Rita was discussing her career as a health coach with her friend, Angela.

“What does it really mean to be a health coach? What do you actually do?” asked Angela. “Do you just provide people with nutrition advice and meal plans?”

Rita thought for a second about everything she did for each of her clients and how she was educating them, supporting them, holding them accountable, and so much more.

She smiled and explained to Angela that health coaching, when done the right way, was so much more than simply giving advice.

As Rita ran through all the ways she helps and supports her clients, Angela was instantly on board. “Wow, that’s so much deeper than I would have imagined!” she exclaimed. “That definitely sounds like coaching done the right way!”

COACHING VS. CONSULTING

Many people confuse coaching with consulting. A consultant is one who provides expert advice while a coach is one who trains, educated, prompts, urges, and helps initiate improvement, growth, and healing.

Coaches go far beyond giving advice and work with their clients to get answers and co-create plans of action.

Here at ITN, we describe a health coach as having 4 key roles.

4 ROLES YOU PLAY AS A HEALTH COACH

1. EDUCATE

As a coach, one of your main roles will be to educate your clients and your audience. From there, you will be able to allow them to make their own choices and then support those choices. Without that knowledge, your clients will have a hard time understanding the ‘why’ and will be less likely to follow the plans you create together.

2. SUPPORT AND GUIDE

Supporting and guiding your clients is essential in health coaching. Achieving goals isn’t easy without support and guidance from a caring person. Without these things, clients tend to find themselves sabotaging their own efforts with negative self-talk and end up quitting before they see any appreciable changes in their own lives.

3. USE QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES

Coaches use powerful questioning techniques with their clients. When you are with your client, you aren’t just there to have a pleasant conversation with them, as nice as that would be. You’re there to offer them powerful insight into their problems and help them find solutions.

To get that insight and deeper understanding of those underlying issues, you’ll need to question them deeply.

While this might seem like a difficult task, ITN has made it simple by providing you with done-for-you coaching guidelines and resources so you always know what to ask!

4. HOLD ACCOUNTABLE

Coaches hold their clients accountable. Coaching is not about making sure your client feels like you have a pleasant, friendly relationship. While creating a relationship with them is important, your role as a health coach is to make a powerful impact on their life, health, and happiness.

To make that impact, it might be important to make your client feel slightly uncomfortable. You need to be the person who will ask them the hard questions no one else will and make sure they’re sticking to the plan.

After all – that’s what they hired you for!

TO WRAP IT UP

There is a common misconception that health coaches give advice and meal plans and send their clients on their way.

But highly trained health coaches, like those who graduate from ITN’s certification program, are taught to go so much deeper, know how to ask the right questions, and know how to support, guide, and hold their clients accountable.

With the combination of these main roles, you can help your clients not only get the results they want, but you can help them live healthier, happier lives.

What one role will you make sure to follow in your health coaching sessions this week? Share in the comments!

And if you liked this, check out these 4 Ways to Create a Positive Client Experience.