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Coaching Handbook

Able: Coaching Handbook
By Support Team
• 10 articles

Minimum Engagement Policy

Able is committed to continuing to improve its platform for both Coaches and Clients. As part of this effort, Able has created a minimum engagement policy for its Coaches to follow in order to ensure its Clients are receiving a high-quality service. These guidelines apply to engaging active Clients. Coaches can see the number of active Clients in the app by their Client limit which can be found on your coach profile. It will look similar to this: 99|100, the 99 being your active client count and 100 being your client limit. An update is expected in the near future to help Coaches better identify active and inactive clients. Minimum Engagement Policy: Able Coaches are expected to send 800 messages per 100 active Clients per month or 2 messages per active Client per week. These messages can be in the form of motivational gifs, memes, or quick check-ins. Coaches will be expected to have 120 calls per month per 100 users, this is 30 calls per 100 Clients per week. Able will take into consideration the number of bookings made by clients and will only look at calls a Coach initiates rather than calls Clients pickup. Able will also look at the number of messages sent over the month and these will count towards the number of calls needed. Kindly note that in the event a Coach does not meet the minimum engagement requirements specified in this policy, the coaching department will reach out to the Coach to ascertain the reasons behind their low engagement and identify areas for improvement. Failure to enhance engagement may lead to the termination of the Coach's position. If a Coach remains uninvolved with clients for three or more business days without providing an explanation, the coaching department will ensure that the Coach no longer receives new clients. Additionally, it may be decided that the Coach will not be compensated for the periods of disengagement. This engagement policy will continue to be updated and may change over time.

Last updated on Oct 16, 2023

How-to article- Your Able Profile Picture - A Complete Guide

Our marketing team will take your photo and add a new background so that all of our coach profiles are consistent with our branding and marketing. There are a few KEY points that you must adhere to when submitting your photo to us. We will reject the photos if these points aren’t followed! 1. Quality and image size Please provide an image of at least 1000 x 1000 pixels. If the image is smaller than this it will appear blurry. The mistake you want to avoid here is providing an image that's too small. Blurry images will make you look unprofessional, and clients will form an opinion of you. Proper sizes and good quality images will generate a better result overall Small sizes and low quality images will look pixelated or blurry when editing 2. Angle Please only send in photos with your face looking straight into the camera in a front view angle. No tilted heads horizontally or vertically (looking up, down, or sideways into the camera). This is a crucial point in getting all our coach's photos consistent and achieving the best results. See the table below for references. Looking straight into the camera, front view No tilted heads or looking up/down or sideways into the camera 3. Good lighting All great shots begin and end with good lighting. Taking some time to get the lighting right will dramatically improve the look of your picture. Flood your face with natural light. The best lighting for taking your Able profile picture is soft natural light. Lighting makes a huge difference to how we look in photographs, camera flashes can make your skin shiny and a lack of lighting can leave the image underexposed or leave unflattering shadows on your face. Ideally try taking the picture outside at a time of day when the sun is not too bright, or on a cloudy day. ✅ DO ❌ DON’T Good uniform lighting No dramatic lighting or strong shadows 4. Ask someone to take your Able profile picture for you If you really want a great Able profile picture, you should consider getting some help. It's really difficult to take a good picture of yourself and this is something that you want to get right. No selfies. No vacation backgrounds. Hiring a professional photographer is ideal and a worthwhile investment. A good professional photographer will have the skill to help you feel at ease, strike the right pose, get the right lighting, and get you smiling. If you are not in a position to hire a photographer, don't worry, a friend with a good camera or phone can be a great alternative. Choose someone who puts you at ease, has the patience and ideally knows how to take a good picture. 5. Other points to be aware of when submitting your picture ❌ DON’T No cropped pictures or tilted angles Avoid hair covering face features such as eyes and eyebrows Avoid exaggerated reactions or smiles with mouth wide-open Avoid strong make-up and no hands touching the head 6. Quick checklist before submitting your picture Before submitting your picture we suggest that you take a look at the checklist below to see if your image is according to our guidelines. This way we avoid going back and forth on image submission, aiming for the best results to get professional good-looking pictures that will attract more clients. ✅ Is my picture in a proper size and good quality/resolution? ✅ Is my picture in a front view angle, looking straight into the camera? ✅ Is my picture well lit with no dramatic lighting? ❌ Is my hair covering my face features? ❌ Do I have strong make-up on or hands touching my face? ❌ Is my picture cropped, on tilted angles or with exaggerated reactions?

