Wellness Coaches Near Me

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FAQs:

What is a Wellness Coach?

A wellness coach’s job is to support an individual in the process of making those choices; not only telling someone what to do but helping that person examine their relationship with the choices themselves. That coaching role is unique among health, fitness, and wellness professionals. A wellness coach creates a safe environment for a client to examine not only their habits but also their relationship to the domains of their lifestyle that affect their wellness. These include established fitness domains such as nutrition, sleep, movement, and recovery practices as well as emotional health, stress management, psychological recovery, mindset, and more. Wellness coaches help clients to establish subjective and objective goals related to their wellness and then explore the obstacles and areas of challenge on the pathway to those goals.

What Does a Wellness Coach Do?

Coaches typically meet with their clients for either one-on-one or small group sessions. During their sessions, they support clients with a variety of tools to examine not only their behavior but their mental and emotional reactions to that behavior. Together coach and client create action plans, brainstorm solutions, and troubleshoot potential obstacles to the client’s long-term success. Though the coach is supportive and provides information the onus is on the client to decide what works for them. Coaches are not therapists and therefore do not diagnose or treat mental or physical disease or dysfunction. However, sub-clinical challenges are likely to come up. Certified coaches are trained in how to support the client by examining their emotional or behavioral challenges and can teach clients related mental and emotional skills. These problem-solving skills don’t only help the client to reach their current goals but are ongoing tools that propel clients forward long after the current session.

Who Needs a Wellness Coach?

Anyone interested in improving their health and well-being could benefit from working with a wellness coach. Some specific groups of people who may particularly benefit from some sessions include:

1. Individuals with chronic health conditions – Individuals with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis may benefit from working with a wellness coach to develop a plan to manage their condition and improve their overall health, as evident by this Plos One research article.

2. Individuals with high-stress levels – A wellness coach can help people experiencing high-stress levels develop strategies for managing stress and improving their mental and emotional well-being.

3. Individuals who want to lose weight – Those interested in losing weight may benefit from hiring a wellness coach to develop a personalized plan for healthy weight loss.

4. Individuals who want to improve their fitness level – Aside from losing weight, people who just generally want to improve their fitness level can see higher degrees of progress while working with a wellness coach.

5. Individuals who want to improve their overall health and well-being – You don’t need a specific goal or reason in mind when seeking help from a professional; just wanting to see improvement in your life is a valid reason to see a wellness coach.

 Overall, a wellness coach can be a valuable resource for anyone who wants to improve their health and well-being, regardless of their specific goals or health concerns.

What is the Difference Between a Health Coach And Wellness Coach?

The primary differences between a health coach and a wellness coach are their focus of work, who their clients are, and if the changes are prescribed.

A wellness coach focuses on the ongoing process of a client’s overall wellness. Outcome-based goals will be chosen by the client as well as the focus of the program overall. Individual coaches may choose to specialize in a particular group of people, such as new dads or women over 50. The changes being made are driven by the client’s self-directed goals and desired outcomes.

In contrast, a health coach focuses on the health outcomes of their client, typically related to their physical health status. A health coach works with individuals who’ve had a clinical diagnosis that requires sustained lifestyle changes. Making those changes can have long-term health benefits, like the dietary and exercise changes needed to combat a rising A1C before it develops into diabetes. Many of these changes will be prescribed by the physician or other medical professional managing the client’s care.

These skills might include in-the-moment reframing of internal dialogue and self-talk, how to break down goals, examine and understand emotional reactions to behavior, dealing with shame, focusing on strength, or finding motivation when feeling stuck.

What’s the Difference Between a Wellness Coach and a Life Coach?

Wellness and life coaches share many similarities in their approach to coaching, but there are some critical differences between the two. 

First of all, a wellness coach focuses specifically on helping clients to achieve their health and wellness goals, which may include areas such as nutrition, exercise, stress management, and self-care. The primary point of a wellness coach is to help clients to improve their physical health and well-being. 

