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Health coaching is the use of evidence-based skillful conversation, clinical interventions and strategies to actively and safely engage client/patients in health behavior change. Health coaches are certified or credentialed to safely guide clients and patients who may have chronic conditions or those at moderate to high risk for chronic conditions.

Overview

Health coaching for clinicians and practitioners is based on evidence-based clinical interventions such as motivational interviewing to facilitate behavior change, the transtheoretical model of change, goal setting, active listening, aggregation and trending of health outcome metrics, and prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define wellness as “the degree to which one feels positive and enthusiastic about life”.Wellness coaching is a process that facilitates healthy, sustainable behavior change by challenging a client to develop their inner wisdom identify their values, and transform their goals into action. Wellness coaching draws on the principles from positive psychology and appreciative inquiry, and the practices of motivational interviewing and goal setting.

Health coaches who are not licensed to prescribe diets.  In the US Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals regulated by law and are governed by an ethical code to ensure that they always work to the highest standard. The minimum requirement is a BSc in Dietetics or a related science degree with a postgraduate diploma or higher degree in Dietetics.

In 13 US states, it is illegal to perform individualized nutrition counseling unless licensed or exempt. Effectively only RDs are eligible for licensure. However, around the world legislation varies depending upon the country.

Guiding the agenda and goal setting

Guiding the agenda and goal setting is collaborative behavior change techniques used between the coach and the client. During the motivational interviewing process, after strengths, values, and desires are determined and the client’s vision is set in place, specific goals are safely set so the client is able to move in the direction of his/her newly formed desires.

Goals promote behavior change through a collaborative process, which includes the coach making a plan to track and evaluate progress. The coach can help the client focus on success even if a goal is not yet achieved. Evaluating strengths and what is successful helps the client move forward. Positive feedback helps the client progress and move through negative self-talk, ambivalence, resistance, and other hurdles. Although self-regulation is a powerful behavior change tool, the client may lapse. When the coach promotes the principles of positive psychology and goal setting through the motivational interviewing process, the coach helps the client continue to improve self-efficacy, which supports behavior change