Last updated on Jan 05, 2024

Getting You Started

Once you finish this handbook, you will need to send the following to [email protected]: 1. A coaching bio and welcome message (see below for examples) 1. List your top two certifications. These must be Googleable. If you have a clinical certification, list this first. Then write one sentence about what you specialize in or are particularly passionate about. Then one more sentence about passions or your personal life or working style. Max 150 words. 2. A profile photograph - Please see the Able profile photo guidelines page for information on how to choose the right photo 3. We will then set you up with your Able for Coaches login and password 4. Familiarize yourself with the First Call Script or bullet points, and how to follow up with your clients to keep them engaged and excited. Sample Coach Welcome Message - Sent automatically upon matching with a client Hello from Able, I’m your coach, COACH NAME! I’d love to hop on a 10-minute call to welcome you personally and explain our 360-degree program. Please book an Intro call with me here: [currently using a Calendly link temporarily] As an experienced coach, I’m here to help hold you accountable, provide guidance, support and education to help you take meaningful steps each week toward achieving your happy weight and improved health. Our app makes it easy for me to get in touch with you with video calls, voice calls, voice messaging and texts. At Able, we don’t count calories because it doesn’t work. We take a 360-degree approach by tracking our progress across dimensions such as nutrition, sleep and fitness - and we celebrate all victories. Let’s get that call scheduled. I can’t wait to work with you! Sample Coach Bio List your top two certifications. These must be Google-able. If you have a clinical certification, list this first. Then write one sentence about what you specialize in or are particularly passionate about. Then one more sentence about passions or your personal life or working style. Max 150 words. Carolyn is a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, an ex-elite athlete, and certified naturopathic chef. Her areas of expertise include the world of biohacking such as fasting, wearable tech, and genetics with a passion to make the world of health optimization attainable for everyone. She works with clients in the US and UK specializing in both women's and men's health. She has 14-year-old twins and loves the sun, travelling, and sampling new foods.

