by dr. Christine Manukyan, founder and CEO of STORRIE Institute.
getty
Health coaching is on the rise within the medical space. It is not just a stand-alone profession; you can incorporate it into your current practice. Here are three ways you can do that.
Let your customer know he’s at the wheel.
Health and wellness coaching is a form of patient care that uses talk therapy, clinical strategies, and holistic remedies to find lasting solutions to chronic medical problems.
Many people seeking health and wellness coaching navigate situations such as weight loss, stress management, or the effects of chronic medical problems such as diabetes or a heart attack.
As a healthcare provider incorporating holistic wellness coaching into your practice, you can ask your clients open-ended questions that help them identify their key pain points and desire for a lifestyle change. Some of these questions may include:
• What are the long-term results you want to see in your health and wellness journey?
• Why did you decide to make this change in your life?
• What would you like to be able to do at the end of this journey that you cannot do now?
These techniques can lead clients to identify the root of the problem and design a plan tailored to their unique bodies and lifestyles.
Find your niche in holistic wellness coaching and become an expert at it.
Every healthcare professional has an area of ​​expertise they can offer to their clients, and there are so many niches within holistic wellness coaching that you can implement in your practice today. Practices such as nutrition, energetic healing, herbal medicine, and lifestyle medicine are just some of the many holistic wellness coaching techniques you can incorporate into your patient care to provide a more natural form of healing.
I was introduced to holistic health and wellness when my primary care physician told me to lower my cholesterol and lose weight to avoid a heart attack at age 40.
My doctor then prescribed me a pill to lower my cholesterol – a pill that would help me while I was on it, but once I stopped taking it, I would be back where I started.
Thus began my independent research into holistic health and wellness. I discovered sustainable solutions (intermittent fasting, cell cleansing, adaptogens) that were unique to my body and my situation.
When I returned for my follow-up appointment, my doctor was shocked at how quickly I lost weight and lowered my cholesterol. She then started looking at the same holistic wellness remedies I had implemented in my personal life and suggested them to her other patients who were in the same boat as me.
These holistic wellness coaching techniques that I’ve implemented into my own personal health journey have become the same solutions I suggest to my clients when assessing their situation.
Being both a coach and a client within my niche has enabled me to become an expert in this field.
By establishing this level of credibility by combining your education and experience, you can develop a deeper level of trust and empathy with your customers.
Build your brand for your field of practice.
To incorporate holistic wellness coaching into your practice, you need to market yourself as a healthcare provider who provides these types of services.
- What health issues do your customers face?
- What is their lifestyle like?
- Which social media platforms do they often visit?
Once you have fully understood who you want to serve, meet them where they are. Part of holistic wellness coaching draws clients to you and expresses the value of your service.
Health and wellness coaching also saves the client money. This form of health care encompasses various practices such as clinical interventions, nutrition and holistic remedies. Instead of a person having to see multiple specialists to make this life transformation, they can put their trust in a health and wellness coach to walk them through every step of the journey.
As individuals entrusted with the lives of our customers, we have a responsibility to provide them with optimal, long-lasting solutions that can change their lives for the better.