returning people to good health when they became ill in these health systems (Strohecker, 2005).  Health costs are rising, primary care physicians are struggling to fit everything in their short visits with clients, and patients are spending more and more money, and not fully understanding diagnoses, health assessments, and health information that they are given.  This is where wellness coaches, also sometimes called health coaches, can be very beneficial.

Wellness coaching can be defined as “helping patients gain the knowledge, skills, tools and confidence to become active participants in their care so that they can reach their self-identified health goals” (Bennett, 2010).  They are experts in creating relationships and practicing coaching skills that assist individuals in identifying their own values and desires, transforming them into action, and maintaining positive changes over long periods of time (Mayo, 2013).  Strength-based approaches are used and are focused on nurturing what is best within the individual, rather than fixing what is broken (Mayo, 2013).   The Mayo Clinic describes the “5 E’s” of the strength-based approach wellness coaches follow:

1) Engage: Builds a trusting relationship with individuals and groups; 2) Explore: Assists clients in identifying their values and desires; 3) Envision: Facilitates a vision for wellness; 4) Experiment: Employs communication strategies to enhance self-efficacy and to transform values and desires into action; and 5) Evolve: Supports lasting change (2013).

                Wellness coaching has made great strides and appears to be poised to play a prominent role in the new culture of wellness (Strohecker, 2005).  A wellness coach can help clients determine the areas of their lifestyle, attitudes and behaviors that they are most motivated to change, help them create a wellness action plan to create the necessary change, and then motivate and keep them accountable for reaching their goals of increased health and well-being (Strohecker, 2005).  Coaching involves a collaborative model (asking patients what changes they are willing to make) rather than a directive model (telling patients what to do) (Bennett, 2010).  “A good health coach understands this, grasps the shift from rescuing to coaching, has a basic knowledge of common chronic conditions and medications, and reliably follows through to gain the trust of patients and clinicians” (Bennett, 2010).

            According to the American Academy of Family Physicians there are five principal roles of wellness coaches:

1) Providing self-management support, 2) bridging the gap between clinician and patient, 3) helping patients navigate the health care system, 4) offering emotional support and 5) serving as a continuity figure (Bennett, 2010).

Personal wellness plan may include a range of lifestyle and mind-body practices to support maintaining a higher level of health and wellness, and it will change over time to focus on the areas of your life you are currently most motivated to change (Strohecker, 2005).  Some of these practices carry little or no cost, while others carry heavy costs.  Paying closer attention to the way you breathe, move, eat, process feelings, communicate, walk, exercise has no costs (Strohecker, 2005).  But other practices such as fitness classes, club memberships, dietary supplements, nutritionists, chiropractic practices, and other holistic treatments can come with heavy costs (Strohecker, 2005).  

            Investing time and money into your health and well-being will create a long-term strategic wellness plan (Strohecker, 2005).  Even though it will take our society a long time to move from illness focused health care to prevention and wellness health care there is no reason for individuals to start their wellness plan now.  Practicing wellness activities daily will cause them to become habits and help individuals lead longer, healthier lives in every dimension of their life.   

References

Bennett HD, Coleman EA, Parry C, Bodenheimer T, Chen EH. (17 Oct 2010) Health coaching for patients with chronic illness. Fam Pract Manag, (5):24-9. Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/fpm/2010/0900/p24.html

Mayo Clinic. (2013). Wellness Coach.  Mayo School of Health Sciences. Retrieved from http://www.mayo.edu/mshs/careers/wellness-coach

National Wellness Institute. About Wellness. Retrieved from http://www.nationalwellness.org/?page=AboutWellness

Strohecker, J. (2005). Creating a Culture of Wellness. Total Health, 27(3), 58-59. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=7bc14615-f67d-46f9-8eae-d97a68c5e011%40sessionmgr10&vid=7&hid=25&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=18531563