Last updated on Oct 06, 2023

The Able Coach

What is Able Able is a science-backed, 360-degree weight care and wellness program that is tailored to the biology and lifestyle of our clients and supported by one-on-one coaching. By providing this coaching and a personalized program that takes into account nutrition, sleep, hydration, movement, emotions and medication as appropriate, Able helps clients reach their happy weight and maintain it while improving their overall health and confidence. What Able is NOT Able is not a diet. Able is not a calorie tracker. Able is a sustainable program that incorporates nutrition, sleep, hydration, movement, emotions and medication as appropriate to help clients achieve their happy weight and stay there. Able’s philosophy is that doable lifestyle tweaks lead to big results over time. Able may provide sustainable meal plans tailored to the client’s specific needs. Clients and coaches can track progress within the app and share meal descriptions and photos as appropriate to their individual programs. Able is not a fitness tracker. Able integrates with popular fitness trackers in clients’ phones so clients and coaches can view progress in all areas of life that impact weight care and well-being in one place. At Able we believe movement is an important part of achieving and maintaining overall health, however, strenuous exercise is not a requirement for reaching a happy weight or improving metabolic health. Able is not a weight loss plan. At Able, we talk about weight care and reaching your healthy weight, not about weight loss. We don’t recommend “calorie deficits” or fad diets because they don’t work long-term. Similarly, the term “plan” is similar to a diet in that it reminds many people of a short-term meal plan or diet that didn’t incorporate their unique lifestyle and needs. Many clients have past experiences with “plans” they could not stick to and which wreaked havoc on their weight over time. Able may provide sustainable meal plans tailored to the client’s specific needs. The meal plan, however, is one tool in a comprehensive program that considers sleep, emotions, movement, medication (as appropriate) and a variety of factors that contribute to weight care. Able’s 360-degree program includes one-on-one coaching, so clients have the support and guidance they need to continue newly formed habits long-term. Able’s Coaching Philosophy Who are we and what do we do? Our Mission: Able is on the mission to make personalized, best-in-class weight and wellness care accessible to everyone through a virtual, one-on-one health coaching platform. Lifestyle is a key driver in health but change is hard. We offer coaching to help guide, support, encourage, empower, and collaborate. Our Coaching Values We ask coaches to embody these values so that we make clients successful and retain them. Furthermore, these values instruct us in how to make decisions and prioritize our actions and time when the path is unclear. 1. Connection is the basis of everything we do 2. We are present and devoted to every client 3. We look at the client as a whole 4. Our program is flexible and sustainable 5. We learn from every experience to take positive steps forward What is the Role of a Coach? Coaching is a very powerful methodology when it comes to stimulating individual behaviour change as it is focused on helping clients grow into becoming more autonomous experts in their own well-being and personal path. Coaches look first to collaborate and partner rather than showing up as experts who analyze problems, give advice, prescribe solutions, recommend goals, teach new skills or provide education These expert approaches can be helpful in a coaching relationship, they are used “just in time” and infrequently The goal of coaching is to encourage: - Personal responsibility - Reflective thinking - Self-discovery - Self-efficacy Client-originated visions, plans and behaviours are the ones that stick. **The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)**By definition, health and wellness coaches are not content experts in health or disease; they do not diagnose or prescribe unless a coach has credentials in another profession that allow expert advice to be given. The coach should be able to identify risk factors for chronic disease, commonly used biometric measures, and current lifestyle recommendations for optimizing health. An important focus for the coach is to recognize potential imminent danger and medical red flags and to know when and how to refer to another health care professional. Healthy lifestyle ideals, as in most areas of health care, are continually evolving. Recommendations change frequently for everything from interpretation of biometric markers (e.g., cholesterol, blood pressure) to evidence-based suggestions in lifestyle areas like nutrition and physical activity. Moreover, guidelines vary by organization. The coach stays abreast of trends, controversies, and evolutions in the lifestyle fields since these will impact client choices and the resources they need. Since the coaching relationship is client-centered, the coach’s focus is on determining what the client already knows, needs, and wishes to learn about. The coach then supports the client in obtaining credible health and wellness information. Professional Coaches are trained to: Accept and meet clients where they are today - Ask clients to take charge - Guide clients in doing mindful thinking, feeling and doing work that builds confidence - Help clients define a higher purpose for health and wellbeing - Uncover a client’s natural impulse to be well - Support clients in tapping into their innate fighting spirit - Address mental and physical health together - Assist clients to draw their own health and wellness blueprint - Encourage clients to set and achieve realistic goals (small victories lay the foundation for self-efficacy) - Harness the strengths needed to overcome our obstacles - Reframe obstacles as opportunities to learn and grow - Enable clients to build a support team around them - friends/family/community - Inspire and challenge clients to go beyond what they would do alone Integrating the Coach Approach 1. Make sure clients are working at least as hard as you are 2. Make sure clients are talking more than you are 3. Make sure clients first try and find the  answers for themselves 4. Ask permission before you give expert advice if you think it might be beneficial so that the client is still in control 5. Brainstorm 2-3 choices with a client so that the client taps into his or her own creativity and is the informed decision-maker 6. Deliver only one question or reflection at a time 7. Always stop and consider how to use the coach approach (inquiry/reflections) with the client before offering the expert approach 8. Balance questions with reflections so that clients don’t feel like they are being interrogated 9. Use silence to elicit deeper thinking (not possible with coaching by text) 10. If clients confirm they need to acquire new knowledge and skills to reach their goals and visions, help clients define the path to this knowledge and skills, with input from other experts when needed Able Coach approach Cycle does not - deliver unsolicited advice - assess and seek what needs “fixing” - define an agenda (unless the client has asked for this direction explicitly) - provide all the answers - generate a know-it-all energy - talk more than the client - follow a checklist or methodical questions - be the expert - use scare tactics or emphasize risks/danger to motivate change - prescribe anything from goals to solutions to supplements - make assumptions or draw conclusions - disagree or moralize - persuade or lecture with logic - interrupt or avoid - feel responsible for client progress/health