On the other hand, a life coach focuses more broadly on helping clients to achieve their personal and professional goals, specifically in areas such as career, relationships, finances, and personal growth. In short, life coaches aid their clients in changing their overall quality of life and helping them reach their full potential.

While both types of coaches may use similar techniques such as goal setting, accountability, and motivation, the specific strategies and tools used may differ depending on the coach’s area of focus.

Does Insurance Cover Wellness Coaches?

Most insurance does not cover wellness coaching services. Health insurance pays for the “medically necessary treatment” of an illness, injury, or disorder. All things wellness support are not within that category.

How Much Does a Wellness Coach Cost without Insurance?

Regardless of why you’re pursuing a wellness coach, be aware that each coach handles the charges differently. Most coaches require a consultation fee for your first initial meeting. The price typically runs from $100 to $150 per session; however, many coaches offer a free consultation if it's your first time. Following suit, they will likely discuss whether you want a monthly health coaching package or sessions. Unlike a one-time meeting, a package provokes consistency and ensures you, as the client, are on track to meet your goals.

How Long Should a Wellness Coaching Session Be?

A 60-minute session with a health coach. Your coaching session will be based entirely on the goal that you are interested in setting. The wellness coach’s priority is to facilitate a discussion to understand the reasons that motivate your desire to make a change, the obstacles that are stopping you from achieving a desired goal and mapping out a plan to be able to achieve that goal healthily. Initial appointments should last 60 minutes; follow-up appointments can be 30 or 60 minutes.

Where Do Wellness Coaches Work?

Being a wellness coach offers a ton of work flexibility. This is a huge perk of being a wellness coach. You’ll get to design a career path that’s perfect for your interests and goals. If you decide to become self-employed, you’ll find the most career flexibility. You can work with a mentor to design a business that’s a good fit for you and your family. There are so many ways to set up a business that features your passions, interests, and gifts. Whether you work for yourself or an employer, you’ll likely work from home, work from an office, or even visit your clients’ homes directly.

If you’re employed, you might also be required to work in a clinical setting on a part-time or full-time basis. This might include working 40 hours per week, with variable time off for weekends and holidays.

As a self-employed wellness coach, you’ll be able to determine your hours and location of business. However, you’ll also face the need to find and book clients all on your own.

If you collaborate with other health professionals, you might find a hybrid work environment that is partially self-directed and partially dependent on the requirements of those you’re collaborating with.

What Qualities Are in a Good Wellness Coach?

A good wellness coach is highly knowledgeable and experienced with nutrition, fitness, and other facets of overall health. They need to take a compassionate and non-judgmental approach when providing feedback to foster an inclusive environment. Wellness coaches should have excellent communication and problem-solving skills to assist clients with meeting their wellness goals. In all, the most important quality of a successful wellness coach is the ability to show empathy towards their client’s individual experiences and support them on their journey towards better health.

What is Wellness Coaching?

Centered around the seven aspects of well-being (health, meaning, safety, connection, growth, achievement, and resiliency), wellness coaching is an opportunity to reflect on your well-being and go after your goals in a collaborative, supportive environment. The program is based on the belief that each person is an expert on their well-being and that when coached, they will be able to determine what is best for them.

Wellness coaching is not…

- Intended to address severe mental health concerns

- Built to assess, diagnose, or treat mental health conditions

Why Wellness Coaches Are Important

Change can be hard. According to the Boston Medical Center, an estimated 45 million Americans go on a diet each year and Americans spend $33 million annually on diet products yet nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Similarly, the CDC reports that in 2015 68% of smokers said they wanted to quit and in 2018 55% of smokers attempted to quit but only 7.5% were successful.

The CDC also reports that only 1 in 4 American adults gets the recommended amount of physical activity and 31 million Americans over 50 are sedentary, costing $117 billion annually in elevated health care costs. People often know what to do, but struggle with how to fit healthful behaviors into their lives in lasting and positive ways.

