IIN Advocacy Update: Acclaim for Health Coaches in the U.S. and Abroad

When you’re totally immersed in a situation, it’s easy to assume that everyone else sees what you see, reads what you read, and experiences what you experience. But that’s usually not the case. This is especially important for me to remember ‒ I’m so deeply engrained in advocating for the Health Coach profession, I forget that not everyone is combing the research and reading the news, like I am!

So I (along with other health and wellness advocates) need to take a step back and make sure to communicate all the great news and developments the Health Coach profession has experienced lately. There’s sometimes so much good news, it can get lost in the depths of the Internet, which is why I’m here today.

Advocacy for the Health Coach profession around the world

Just this past summer, a long-time health columnist for the New York Times penned an outstanding article in support of health coaching called “We Could All Use a Health Coach,” which was shared far and wide in our community (and beyond). This article detailed the benefits of working with a Health Coach, especially in the healthcare setting, where doctors don’t have enough time to spend with patients in order to connect one-on-one about their treatment protocols. This article also advocates for Health Coach services to be covered by insurance and be more accessible to the millions of Americans who are combating chronic disease. It’s amazing how far the profession has come!

Also, there’s been international advocacy. Two recent articles featured in Harper’s Bazaar Brasil outline the growth of the profession and explain why Health Coaches are so needed today:

VOCÊ SABE O QUE FAZ UM HEALTH COACH? (Do You Know What a Health Coach Does?)

MEDITAR COM OS FILHOS AJUDA A DIMINUIR A ANSIEDADE E A MELHORAR O EQUILÍBRIO NUTRICIONAL (Meditating with Children Helps Reduce Anxiety and Improve Nutritional Balance) 

Recent research around the efficacy of health coaching

Did you know that there are significant research and data that highlight how the use of Health Coaches improves health, wellness and happiness while also reducing lifestyle-related chronic diseases? It’s quite simple actually—health outcomes improve when individuals work with a Health Coach. A doctor and Harvard Medical School professor authored this article – “Health coaching is effective. Should you try it?” ‒ underscoring the increased acceptance of Health Coaches and their work in traditional healthcare settings.

These are the findings in both systematic reviews of coaching studies and individual clinical studies:

Health Coaches improve life satisfaction.

This study found health coaching program participation to be directly related to improvements in healthy behaviors, life satisfaction, and optimism.

Health Coaches create more “healthy days” in their clients’ lives.

This study found that there were significant reductions in average “unhealthy days” when participants adhered to health coaching protocols. These unhealthy days were rated by participants based on categories like fitness, nutrition, and stress management.

Health Coaches’ use of mindfulness meditation with clients improved their sleep.

This study showed that the group coached in mindful awareness practices showed significant sleep improvements relative to those in the noncoached group.

Coaches working with clients within healthcare and medical systems are now gathering the best data on the effectiveness of coaching and real-world outcomes for their clients, which is why there’s now an approved CPT III code for health coaching!

All this great news is just a way to say: Keep up the great work, be sure to recognize how far we’ve come, and be sure to share these insights with your community for even further advancement of the Health Coach profession.