By Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, CWP, ACC May 19, 2016
Recently, a blog on www.kevinmd.com promoted the need for health coaches in medicine. In fact, the piece is a medical doctor's enthusiastic endorsement of health coaches: He encourages all doctors to bring health coaches into their practices. Why? Because while doctors often suggest that their patients change some aspect of their behavior to improve their health, doctors are not educated in how to help their patients achieve these behavior changes. Health coaches have just the background and experience that the patients need.
We know that health coaches work to turn around the lifestyles and mindsets of individuals seeking better health. We also know that attention must be paid to convincing the medical establishment of the value and necessity of health coaching. This article is an important step in creating just this change.
We also appreciate that the article points out the value of the new national credential that will be instituted by NCCHWC. We are pleased that our program at the California Institute of Integral Studies is among the first organizations to prepare students for this exam.
Integrative Health Studies Department Chair and Professor Meg Jordan is on the executive board of NCCHWC.
We hope you will share this article widely with your colleagues.