Last updated on Oct 06, 2023

First Client Call and Follow Ups

First Client Call and Building Rapport What are the benefits? Benefits to the Client - When we (health coaches) build a good rapport, the clients tend to: - Feel empowered - Trust their health coach, and see that you are human! - Feel like their opinions and desires matter - Feel like they have an active role in their health (known as self-efficacy) - Have improved follow-through with commitments - Be more likely to feel motivated That first call is all about the client being able to see/hear that you are indeed a real human who is helping them on their journey. This is the start of the rapport-building process and will allow you to build that trust. We want to also take the opportunity to introduce the Able app and explain more about how tracking their lifestyle within the app can really help you to be the best coach possible for them. Example first call Length: 10 minutes - Coach Cary Hi Clara! It’s great to meet you. My name is Cary. I’m a registered dietician and I’ve been coaching clients on weight care and health for five years. I have a lot of experience with ex-athletes such as yourself and I love coming up with fun recipes. I decided to join Able because I believe in our 360-degree approach to weight care and well-being. I’m here to support you in a science-based program that’s tailored to your needs and easily fits into your lifestyle. Together we address your nutrition, sleep, stress, fitness, and more to develop habits over time that lead to lasting results. Now, tell me a bit more about you. - Client Clara Hi Cary. Nice to meet you. I’m new to this. I’ve tried to lose weight before. I used to play soccer in college but after I graduated and got a desk job it all went downhill from there. I just need some help with motivation and deciding what to eat now that I’m not as active. The app said I could lose my excess weight in a couple of months so that sounds good to me. - Coach Cary Thanks for sharing! I hear you. It can be challenging to go from being really active and sporty to sitting at a desk all day! You've taken an important first step in joining Able which shows how much you value your health! We can talk about how to incorporate movement into your daily routine, without having to hit the gym 7 days a week. I know when I played sports in college I ate whatever carbs I wanted. Now, I’m not anti-carb, but I made some changes to when and what I eat which has worked for me. We can do the same for you. Can I explain a bit more about how our Able app works? - Client Clara Sure - that would be helpful! - Coach Cary Ok, cool! So we know that diets don’t tend to work long-term, right? It’s more than just what you eat! [If the client has already connected to fitness apps] Thanks for connecting to your fitness apps so I have a better idea of habits such as sleep, movement, and hydration so we can incorporate these insights into your program. [If the client has not connected fitness apps] Because we are all about personalization, it would be helpful for me if you are able to connect any wearable tech/Apple Health/Google Fit to the Able app so I can start to get a better idea of habits like your sleep, hydration, movement, etc. [If the client doesn’t want to connect fitness apps] No worries. This information helps us look at your weight care and health from as many angles as possible. Let’s leave that be for now and look at what other information will help us. At Able we’ve made tracking foods easy and it will take you fewer than 15 seconds - all you have to do is take a photo of your food and add it to your journal. Feel free to add a short description for me as well! Last but not least, we will work together each week on making 1-2 small tweaks max - these will be achievable goals that you feel you can work in your lifestyle. Smaller steps help to not overwhelm you but also make it easier for you. Small changes equal big returns: sustained weight loss, more energy - basically we will get you looking and feeling your best. How does that all sound to you? - Client Clara That sounds easy enough! When do we start? - Coach Cary We start right now! I’m going to give you a few days to start tracking your activity and food journaling and then I will follow up with some suggestions on where we could make some tweaks. Does that feel comfortable for you? How do communication methods work best for you? [Offer video calls, voice messages, and/or text] - Client Clara Definitely - I can manage that! - Coach Cary Amazing! I’m excited to start working with you helping you look and feel your best! I am here for you so please message me with any questions going forward. The two most important things are that you track within the app and keep me posted on your progress so I can help you every step of the way. Accountability can help keep you on track. - Client Clara I’m excited as well and look forward to hearing from you - this sounds really interesting and exciting. Thanks for your help! - Coach Cary You’re welcome, and I am here for you - you can do this! I’ll check in with you in the next few days, but please feel free to let me know how it’s going in the Able app in the meantime. Have a great couple of days! Write down your notes from today’s call in the client’s notes section in the app, and follow up with a written/voice message below (total time: 5 minutes) - Coach Cary's follow-up async (not live) Great to speak with you just now , [client]. Congrats again on setting your weight care and health goals! I’m here to help you achieve lasting results. I just wanted to follow up on the key points of how to get the most out of the Able program. The two most important things are that you track within the app and keep me posted on your progress. I’ll use this information to deliver recommendations and further personalize your program. [Reiterate next touchpoint agreed to] Have a great week! First Call Bulletpoints - ? - Introduce yourself - Ask client to tell you a bit about themselves; build rapport! - Introduce what Able is and how Able works: - 360 degree holistic program including nutrition, sleep, stress management, consistent movement, and more! - Personalized for client and their lifestyle - Build habits to make this sustainable - Make 1-2 small changes each week max - Importance of tracking your lifestyle within the app so that you can give them the best coaching experience possible - How often do they want you to check in with them - remember that a short voice message from you takes no time! What formats do they like? - Do they have any questions for you? - Follow-up with a written message post call with quick summary of points you discussed Following up with our Clients - Show your clients you’ve got their back Check their health trackers We want to keep our clients engaged and retained which starts with you! The first things to check before making contact with a client are their food journals, health data and trackers. What is one thing that you can find a positive comment about? It can be as simple as that extra deep sleep time or that colorful array of veggies they ate the day before. Our brain tends to focus on the negatives more than the positives which is where you come in! Reframe the negative mindset We want to praise the small victories and help them to reframe any negative feelings they might be having. Self-limiting beliefs may sound like this: - I’m not good enough - I’m not strong enough - I’m not smart enough - I’m too old - I don’t know where to start - I might not do it right - I always fail - I don’t have the time - I’m too busy These are also great opening points of contact with your client. How can you help them turn those statements into positive ones? “It sounds like you are a busy mom and you care a lot for your little ones, but you did manage to get 2,000 more steps in yesterday which is a great start! Tell me more about your day yesterday - what went well for you?” Clients often have an all-or-nothing mentality, and we can help them by prioritizing the small steps on their journey!

