What is wellness coaching?
Wellness coaching is a discipline where professionals from different fields work with individuals or groups to achieve their personal goals in any wellbeing related topic such as nutrition, fitness, stress management, losing weight and others. The main goal in wellness coaching is to provide to a client a long-lasting healthy lifestyle and not give away some quick fix solution or trendy tips that will fade away. Wellness coaching is a growth-promoting relationship between the client and the coach that elicits autonomous motivations, builds trust between them and increases the capacity for a long-lasting change in the client’s life. It is a though-provoking and creative process which ultimately leads to an increased potential of a fulfilled healthy life.
What is the coaching process like?
There are a few important steps in the coaching process:
Step 1: Pre-Screening/Intake Form/Assessment
Before and during the first coaching session clients provide background information through a comprehensive assessment, so that coaches are well-informed on the priorities, key issues, and any medical limitations.
Step 2: Review the Coaching Contract
Coaches and clients discuss a coaching contract so that clients understand the coaching process and expectations for the role of coach and client.
Step 3: First Coaching Session
During the first coaching session (45–90 minutes), clients commit orally to a vision and three month plan. Clients confirm that they are ready and want to do the work to make changes in at least one area. This is also described as a health, fitness, or wellness planning session and ideally is completed once per year. A personal vision as well as three month priorities and behavioral goals are reviewed and agreed in detail. Clients also commit to three to five goals, or small steps toward the three month goals, for the following week.
Step 4: Host Weekly Coaching Sessions
In each subsequent coaching session, weekly or as needed, coaches and clients spend 30–45 minutes reviewing progress, elevating energy, brainstorming strategies, meeting challenges, developing solutions, generating possibilities, and agreeing on goals for the following week.
Step 5: Closing Out The Coaching
By the end of 3 months, clients typically reach more than 70% of their three-month behavioral goals and are energized and confident to commit to the next stage, whether alone or with a coach.
What are the benefits?
- Client has increased self-awareness and self-knowledge
- Client has increased personal responsibility
- Client has gained new knowledge and skills
- Client has achieved personal and/or professional goals
- Client sustains new behavior change
- Client increases their life satisfaction
- Client develops a sense of purpose and meaning
- Client becomes one’s best self
What are duties of the coach and the client?
Coach:
- Provide_______ number of session’s over_______ months.
- As your wellness coach, my role is to help you improve your wellness, and the ability and self-confidence to maintain a higher level of wellness
- Through a coaching inquiry, I will encourage you to identify your wellness vision, motivators, obstacles, and strategies to overcome your obstacles, and commit to improving your wellness
- I will listen to you attentively and without judgment or my own agenda
- Where possible I will ask questions and encourage you to arrive at your own answers
- I will encourage realistic expectations and goals
- I will read any material you sent me before the session
- I will be direct and firm with feedback when needed
- I will help identify creative solutions to get around roadblocks. I will provide advice and instruction for engineering wellness activities into your busy life
- I will be punctual and responsive
- I will acknowledge when you have an issue that is outside my scope of knowledge and skill and recommend other avenues
- Email and support you between sessions if needed
- As agreed bonus I will provide you with materials, videos to read/watch
Client:
- Attend all pre-scheduled sessions and be prepared to tell coach what action you’ve taken, what results you had and receive next steps
- Prepare for sessions adequately to get the most from each session • Take action on recommended course of action after each coaching session
- I am ready to take responsibility to make and sustain changes in at least one area of wellness.
- I am ready to invest at least three months to make improvements.
- I will be open and honest, and I will share personal information that is relevant to wellness.
- I understand that setbacks are normal on the path of change and necessary in order to establish new behaviors
- I will be punctual and responsive
- I will ask for the support, feedback or resources I need from my coach
- Communicate any concerns about the program or recommendations immediately
Please read the Terms & Conditions.