Over the last few decades, research has evolved techniques for how to positively support change. Coaching allows for a neutral party in one’s life to provide evidence-based information, reflect on current behavior, and brainstorm possible solutions.

They do so with unconditional positive regard, the judgment-free position of supporting their client to make lasting changes that work for them. Wellness coaches are trained not only in coaching but have information on lifestyle practices related to wellness. This is a unique combination of physiological understanding with psychological tools that support the betterment of one’s life.

This unique combination of tools also allows a coach to support the client in priming compounding positive change.

Leveraging phenomena such as the transfer effect, where a positive change in one area of life creates positive change in another, or upward spirals, where the emotional boost from meaningful changes creates the opportunity for more difficult changes to occur. By understanding how these mechanisms work and how to spark a wellness coach supports their client not only in the immediate future but in building lasting changes which create the opportunity for a transformative lifestyle change.

Responsibilities of a Wellness Coach

The responsibilities of a wellness coach typically include:

- Conducting assessments: A wellness coach may conduct assessments to determine a client’s current health status, identify areas for improvement, and set achievable goals.

- Developing personalized plans: Based on the results of the assessments, a wellness coach may create customized programs for their clients that include specific recommendations for diet, exercise, stress management, and other lifestyle factors.

- Providing guidance and support: Wellness coaches will work with their clients to provide ongoing advice and support as they work to implement their plans and make progress toward their goals.

- Tracking progress: A wellness coach typically helps their clients to track their progress, monitor their results, and make adjustments to their plan as needed.

- Offering education and resources: A wellness expert may potentially provide education and resources to their clients on topics such as nutrition, exercise, and stress management.

- Motivating and inspiring: A wellness coach’s overall objective is to provide motivation and inspiration to their clients to help them stay on track and achieve their goals.

Reasons Why You Should Hire A Wellness Coach

Unfortunately, many people don’t get the right support network and end up turning to coaches who could be doing much more harm than good, which is why you should hire a wellness coach rather than just any old life coach. These are the top 5 reasons why wellness coaching has become so popular lately:

1. They accept you for who you are

One of the worst things about being stuck with one way of thinking is that it can leave you feeling trapped inside your head, not knowing what’s real anymore due to lack of experience. Wellness coaches are trained to accept people for who they are, no matter what their problems are. Their job is not to judge you but to help you find your inner strength again so that you can live the life you deserve.

2. They offer support during difficult times

During times of hardship or stress, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important in life and try and push yourself through until things hopefully get better. Unfortunately, this can lead to severe anxiety, depression, or even physical health issues, which sometimes become too much to bear alone. It is where wellness coaches come into play because they will be by your side throughout any tough time, offering advice on how best to deal with these negative emotions without breaking down completely.

3. They act as a support network

Sometimes it’s challenging to deal with life alone because you feel as though everyone is against you. It leads people to feel isolated and lonely, which can be extremely dangerous for their mental well-being. The beauty of wellness coaches is that they are there for you whenever you need them, so if things get bad, there’s always someone to talk to who won’t judge you or think any less of you.

There may be times when we all deal with some form of depression, and this is where a wellness coach can help bring us up from those dark places and put us on the right track again. They will guide us through self-discovery and help us become better, stronger individuals ready to face anything that comes our way (even if we feel overwhelmed and want to give up).

4. They can help you find your direction

It’s difficult to push yourself in a particular direction when you’ve lost sight of what it is that makes you happy. Wellness coaches are here to help people reach their full potential by assisting them to discover the reason they were put on this Earth (whether it be personal or work-related). They provide support during hard times and guide throughout the good times, using their knowledge and experience to help others uncover their true destiny.