Last updated on Nov 29, 2023

Able Best Practices

Code of Conduct Scope of Practice and Best Practices 1. Build rapport - this helps to solidify your relationship with the client to make them feel comfortable with you which can lead to an enhanced coaching relationship that ultimately helps them to excel. 2. Care about client retention and experience. We aim to optimize the chat experience to be second to none. 3. Go above and beyond to exceed client expectations and never let the client leave because the conversation goes off script or the client enquires about a special meal plan or similar. Be creative, work around enquiry, and do your best to satisfy the client. 4. Give recommendations based on their data -> food journal, intake form and profile. If the client doesn’t track their info - dig deeper, and encourage them to so that you can help them achieve their goals faster. 5. Review client journals regularly and touch base with the client as often as possible. E.g you saw an unhealthy meal in a client's journal. You immediately sent a tip - how about replacing it with X or Y? Do you want me to share a healthy recipe? Or if it's a client's favorite meal then probably just tweaking a few ingredients would be a win too. 6. Cheer clients up for every small win/implemented change/multiple days of focusing on foods/increasing their movement and steps per day etc. Positive reinforcement can make all the difference! 7. As health coaches, we do not offer clients any clinical or medical advice. 8. We are here to guide and support the client, not to prescribe to them. Only share suggestions (on issues within the scope of practice) if the client explicitly asks for them, or if you have asked first. For example: 1. “Are you open to hearing some ideas that might help you reduce snacking?” 2. “Would you mind if I shared some indoor exercise ideas with you that you could try?” 3. “Would you mind if I shared some indoor exercise ideas with you that you could try?” 9. We do not share suggestions for any clinical issues, under any circumstances. If the client asks for advice for an injury, medical condition, mental health struggle, etc. then we must re-direct them to their physician. This includes potential diet or weight-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. 10. We do not contradict the opinion of the client’s primary care doctor, GP or specialist consultant. If you feel that the client could benefit from a second opinion, this can be posed as a suggestion. For example: 1. “You still seem a little unsure, despite your doctor’s advice. Could it be helpful to reach out to another doctor for a second opinion?” 2. “It sounds like you are still struggling with this issue, despite following all your doctor’s advice. I’m wondering if it could be beneficial to reach out to them again, or seek out a second opinion from another doctor?” 11. We cannot suggest to the client any particular doctor’s surgery, clinic, or practice. We can offer specific government/charity help local to them when it comes to mental health, disordered eating, drug/alcohol abuse, etc. These will vary by country and US State. 12. As every person is different, best practice is to use speculative language, e.g, “may”, “might”, “could”, “can”, and “suggests”. For example: You must exercise more to lose weight” vs “To reach your goal, it can be helpful to add some exercise to your routine. What are your thoughts on this?” 13. Accountability. A lot of people need someone who can hold them accountable at the initial stages when implementing change. We have found that some clients like the assurance that you are that helping hand. Frequent and short check-ins can really help a client to feel like you are holding them accountable. 14. Use short messages, more like a WhatsApp style, rather than long ones to make the whole experience more friendly and native. 15. There’s a reason why we don’t have a calorie counter -we don’t count calories! It’s not about calories in vs calories out and it’s also not about having a calorie deficit in order to lose weight - the body just doesn’t work that way long term. Instead, we focus on eating whole foods with fiber, good fats and high-quality proteins. There is no such thing as a low-fat, low-calorie avocado! 16. DO NOT send any personal affiliate links, or make any specific recommendations for vitamins or supplements. 17. DO NOT ask your client for their personal contact details including email or phone number or contact them outside of Able’s platform. You will be banned immediately from coaching on our platform (see section 9 in the Terms of Service for Coaches).

