What is Wellness Coaching?

Holly Fosmark, ACSM-EP, CPPC, & Wellness Coach

DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS

At Greater Than, we take a whole-person approach to health and well-being, embracing a multi-dimensional experience of wellness that includes

• physical,
• emotional,
• intellectual,
• spiritual,
• social, and
• occupational components.

Each of us has dimensions of our wellness that we are feeling great about, and others that we are unaware of, unsure how to address, or want to grow in. If you’ve ever tried to make a change in an area of growth (and most of us have), you know that change can be hard! When you come up against that resistance to change YET AGAIN or you’ve tried to make lifestyle changes without lasting success, reaching out to a coach for support might be the best thing you ever do for yourself!

DEFINITION OF WELLNESS COACHING

The Wellcoaches Coaching Psychology Manual (2016) describes the partnership between coach and client as a vehicle for helping people to achieve a higher level of well-being and performance in life and work, particularly when change is hard. To put it more simply, health and wellness coaches assist clients in connecting the dots between who they are and whom they want to be, and in taking the incremental behavioral steps that will enable them to succeed in their desired changes.

Coaching is a collaborative process in which the coach and client work together to develop a wellness vision and implement a plan to move toward that vision. Your coach is trained to guide you through that process, especially when you feel like you don’t know where to begin! Your coach primarily focuses on helping you establish health-promoting mental and physical behaviors aligned with evidence-based guidelines in fitness, nutrition, weight management, health risk, stress management, and life satisfaction.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Greater Than coaches follow an evidence-based process based on the field of coaching psychology and outlined by the Wellcoaches organization.

1. The first step in the coaching process is providing background information to your coach by completing a well-being assessment. This step ensures that both you and your coach are on the same page about key issues, including any medical considerations.
2. During the first 60-90 minute coaching session, you identify your priorities and develop a personal wellness plan including a vision, three-month goals, and the first steps. Don’t worry, your coach will guide you through this process!
3. In subsequent 30-40 minute coaching sessions, each week, month, or quarter, you and your coach review the progress toward your vision and goals, explore and resolve the most pressing issues, learn something new, and then agree on a set of goals for the following week.
4. By the end of three months, you can expect to reach more than 70% of your three-month goals and feel energized and confident to embark on new areas with or without your coach.

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between personal training and health and wellness coaching?

A: Personal training is exercise for your body while coaching is exercise for your brain. Coaching also addresses dimensions of wellness that may not be addressed through personal training such as emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, and occupational wellness.

Q: What is the difference between coaching and therapy?

A: Therapy focuses on the management of mental illnesses and diagnoses and on resolving issues from the past that are causing problems in the present day. In contrast, coaching is more generally more future-focused, and guides clients through developing skill sets to reach a clarified goal within a specific timeframe.

Q: What can I expect from my coach?

A: Your coach’s responsibility is to:

• Discovery, clarify, and align with what YOU the client want to achieve
• Encourage your self-discovery
• Assist you in generating solutions and strategies
• Hold you responsible and accountable (International Coach Federation [ICF], 2014)

Q: What is my responsibility as a coaching client?

A: As a client, you are responsible for showing up for yourself and being fully present during the coaching session. You are also responsible for telling your coach what works and what doesn’t and being honest about how you like to be coached. You don’t have to know those things at the beginning of the process, but as you experience the coaching process you are responsible for communicating with your coach about your experience.

Q: What outcomes of coaching can I expect?

A: The potential outcomes of coaching are many! By the end of three months, you can expect to reach more than 70% of your three-month goals and feel energized and confident to embark on new areas with or without your coach. Other outcomes as listed in Wellcoaches Coaching Psychology Manual (2016) include:

• Increased self-awareness and self-knowledge
• Increased personal responsibility
• Acquisition of new knowledge and skills
• Attainment of personal and professional goals
• Sustainable behavior change
• Increased life satisfaction
• Increased self-efficacy
• Developed a sense of purpose and meaning
• Movement toward becoming your best self!

CONNECT WITH A COACH

If this article brought up questions or piqued your curiosity about how coaching could help you, we would love to hear from you! Contact Greater Than Performance and Rehab to schedule a free 15-minute discovery call with in-house wellness coach Holly Fosmark. Holly can help you decide if coaching is the next best step for you as you move toward becoming Greater Than!