Coaching
The science of health coaching to facilitate positive behaviour change and mental well-being has been a key area of research for many years in the fields of psychology and healthcare. In recent years the practice of coaching people to better health behaviours and outcomes has become recognised as a powerful tool in the sphere of preventive medicine and the attainment of sustainable mental health and wellbeing over a lifetime.
How does well-being coaching differ from specialist counselling?
There are many similarities between counselling and coaching in as much as the success of both relies heavily on a relationship of trust and rapport. Both the Coach and Counsellor must be empathic and non-judgmental for the client to progress and feel valued throughout the process. Both modalities require advanced listening skills and the ability to reflect, whilst providing valuable and honest feedback.
Coaching is more action, performance and progress driven and looks at specific health related goals.
Counselling is more process driven and whilst time will be spent working on the 'here and now', the client may wish to focus on past issues that are currently holding them back in the 'here and now'.
In Coaching there is a tendency for the coach to reframe problems into opportunities, whereas counsellors are more likely to explore particular patterns of behaviour to establish the cause of issues or problems in order that the client can gain an understanding and move toward a more fulfilling life.
A Health and wellbeing coach’s role is not to perform clinical work or prescribe, diagnose, or treat any specific condition. Primarily wellbeing coaches take a systematic approach to help clients attain knowledge, proficiency, tools and self reliance in order to actively engage themselves in self-care and attain health goals such as those recommended by their doctor. These may include such things as:
Making improvements in one’s diet to prevent disease or lower the risk of complications to a current medical condition
Growing a more active lifestyle to prevent disease
Develop healthy sleep routines and behaviours
To facilitate the reduction of alcohol or other recreational drug use
To support the client to stop smoking
Managing a stressful lifestyle
Summary
A Health and Wellbeing Coach is a supportive educator and mentor who helps clients reach their personal wellness goals and feel their best through personalised, one-on-one encouragement around finding the lifestyle choices and long term health and wellbeing practises that work best for them.
Health and wellbeing coaching is not recommended for serious addictions and behaviours that have been medically assessed as requiring psychiatric or psychotherapeutic interventions.
