Educate and Inspire vs Diagnose and Treat - the role of coaching

In the conventional medical health model, it is typically all about prescribe and treat, otherwise known as let’s look at what is wrong with you and treat that in isolation. This does not leave the patient in a very empowered position.

Let’s be clear, modern medicine is nothing short of being genius when it comes to acute conditions and emergency situations, but does very little from a preventative approach.

So whilst medicine appears to be very physiological, the success rate is often determined by the psychological aspects. In the field of behavioural medicine , there is an understanding that nothing is physiological, but psycho-physiological instead. In simple terms this means that there is no separation between a persons mind and body. They work together and impact each other, therefore you cannot look at any symptom in isolation.

This is where wellness coaching becomes golden, it is focused to look at the person as a whole from a holistic approach to induce positive behaviour change to achieve a desired health outcome.

We are in an age where it is not enough to just know information, you need to act on it.

How do we make this action happen is the jackpot question?

According to Integrative and Functional Medicine, much if not most of health comes down to lifestyle behavioural change from a holistic point of view.

This is realms of health and wellness coaching, it is there to not only educate in a specialised area, but to also inspire and support the growth and development of the client. Coaching is seen to be standing by the client, with them and next to them, so eloquently explained by Michael Arloski as mountain guides. The mountain guides do not climb the mountain for people, but instead help them by:

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• Planning the climb

• Assessing the physical and mental readiness to climb

• Examining whether the climber is equipped with the right tools to climb

• Together plan the best route

• Does not force the climber to climb the mountain, the motivation to climb must come from the climber

• At times when the climber is discouraged, the guides gently supports the climber to reach a little deeper and keep going

A health and wellness coach is like a good mountain guide that is providing you support and accountability.

Whilst it may seem like the ‘action’ that is needed is simple, yet you struggle to do what you know you should be and then you beat yourself up about it! You will be pleased to know that none of it is your fault, but has everything to do with how your mind is currently wired in terms your beliefs, thoughts and feelings which are informing your actions. Trying to make any sort of long term sustaining change is next to impossible without examining this aspect.

Join me inside the Empowered Mums Group where I dive into this much more along side the right actions to take at the root cause level.

Chantal is a Certified & Accredited Nutrition and Wellness Coach on a mission to help stressed and overwhelmed mums transform their physical and mental health so that they feel energised, confident and calm to build a thriving resilient healthy happy family.