How an integrative health coach can help you
As a nurse practitioner and integrative health coach, I help people who want to feel better. To do this, I work alongside you to identify meaningful health goals and create and implement realistic and achievable plans to move towards them. If you are struggling with not feeling as good as you'd like to, managing symptoms, facing a new medical diagnosis, frustrated with your interactions with the medical system, feel like you've tried everything and nothing helps, or you're just trying to get started with some healthy routines, integrative health coaching may be just the thing! And by choosing a coach with advanced healthcare training, you ensure that you are getting safe, smart, evidence-based guidance.
To best understand the benefits of working with an integrative health coach who's also a nurse practitioner, let's define some terms.
Integrative healthcare (and its subset, integrative medicine) is a paradigm of care that makes use of all available healing modalities. This might include conventional medical treatment, traditional, complementary, or alternative treatments, personal wellness practices, lifestyle, and anything else that affects the physical body, mind, spirit, and community. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient or client and is informed by evidence.
Health coaching is a process of partnering with individuals or groups to facilitate sustainable progress towards health and wellbeing goals. This modality acknowledges the innate healing capacity within each person and emphasizes self-care and lasting change. Health coaching is a broad term, though. Everything from one-size-fits-all diet programs sold by people with a weekend certification (or no training at all) to detailed, personalized support from highly educated professionals is sometimes called coaching. The term "health coach" isn't regulated, and there is no license or legal definition. Coaches can earn credentials from training programs (that vary widely), and they can also earn national certifications through examination and continuing education (like https://nbhwc.org/). But none of this guarantees what you'll get. Some health coaches focus on nutrition or weight loss, some on particular diagnoses, and some more generally on wellbeing. A common thread is a focus on supporting positive lifestyle and behavior change around health and wellness. Unlike other types of coaches (life coaches, executive coaches, etc), health coaches generally have some training in health-specific topics, though this training varies widely.
A nurse practitioner is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with specialized training in health assessment, diagnosis, and management. This requires a four-year undergraduate degree and a nursing license followed by a master's or doctoral degree, documented clinical training hours, and a national certification exam. Nowadays, many nurse practitioners (like me!) have the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. Advanced practice nursing is a regulated profession with defined standards and scope of practice. A nurse practitioner has advanced medical knowledge and is trained to assess and apply scientific evidence. They apply this knowledge through a nursing lens, which focuses on whole-person care.
An integrative health coach with a background as a nurse practitioner can provide all of this in one package! Integrative health, advanced coaching skills, and scientific and medical expertise make for a powerful set of tools to help you navigate your health needs. You likely won’t find this unique skillset in a regular medical practice or with most health coaches.
If you choose to work with an integrative health coach who has advanced training and knowledge, like a nurse practitioner or registered nurse, you get a lot of value. Here's a breakdown of how you can benefit.
You get reliable information. You may need help sorting through health information you've found online or from friends, or you may need more information and explanation related to things you've been told by your doctor. A nurse practitioner can provide accurate, evidence-based information when you need it.
You can focus on what matters to you. Integrative health coaching starts with exploring your unique values, preferences, and beliefs. Unlike the majority of medical visits which are driven by a rigid diagnostic process and often also by insurance requirements, coaching is about you. You will identify your priorities and work towards positive change that you care about.
You'll get specific. It can be really hard to figure out how to start, or how to take general advice and make it work for you. Health coaching can help you define meaningful goals aligned with your values, and nitty-gritty action steps to start working towards them.
You'll keep going. In coaching, we work on motivation, and also help with accountability, contingency plans, and modifying steps as needed. These skills make it possible to keep growing when you might have given up before.
There's an expert in the room to spot red flags and help you know when you need to course correct or seek further help. This is extremely important, especially for anyone with underlying health problems.
So there you go. Hiring a health coach is an investment. It takes time. It takes money. And if you are looking to take ownership of your health and make positive changes, expert coaching can be invaluable. An integrative health coach with a nursing background is a true expert! Do you have questions about coaching? Let’s hear ‘em!
