Health & Wellness Coaching: The Human Connection Driving Better Health

Health and Wellness Coaching (HWC) is increasingly recognized as an important component of whole-person care, helping individuals translate health recommendations into meaningful, sustainable action. But what does HWC look like in practice, and what makes the coaching relationship uniquely valuable?

This session, designed for those with a wide range of experience with or knowledge of HWC, will take an immersive look at the profession's evolution, evidence, and real-world impact. Attendees will explore how health and wellness coaches (HWC) help bridge the gap between what people are told to do and their ability to make lasting changes in their lives by examining the growing body of research, including evidence related to chronic conditions, health behaviors, patient engagement, and other outcome examples from diverse practice settings.

Participants will learn about the development of professional standards and credentialing, including the role of the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) and its collaboration with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) for the Health and Wellness Coach Certifying Exam (HWCCE). Participants will explore how National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coaches (NBC-HWCs) are practicing across diverse settings, including healthcare, lifestyle medicine, community health, military and Veterans health, higher education, corporate wellness, and other emerging environments. Examples of implementation will illustrate how coaching can complement lifestyle medicine and interdisciplinary teams, and how it supports whole-person approaches to care.

The session will close by looking toward the future of healthcare and the evolving role of qualified health and wellness coaches.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

1. Explain how health and wellness coaching supports sustainable behavior change and identify the standards for safe, high-quality practice.

2. Evaluate the evidence for health and wellness coaching, including its implications on education, practice, and key policies and priorities.

3. Apply an implementation framework to integrate qualified coaches into lifestyle medicine and interdisciplinary care.