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MEANING OF WELLNESS COACHING
It is important for anyone interested in wellness coaching to grasp an understanding of what is meant by wellness and wellness coaching. Despite being similar to some other types of coaching it is a discipline in its own right.
Coaching is a broad field and new types of coach have emerged in response to demands and needs of clients. Wellness coaching is one of these newer coaching professions. Although different types of coaching share similarities in their roles, and even the types of clients who may seek their services, there are also differences which set these professions apart.
People who become wellness coaches are generally interested in all aspects of a person’s life which contribute to their overall sense of wellness. You can probably think of wellness coaching as being more specific than life coaching which can address all aspects of a person’s life, but not usually as specific as health coaching which often focuses on a person’s particular health needs. Anyway, more on that later.
WHAT IS WELLNESS?
Before discussing what ‘wellness coaching’ is, it is helpful to understand what is meant by ‘wellness’.
Wellness Definition
Wellness can be described as more than the mere absence of illness. It is an active process of striving towards to optimal health and wellbeing.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) define wellbeing as:
“The optimal state of health of individuals and groups. There are two focal concerns: the realisation of the fullest potential of an individual physically, psychologically, socially, spiritually and economically; and the fulfilment of one’s role expectations in the family, community, place of worship, workplace and other settings.”
Wellness vs. Wellbeing
The Collins English Dictionary provides the following definitions:
Wellness – how healthy you are, and how well and happy you feel
Wellbeing – the condition of being contented, healthy, or successful, welfare
The Cambridge English Dictionary uses the following definitions:
Wellness – the state of being healthy
Wellbeing – the state of feeling healthy and happy
As you can see, the differences between these two terms are very subtle. In fact, these terms are mostly used interchangeably around the world. The usage of wellbeing tends to be more prevalent in Australia whereas wellness is more widely used in the US and Asia. Here, we shall not distinguish between these terms but treat them as carrying the same meaning, and we may refer to wellness or wellbeing at times during the course.
Philosophical Perspectives
Historically, mankind has pursued wellness for centuries. We have always tried to find ways to lead happier and healthier lives. From a philosophical perspective, there has traditionally been two opposing views of wellbeing. On the one hand there is hedonia, which considers that maximising your pleasurable moments is key to leading a happy life. Pleasure is viewed as positive whereas suffering is negative. On the other hand, eudaimonia regards living a virtuous life and realising your inherent potential as the key to wellbeing.
In psychology, the branch of psychology called ‘positive psychology’ is representative of eudaimonia and is focused on leading a ‘good life’. It emphasises happiness, positivity, and wellbeing – not just of individuals, but society too. Positive psychology can be regarded as an expansion of the humanistic approach, proponents of which included Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. Maslow is well-known for his theory in which he proposed that psychological health is based on a hierarchy of needs. He argued that as our basic physical needs, such as food and shelter, are met we begin to seek satisfaction of higher needs. The highest need of self-actualisation is our quest for fulfilling our talents and interests and becoming the best we can be.
As you can see from these philosophies, hedonistic principles are more about living life in the moment and therefore pleasures are more short-lived. Eudaimonic principles rely on creating meaning and purpose and are therefore more long-term.
Although you could argue the merits of each of these approaches, nowadays it is more prudent to see the benefits of both standpoints as contributing to wellness. They are not mutually exclusive concepts. Ultimately, when they are combined, they account for the nature of wellbeing and ways to attain it. Hedonistic pursuits are not shallow, as some would argue, but can be viewed as contributing to a meaningful existence. Life rich in both these pursuits offers the best outcomes in terms of wellbeing.
Consequently, as a wellness coach, you might want to think about how your clients can enjoy different things in their daily lives to help them on a journey towards a more fulfilling life and better wellbeing.
Origins of Wellness
The term wellness emerged in the 1950s and was adopted by John Travis in California in the 1970s by his ‘Wellness Resource Centre’ which was the world’s first wellness centre. He saw wellness as an alternative approach to health which was unlike the disease-orientated approach of the medical model. His focus was on promoting wellness in people’s lives rather than treating illness. Travis created a wellness assessment known as the ‘Wellness Inventory’ and his approach to working with clients underlies many of today’s wellness coaching models.
