After the post I wrote last week, I know I could do with one myself. Which got me thinking that given I am qualified in the area, it would be a good exercise to give you a demo using myself as the subject.
Excuse me while I talk about myself in the 3rd person in this post! Below I'm going to give you some insight into the health coaching processs. From my POV a health coach offers support and accountability in a safe space. Here's what could happen in the first couple of sessions.
Session one:
Yvette came to me saying she was feeling somewhat unhealthy and a little broken. Using my ‘Wellness & Wonder’ consultation discussion framework, we were able to uncover key themes and identify areas to work on together over the next six months. They are;
Kindness to self. Yvette knows she has a tendency to hold herself to unrealistic standards and needs help to make a behavioral shift toward self love and kindness
Having a healthier relationship with food and her body, making and celebrating small changes that lead to increased body confidence
Getting serious about sleep. After under going chemotherapy in 2010/2011, Yvette went into early Menopause. Since then she has experienced hot flashes, particularly during the night, which result in restlessness. She confessed that she has not slept through a single night in five years. Together we are going to make finding relief from this a big priority over the course of her coaching
Whilst there were other subjects we covered and will work on, we agreed that if we could create shifts on these 3 as a priority the program would have been a success.
Session two:
After researching the topics of focus for Yvette (using IIN resources) we met for our second session. Our sessions are 45 minutes long and they are fluid. I let her know that while we would be working toward her three goals, we would also cover whatever was coming up in the moment.
In this session, we talked a lot about Yvette’s concern with sleeplessness. She has convinced herself that it’s a big problem not just for her, but for her having a relationship. This rang alarm bells for me for two reasons. Firstly, it’s definitely something we can improve so I’m excited about that. Secondly, it revealed a deeper issue that we will need to build into future sessions.
At my recommendation Yvette agreed to do two things between this and our next session in relationship to addressing sleep issues.
- She will make an appointment to discuss this with her primary care physician
- She will make an appointment with the Survivor center at her Hospital
After this we changed topics and touched on Yvette’s relationship with food and her body. We didn’t have time to explore this in detail however, given the themes coming up today, so as not to overwhelm her in this session we agreed one action.
- Every night before going to bed Yvette will write repeat the following affirmation;
I love my body. It is strong and beautiful. It is the vessel that carries me through the amazing experience that is my life. My scars tell the story of how my body has risen above challenges and thrived. I treat my body with respect and love because it is precious to me.
In between now and our next session, I will spend time looking into more alternative treatments for insomnia such as supplements, meditation and diet changes. Apart from that, when we meet we will address progress and challenges. Again in session three we will agree 2 or 3 actions for the following weeks.
Hopefully the above has given you some more concrete understanding of the role of a health coach. If you would like to work with me in this capacity please don't hesitate to get in touch - more information under the Services tab above. Thanks for YOUR support and helping me stay accountable. Namaste :)