Last updated on Oct 06, 2023

Optional Coaching References

Coaching vs. Educating/Teaching Watch (8:19): What’s the Difference Between Coaching and Teaching?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7RY01ugl2U 1. Where does the ownership of change fall within the coaching relationship? 2. What is the difference between coaching and teaching? 3. Why is this distinction important to understand? Read (~10 min): What is Health and Wellness Coaching? NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic 1. What tools can coaches utilize to harness a patient/client's motivation for change? 2. How can coaching translate to client behaviour change? 3. What future do you see for Health Coaches, their practices and moving the needle in healthcare? Optional:  Read (~5 min):  Coaches as Intentional Change Artists Coaches as Intentional Change Artists | Institute of Coaching ICFs Code of Ethics Outlines expectations around conflicts of interest, professional conduct with clients and confidentialityICF Code of Ethics - International Coaching Federation Building Self-Efficacy Through Self-Management Watch the video, How to tame your Advice Monster with Michael Bungay Stanier (15 minutes) then consider the questions below: Watch: How to tame your Advice Monster | Michael Bungay Stanier | TEDxUniversityofNevada What strategies help you to tame your Advice Monster? Review the Coaching Habit - 7 Questions to Ask by Michael Bungay Stanier, will any make your powerful questions list?: The Coaching Habit ‒ 7 Questions to Ask - What's on your mind? - And what else? - What's the real challenge here for you? - What do you want? - How can I help? - If you're saying yes to this, what are you saying no to? - What was most useful for you? Revisiting The Transtheoretical Model and the Stages of Change The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is an integrative model to conceptualize the process of intentional behaviour change. The TTM includes and integrates key constructs from other theories into a comprehensive theory of change that can be applied to a variety of behaviours, populations, and settings—hence, the name Transtheoretical. Stages of change lie at the heart of the TTM. The TTM recognizes behaviour change as a process that unfolds over time, involving progress through a series of stages. While the time a person remains in each stage is variable, the tasks required to move to the next stage are not. Certain principles and processes of change work best at each stage to reduce resistance, facilitate progress, and prevent relapse. Those principles include decisional balance, self-efficacy, and processes of change. Only a minority (usually less than 20%) of a population at risk is prepared to take action at any given time. Thus, action-oriented guidance is not well suited for individuals in the early stages. Individually tailored guidance based on the TTM results in increased engagement in the change process because it appeals to the whole population rather than the minority ready to take action. The Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change) Ambivalence Ambivalence is a conflicted state where opposing attitudes or feelings coexist in an individual; they are stuck between simultaneously wanting to change and not wanting to change. Ambivalence is particularly evident in situations where there is a conflict between an immediate reward and longer-term adverse consequences (eg. substance abuse, weight management). For example, the patient who presents with serious health problems as a result of heavy drinking, who shows genuine concern about the impact of alcohol on his health, and in spite of advice from his practitioner to cut back his drinking, continues to drink at harmful levels, embodies this phenomenon**.** Motivational Interviewing Motivational interviewing (MI) is an effective counselling method that enhances motivation through resolving ambivalence. A collaborative goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention to the language of change. It is designed to strengthen personal motivation for and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting and exploring the person’s own reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion (Miller and Rollnick, 2013)The Spirit of MI. The mindset of the underlying spirit of MI affects every aspect of how you interact with a client (including verbal and non-verbal communication) WATCH: Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT): Welcome to the Motivational Interviewing Website! (7:46 min) READ: 17 Motivational Interviewing Questions and Skills (~15 min read) WATCH:  Decisional Balance in MI (10:00 min) Open Ended Inquiry These encourage clients to take an active role in the coaching session as they explore both the positive and negative impacts of their behaviours. Examples of open-ended questions that evoke change talk are: How to Ask Open-Ended Questions: 20 Examples Developing Discrepancy- Tools Exploring the pros and cons - a Decisional Balance helps clients think through whether they are ready, willing and able to make change. Open-ended questions and reflective listening statements encourage clients to consider the pros and cons of change Response to Stay the Same Response to Make a Change 1. What are the benefits of staying the same?