Authored by Kira Semanas, NBC-HWC, Health Coach at apree health
Health coaches bring a lot to the table to help patients achieve goals in their health and wellness.
The patient’s agenda can vary widely from what their provider wants them to achieve to what they want to achieve for themselves. They might want to work on stress management, self care, time management, procrastination, or improving work life balance. Meanwhile, their provider might want them to focus on tobacco cessation, weight loss, or lowering their blood pressure. apree’s health coaches work to bridge the gap and help patients achieve their goals with motivational interviewing, deep listening, and empathy to meet the patient where they are at.
When patients are involved in creating and participating in their care journey, and have more self efficacy, they become empowered to take ownership in their health choices. If we assume what’s best for the patient without checking in with them, they can then be resistant or ‘noncompliant’ – start missing appointments, not taking meds, and be disengaged from their health care.
Without empathy, deep listening skills, and compassion, a patient can walk away from a health visit feeling unheard, invalidated, or lectured. The apree health coaches are specifically trained in motivational interviewing and positive psychology among other skills. This builds rapport and trust with patients which are essential for success in moving people forward with achieving optimal health, while empowering the patient to overcome challenges along the way. We let the patients take the driver’s seat to where they want to go and help them navigate the road to better health.
When you build adequate trust and rapport, patients open up about the real barriers of why they don’t always take the next best step. Coaching can also help them discover what their actual next best step is on their care journey. Soft skills are so important in a landscape of multiple options that exist in the marketplace today, especially with the upsurge of mental health concerns. Our health coaches are uniquely situated to meet the patient where they are at, which can help them continue along the path in navigating the rocky roads of getting appropriate and timely health care.
Health coaching is available nationwide for employers, health plans and taft-hartley groups. Learn how apree can help your members.
