What is the purpose of a Wellness Coach and should you have one?  That depends on if you are experiencing problems with your weight, exercise program, stress management or your nutrition.  I have already told you Wellness Coaches are not therapists, dietitians or teachers in their capacity as a coach.  They might be those things too, but not when they coach you.

How might you use the services of one of these professionals?  A huge percentage of Americans are over-weight or are obese.  They don’t exercise regularly, don’t eat properly and experience varying degrees of stress, some good and some bad.  They aren’t able to sustain the effort to change.  Those people could hire a coach, a Wellness Coach.

The Coach would have you sign some documents indicating that you understand what he/she can and can not do.  They would have you fill out some kind of assessment and then have a meeting with you.  That meeting could occur in person, via web cam or on the phone.  Different meetings would have different lengths, but the first meeting might last 45-90 minutes.  The second one 30-45 minutes and 10-30 minutes after that.  It really is up to the client after they are assessed and educated by their selected coach and how many areas they are working on simultaneously.

Coaching isn’t free, so check out your coaches published fee schedule.  You should agree on fees, the number and length of meetings and a payment schedule and how you will meet and contact each other on your first meeting.  That meeting might be free, it might cost a nominal fee, or if the coach is busy and in demand, might be the usual fee for that coaches time.

You can expect your Wellness Coach to listen, listen, listen and to ask questions.  The coach might give you information to read, view, or listen to.  They might use a number of techniques and skills to help you identify barriers to your progress,  Then help you identify how you can get past those barriers.  They will help you write up your own plan so you can begin to accomplish what you want to improve in one of the areas mentioned above.

Let me give you an example of how a coach helped me.  I have had issues of stress around doing things that are not part of my everyday routine, but things I want to do.  I want to visit my grandchildren more, but just can’t get packed, make the call and go visit.

She helped me with a plan where I schedule time on a calendar with my children to visit them at convenient times. For my daughter in NC, I plan to pack a suit case and leave it there with an air-mattress for me to sleep on.  This eliminated that barrier and lifted what had seemed quite heavy and made me avoid it which caused me to feel heavy with guilt.  Now I have a plan, and I will implement it and report back at a specified time on how it worked.  That is one issue in my life and though it may sound dumb, it held me back from some of the joy I could be having.

What kind of catalyst do you need?  A coach will help you identify your strengths and focus there.  He/she will help you with your self talk, with goal setting and progress tracking.  They will help to motivate you, guide you and challenge you.  Got and area you need to improve in, think about using a coaches services. 

I am getting this training because I wanted a more organized way to help my patients with healthy behaviors.  I wanted to be a better catalyst, more effective.  Just telling someone go do it isn’t the most effective method.  Many patients have prefaced their remarks with, “You aren’t going to like this, but…”  Now I  have ways to help patients and people who aren’t my patients make the changes they desire in the areas of weight/exercise, nutrition/eating habits, and stress management.  I have more to offer than just pills. 

What do you think?  Have you had a coaching experience you can share?  Do you like this idea?

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