(list as many as possible) 2. What are your concerns about staying the same?(list as many as possible) 3. What are your concerns about making a change?(list as many as possible) 4. What are the benefits of making a change?(list as many as possible) Reflections https://cls.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3019/2018/09/Types-of-Reflections.pdf Strategies for providing information in a way that keeps the client engaged How to Engage and Motivate Clients in Therapy - Elicit - ask the client what they already know about the topic/ask permission - Provide - share only relevant information, keep it short and sweet - Elicit - invite the client to respond to the information - what are your thoughts on that? Client-centered Goal Setting What specific change is the client interested in trying? What thoughts, patterns, or beliefs would they like to explore on their own? Allow the client to lead the goals-setting process which supports autonomy and gives the client confidence in setting personal health goals independently in the future at times clients may choose goals that are unrealistic - it is important that they feel supported no matter what they choose. The coach can ask questions to explore any potential barriers to change or offer a concern Assessing Confidence and Perceived Barriers to Change OARS- The “Micro-skills” Much of what a coach says in a coaching session will fall into one of the 4 micro-skills.The purpose of using OARS is to elicit and emphasise the client’s change talk through reflective listening while affirming the client in their actions, strengths, and skills they demonstrate on their quest towards making a behavior change The skills are most often referred to as OARS - the order we tend to use them is RAOS https://iod.unh.edu/sites/default/files/media/2021-10/motivational-interviewing-the-basics-oars.pdf Change Talk Eliciting change talk is the consciously directive strategy on the part of the coach for resolving ambivalence. If OARS (open questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summarizing) were the only skills used by the coach it would be quite possible for the client to remain stuck in ambivalence. Four Categories of Change Talk - Recognizing the disadvantages of the status quo: “This is more serious than I thought.” - Recognizing advantages of change: “I’d probably feel a lot better.” - Expressing optimism about change: “I think I could do that if I decided to.” - Expressing intention to change: “I’ve got to do something.” (source: Motivational Interviewing: Eliciting Change Talk and Giving Advice | The Homeless Hub )

Last updated on Oct 06, 2023

Constructing insightful messages for your clients

As Able coaches, we want to keep our clients engaged to help boost retention. That starts with checking in with them frequently with just a quick voice message to see how they are getting on. What is working well for them or what obstacles are getting in their way of reaching that weekly focus? We have outlined some helpful coaching strategies to help you construct more engaging messages for your clients. Start with looking at your client’s food journal, logs and trackers It’s important to show your clients that you are taking an interest in their journey by checking Common Questions We Get Asked We have a lot of questions that regularly get asked. We have compiled a list of these template answers for you to use as a guide. Empathy vs Sympathy Empathy and sympathy are often grouped together, but they are very different, as Brené Brown outlines in this video. Brené Brown on Empathy vs Sympathy Open-Ended Questions The type of question can make a big impact on a client’s health journey. Examples can be found here! Improve Support In addition to providing support during client sessions, the coach assists the client in developing supportive relationships and identifying community resources. (Home - NBHWC) Using External Resources - How to choose the best resource for your client Sending a resource can be a really helpful way for us to help educate a client as coaches are not the expert. To help, we’ve put together a list of resources that we commonly send out but often you may require a particular resource, not on the list.

Last updated on Oct 06, 2023