5. They keep things confidential

Finally, one of the best things about wellness coaches is that everything discussed between client and coach must be kept 100% confidential at all times (unless consent is given otherwise). It is a great deal of trust for a coach to have with someone they haven’t even met yet, but it’s an essential part of helping those who require that little extra support at times when they need someone to listen. So if you’re struggling in any way and find yourself turning to life coaches as a form of guidance, why not try wellness coaching instead? Not only will they help you recover from anything terrible going on, but they will also guide you towards reaching your actual goals in life.

How Wellness Coaching Works 

Step 1: Foundation Session – up to 90 minutes 

You’ll work with an advocate to clarify where you are at with your health and well-being right now. Together you and an advocate will: 

- form a clear picture of the kind of life you want to live, the healthiest life possible for you 

- compare where you’re at and where you want to be  

- form a solid well-life plan to help you get there 

Step 2: Follow-up Session/s – up to 60 minutes 

You’ll work with your advocate as an ally to help you:  

- follow through on the steps you determine to help you achieve the goals in your plan 

- find and develop sources of support that will make your changes last 

- evaluate progress and adjust the course along the way 

- be accountable to yourself 

- There is currently no cap on the number of follow-up sessions. 

Wellness Coaching Process

The first step in the coaching process is to help the client identify areas of wellness where they struggle and could benefit from some help. These areas can fall into one or more wellness dimensions. Among them are:

Physical wellness: a person’s weight, physical activity level, sleep patterns, and more

Mental wellness: cognitive wellness, encompassing how they learn and how they problem-solve

Emotional wellness: how they recognize, understand, and accept their feelings; and whether they deal with their emotions in a healthy way

Spiritual wellness: a person’s connection to a higher purpose or finding the meaning in their life

Social wellness: relationships and interactions with others, from family members and friends to co-workers, social groups, communities, and the world at large

Environmental wellness: having a home, school, and work environment that supports optimal wellness

During the first coaching session, the wellness professional uses techniques to learn more about the client’s challenges. They also seek to understand how the client feels about the change process and their reasons for wanting to change. This involves using skills such as motivational interviewing.

After obtaining this information, the coach works with the client to set wellness goals and develop a plan of action. Subsequent sessions are used to monitor the client’s progress, making changes as needed to increase their levels of success.

Benefits of Hiring a Wellness Coach

While wellness coaching does not come for free, it does offer tremendous benefits. Understanding what these benefits are will enable you to take the final step in deciding whether you should hire one individually or as part of a sports team.

1. Physical and mental health

A wellness coach is an asset. This professional can help you pinpoint physical, emotional, mental, financial, and even social issues that you need to address based on lifestyle assessments. They are well-positioned to tell you what you don’t want to hear from those within your social circle because that is what you pay them to do.

2. Provide external perspective and guidance

A wellness coach will provide you with an external perspective that those you train with regularly may not. You are also more likely to pay attention to what such a professional says to you. This makes you more amenable to making changes to your lifestyle based on wellness coaching guidance.

3. Create tailored plans for team members to attain goals

Whatever the issue you and your team may be going through, a wellness coach is equipped to help you identify your issues. A well-trained professional will help you set attainable goals and teach you how to celebrate each milestone that you achieve. By the end of a successful wellness coaching period, you should have the tools that you need to help you identify the obstacles in your path and deal with them.

4. Provide a training buddy or extra training voice

At the beginning of your wellness coaching, you may be able to train together with your coach. But remember, the role of a wellness coach is to equip you to improve in all dimensions of wellness. If you receive the tools that you need to improve the social and emotional aspects of your wellness, then you would have a better bond with your teammates. Therefore, you will be able to form great relationships with them and train together to improve your overall individual and group performances.

5. Provide motivation and enhance consistency in training

having a wellness coach by your side can be instrumental in helping you accomplish your fitness goals. A successful wellness coaching strategy, however, will help you develop lasting friendships with your team members. These friendships will be instrumental in helping your entire team consistently work out and stay motivated so that you can succeed together.