In recent years, wellness as a concept has become more widely adopted. In the United States, for instance, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) which is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has the role of enhancing the availability and quality of treatment services and rehabilitation services to improve physical and mental health outcomes for people with mental illness and substance abuse problems.
In its wellness programs, SAMHSA sees wellness as being multifaceted incorporating: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual elements. From this perspective, it is very much like the definition provided by WHO.
It is this all-encompassing approach to overall health which wellness coaches adopt and seek to encourage. That is, most wellness coaches emphasise the importance of mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of wellness, as indeed we do here. We shall explain more about this later in the course.
WELLNESS COACHING
Wellness coaching, then, is concerned with helping people to improve all areas of their personal wellbeing. A wellness coach may take baseline measures before embarking on coaching strategies so they can record any changes that the coaching has brought about. Given the broad scope of wellness coaching, coaches may help people with any of various things which promote wellness such as physical fitness, weight problems, stress reduction, nutrition, or general health.
Wellness coaches work with clients to help them set goals to improve their wellness. Coaches support and guide their clients and encourage them to make changes which lead to improved health and wellbeing. The coaching process is a collaborative one where both the coach and client engage in open and honest discussions and solve problems to help the client reach their goals.
How does it differ to other types of coaching?
Sometimes it would appear that the terms wellness coach, health coach, and life coach all mean the same thing. Indeed, there are many similarities. However, there are also some differences.
Life Coach
Life coaching is more generalised. Life coaches help people in many areas of life including work, recreation, finances, relationships and personal issues. Clients are people who seek to reach their potential in any of these areas of their lives, or they may wish to meet specific goals they feel unable to attain. A client may contact a life coach when they feel they lack control over their lives or when they need objective advice (away from family and friends). They may lack motivation or have feelings of frustration, depression or a lack of confidence that may be affecting their personal effectiveness in everyday life.
Life coaching involves understanding a person from a holistic point of view, taking into account all aspects of the person – psychological, physical, spiritual, financial, and so on. A life coach becomes a confidant to help the client:
- determine what is important
- pin-point their strengths and weaknesses
- ascertain where they want to be in 6 months, a year, or 10 years’ time.
It involves assisting the client to set personal and professional goals, and to develop a workable strategy to obtain their goals within a given time frame. For a client, seeing a life coach can be a life changing experience and an invaluable opportunity to take control over their life and fulfil their dreams. This may sound similar to the work of a wellness coach, but a wellness coach will focus on the person’s health and happiness. A life coach may also be a wellness coach and vice versa.
Wellness coaches may also work in others areas, such as personal training, counselling, health coaching so on.
Health Coach
A health coach is often someone who has some training in allied health but who offers a coaching service. For example, they may be trained as a nurse, dietician or physiotherapist but have taken supplementary training in coaching. Clients who benefit from health coaching are likely to have a specific physical illness which they wish to manage. Sometimes these are associated with lifestyle choices they have made.
In some jurisdictions around the world, the difference between a health coach and wellness coach is rather vague. In fact, just to confuse the issue further, you will also sometimes encounter the title ‘health and wellness coach’. For our purposes we see health coaches and wellness coaches as slightly different, though obviously there can be considerable overlap.
Personal Trainer
For the most part a personal trainer is someone who works with clients to help them achieve physical fitness through tailored exercise regimes. In recent times, the role of personal trainer has begun to take on other responsibilities such as coaching and helping clients to change their behaviour.
Counsellor
A counsellor is something quite different. Counsellors help people to find ways to cope with problems in their lives. These may be personal problems, difficulties with relationships, drug or alcohol issues, grief, crises, or mild mental health problems. As such, counsellors are not so concerned with helping people to attain optimal wellness but instead help them to overcome difficulties. A psychotherapist or counsellor will help a person get from dysfunctional ways of responding to life to functional ways.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.
General
Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.
Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.
Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.
Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.
Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.
Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.
Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.
Enrolment
Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.
Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.
Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.
Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take?
A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.
Assessment
Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.
Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.
Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes –
Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.
Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.
Qualifications
Q. What qualification will I receive?
A. For individual modules, you would be awarded a Certificate endorsed by TQUK (Training Qualifications, UK), providing you complete all assignments and the exam. If you just want to complete only the assignments and not sit for the exam or finish a Project, then a Letter of Achievement would be awarded. For more details on qualifications available please click here.
Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?
A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.
Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.
Tutors
Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.
Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.
Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.
