Reward

Interview with an ICF Coach: Ginger Edgecombe Dorsey  I recently interviewed Ginger Edgecombe Dorsey, PhD, CHES, ACC, who is a current member of the Adventist Association of Health & Wellness Coaching. Her educational background includes having a PhD in Public Health and being a Certified Health Education Specialist. She lives in Maryland with her husband of 25 years and attends the Pisgah SDA Church. Unlike other coaches we’ve recently interviewed, Coach Ginger obtained her coaching credential through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She is currently an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with plans to become a Master Certified Coach, which [...]

Interview with Ashley Riesenberger, a Longevity Coach  A few years ago, I had the privilege of becoming acquainted with Ashley Riesenberger while we attended the same church. Even then, she was a natural leader, especially in music. She often led congregational singing as a chorister or shared special music, blessing us with the Lord’s gift of her beautiful soprano voice.    In addition to music, Ashley was also actively engaged in health ministry. As time went on, I learned that we had a mutual interest in health and wellness coaching and were even in the process of [...]

Incorporating EPE in Health Coaching  One of the blessings of living in the 21st century is the availability of information. Besides the plethora of physical resources and the internet, conversations with medical and health professionals are also great sources. Knowing this, how we share information with our clients and patients can drastically affect their motivation for health changes and our relationships with them.    One way we can share health information is through the Elicit-Provide-Elicit (EPE) method. This approach comes from motivational interviewing, which is "a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention to the [...]

Honoring Ambivalence  I do, but I don’t. When I get through this crisis, then I will make the change. I need to quit this, but I have been doing it for years. Uncertainty is something we have all experienced, but it can be challenging, even frustrating, when coaching someone through it. “Ambivalence is the simultaneous presence of competing motivations for and against change,” (1, p. 323).    In health coaching, specifically tobacco cessation health coaching, we work with individuals who are undecided about making a change. They realize they need to change. Maybe they do not feel well. A family member or medical provider [...]

Journey to Board Certification: An Overview I don’t recall when I first started learning about health coaching as a profession, but I was intrigued. It did not take long for me to realize that this was the field God was leading me into. The first health coaching course I found was about two weeks long. Although there was still a lot for me to learn, I felt uncomfortable with the course's length and its promises to make me a certified health coach in such a short time. As I continued researching, I learned about a few [...]

Unexpected Detour to NBHWC Certification Do you remember asking or being asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Certainly, health and wellness coaching was not a consideration among the usual teacher, nurse, or administrative assistant options. Maybe a sports coach was a possibility, but it was not in my area of interest. Cancer registrar was not on my radar either. It’s interesting how I have worked in such unique fields. Although health and wellness coaching, or at least coaching, has been around for decades, and is becoming increasingly well-known. I worked as [...]

Creating Your Health Coaching Business It's a new year and with it, you may have new personal and professional goals. If one of those includes starting your own business, then this article is for you. Here are some general points to consider when creating your health coaching business.   Start With Prayer: Start your journey with prayer. Be honest with yourself and with The Lord about your desire and the real motive for starting your business. Does The Lord want you to create a business? Will it glorify God or yourself?   Write Your Vision and Business Plan: [...]

Being a Diabetes Prevention Lifestyle Coach  Diabetes Statistics  Almost 98 million American adults have prediabetes, which is nearly 40% of the U.S. population (1). Sadly, most of them don’t even know they have it (2). Without consistent lifestyle interventions, it will eventually turn into diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes costs the country about $413 billion annually, which has increased by 35% over a recent 10-year period (3). This financial burden is expected to increase in the future as more Americans are diagnosed with it.     Solving the Diabetes Burden  To curb this burden, [...]

Tobacco Cessation Health Coach  As a health coach, I have the privilege and joy of working with individuals who desire to quit tobacco use. Most often this is to stop smoking. During my wellness coach training, I learned about being a Tobacco Treatment Specialist, also known as a Tobacco Cessation Health Coach. The wellness coach training program and tobacco treatment specialist training have overlapping skills such as active listening, motivational interviewing, and positive psychology. This additional training reinforced my wellness coaching skills and provided a potential niche.   Since smoking is the leading cause of preventable death [...]

The Importance of Rapport The strength of health coaching is in a relationship. The relationship between a health coach and a client (or patient) is an integral part of the client's wellness journey, but for there to be a good relationship, the coach must build and maintain rapport with their clients.    Rapport is a word that comes to us from Old French. It originally meant to bring back or to carry, but it now means a friendly and harmonious relationship (1). Baker, Watlington, and Knee (2020) researched this topic and found that the “interactions perceived [...]