6. Monitor team members to keep them as healthy as possible

There is more to health than what we see on the outside. Many times, the physical health struggles that you are going through are a symptom of what is going on in your head. That is what wellness coaching does: it helps hand back the empowerment tools to you and ensures that you fully take charge of your life. By so doing, you will be able to stay as healthy as possible.

7. Enhance team positivity

It is possible to be successful in your chosen sport and yet unhappy overall. That tends to happen when you conflict with other members of your team. When there is conflict within the team, the overall performance will be affected negatively. Group wellness coaching can help enhance the well-being of everyone on the team. A wellness coach can help everyone identify and develop their skills to be an asset to the team. Coaching can also help team members form positive relationships that will enable everyone to work together for the betterment of the team. You will also learn from a wellness coach how to handle individual and group stress. And all these lessons will enhance team positivity that will lead to better team performances. 

What to Expect from Wellness Coaching

Like most forms of coaching, your journey will likely start with an initial consultation - sometimes called a ‘clarity call’. Often offered for free, this discussion gives you the chance to talk about what you’re hoping to gain from coaching and share your background information. 

Your coach will be able to talk more about what they offer in terms of services, how they can help, and tell you more about the way they work. You’ll get time to ask any questions you have so you can leave the call feeling clearer about your next steps.

If you do decide to go ahead with the coach you spoke to, you’ll be able to set up your first session, payment, and sign any agreements/contracts they may have. 

When your coaching begins you’ll go into more depth about your wellness journey, including your history, where you are now, and where you’d like to get to. Then the real work begins as your coach uses techniques to help you identify how to make changes and encourage you to take small steps towards your goals. 

The length of your coaching will depend on what your coach offers and your circumstances. Some coaches will have packages that include a set number of sessions and support, while others will work in a more bespoke way, according to your needs. 

By the end of your time together you should feel as if you’ve made real progress towards your goals and confident that you know the next steps in your journey.

What to Look for in a Wellness Coach

Because you would spend a lot of one-on-one time with your coach, not to mention trusting them with your goals, make sure the two of you are a good match. You should be comfortable sharing your life's vision with them. And you should feel strongly that they’ll help you achieve that vision.

You may also want to consider a person with certification from ICF or the International Consortium for Health & Wellness Coaching. Coaches who studied under these certifications get training and mentoring. But the industry doesn’t have regulations. That means anyone can call themselves a wellness coach, without ICF certification or even any real training.

Before you sign on for any coaching sessions, interview a few potential wellness coaches. Ask how they usually work with clients. Ask for references so you can get a sense of their personality and style and whether they fit with yours.

A wellness coach is usually not a licensed healthcare professional, and their services probably won’t be covered by health insurance.

A coach is also different from a psychotherapist, who is a mental health care professional with training in medicine, psychology, nursing, or social work. If you think that depression, anxiety, or other mental health problems may be getting in the way of realizing your goals, then you may want to talk with a licensed mental health professional before you hire a coach.

How to Find a Wellness Coach

After all deliberations, the prime concern remains where to find the wellness coach.

1. Ask your doctor:

Your doctor is a great resource to refer you to a wellness coach. Many doctors are supporting the concept of a wellness coach. They can help you in finding the best person suiting your requirements.

2. Online coaches:

Surfing online, you will come across a lot of wellness coaches. You will have to be cautious and follow the above procedures before finalizing one.

3. Consult online support groups:

You will find several wellness groups online hiring wellness coaches for yourself. You can join one or two groups and get the information.

4. Check with other medical professionals:

Since wellness coaches are likely to work in the area of medical assistance, nurses, personal attendants, physiotherapists, nutritionists, physical trainers, and others associated with healthcare support can be good information sources.

Sources:

NASM

WebMD

Columbia Health

MIRA

U Health

The Minded Athlete

ISSA

Sewall House

Dr. Prem

IAWP

Amphy Blog

Recwell

 

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 (in the United States) immediately.