Health and wellbeing coaching and nutritional therapy have similarities as well as differences. As titles can be confusing, it is hoped that this article below will outline what both of these services entail so that selecting the most appropriate service is easier for you.
Both services are holistic and person centred, including both nutrition and lifestyle medicine; movement, sleep and wellbeing.
With nutritional therapy, the therapist is viewed as the expert and makes nutrition and lifestyle recommendations using a food 1st approach with functional testing and supplements included as part of this advice, when appropriate.
With health and wellbeing coaching the client is viewed as the expert in their own health and to have the resources within, with the focus on increasing awareness to affect change including enhanced wellbeing and behaviour change, new habit formation and accountability. The coach’s role is to facilitate this change using motivational interviewing and psychological tools to uncover any challenges to achieving change. A health and wellbeing plan is created based on the coaching conversation. Basic nutritional guidance may form part of the process. Elimination diets, functional testing and supplements are outside the scope of practice.
In essence, the traditional approach is a culture of telling people what they need to do. The health coaching approach is a culture of encouraging individuals to be resourceful. The bullets highlights some differences.
Traditional approach.
A culture of telling people what they need to do
- Practitioner viewed as the expert
- Decisions often made by practitioner
- Person believes that it is the practitioner’s role to fix them
- Goals are often suggested by the practitioner
- Focus on extrinsic motivators
- Psychological factors in change unlikely to be addressed
Health coaching approach.
A culture to encouraging people to be resourceful
- Person is viewed as the expert in their own life
- Decisions made in partnership
- Person contributes to generating their own solutions
- Decisions made in partnership
- Person believes that they have an active role in their health
- Person is supported to define & measure their own goals
- Focus on intrinsic and extrinsic motivators
- Psychological factors in change are addressed
Source: Andrew McDowell, TPC Health
Why is Vanessa unique?
I have created V Holistic Therapy which uses a coaching approach to Nutritional Therapy and combining with elements of Health and Wellbeing coaching and EFT. Curious? Find out more with V Holistic Therapy