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Introduction
Health and wellness is a field of science that has become a common healthcare practice functioning as a conduit for community or public health. Historically, researchers have tried extensively defining the terms health and wellness to establish a comprehensive understanding of the roles definitions and diverse types (Perlman et al., 2020). According to Oliver et al. (2018), wellness practically and therapeutically influences the quality of life in individuals. The health and wellness field of practice has been associated with various fields of life, including workplace wellness, lifestyle, and behavioral issues of life (Oliver et al., 2018). Perlman et al. (2020) define Health and awareness coaching as “creating partnerships to empower individuals to take ownership, leadership, and accountability of their wellbeing, using nondirective, empathic, and mindful conversations that employ motivational interviewing and evidence-based approaches” (p. 1). Categorically, this may include adjusting physical fitness, spiritual growth, emotional stability, social connectedness, and financial security (Oliver et al., 2018). This study acknowledges that the professional field is diverse in nature and determines ethical issues that guide the coaches in delivering health and wellness.
Therefore, the field requires relevant policy frameworks as guidelines for health and wellness coaches to adhere to for effective outcomes critical to public health. Research by Rethorn et al. (2020) argues that health and wellness coaching has influenced a positive alternative to treating chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. The field significantly influences the management and treatment of diseases by changing lifestyles and dietary behaviors. As a result, health and wellness coaching has set ethical considerations, as do various professionals. Considering the extent of its impact, it is essential to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of health and wellness coaches and ensure they positively influence personal and overall community health and lifestyles.
Moral Features of Health and Wellness Coaching
There are ethical features of health and wellness coaching that are influenced by the moral standpoints of the practitioners. According to NBHWC (2017), there are ethical issues in coaching that are tied to the conflicting interests of health and wellness coaches. In this case, it is common to have situations where personal issues may interfere with the capacity of a coach to carry out his responsibility or role objectively. A health and wellness coach may have situations that conflict with their moral predisposition, hindering their influence on the patient. An example may include spiritual well-being that the client needs may not agree with the coach’s beliefs. Moral values are common, especially when conflicting interests exist between the client and the patients.
A relevant example is a patient’s case that requires a particular spiritual path that the coach may hold bias upon the practice. Morally, the coach is expected to be non-judgemental and ethically required to avoid any form of discrimination (ICHWC, 2017). A relevant moral approach would be the referral of the patient to relevant coaches or healthcare professionals that may facilitate the patient’s needs.
Ethical Presuppositions, Responsibility to Society and Values of a Health and Wellness Coach
The complexity of health and wellness coaching has various factors that are intricate to the positive influence of the practice. Ethical Presuppositions, values, and responsibilities of coaches are important to clearly distinguish the relationships and understand what factors or frameworks guide conduct by health and wellness coaching. Broadbear and Broadbear (2017) argue that coaches in learning hold a presupposition that they automatically qualify to take on all kinds of situations in the field. The misconception that health and wellness coaches hold answers to a myriad of issues is detrimental to the effective functioning and responsibility of the coaches to society. Ethically, a coach is expected to refer them to relevant, more qualified aides to handle the situation in circumstances where their training or skill is insufficient or the patient is unresponsive (NBHWC, 2017). NBHWC (2017) dictates that the coach strives to safeguard the client’s health, safety, and welfare. Subsequently, the trainer should be willing to accept their deficiencies and reflect a moral choice based on their values and ethical responsibilities to the patient and society, prioritizing the client’s health and well-being.
On the other hand, a health and wellness coach, from the definition, is considered responsible for influencing public health improvement in societies. According to Perlman et al. (2020), their role has been confusing or undefined, but a common conception is that the field has been embraced into public health considerations. Health and wellness coaching has historically influenced the reduction of chronic diseases in the community. Health and wellness coaches support proactive actions by society to improve both physical and mental health, empowering quality of life and health (NHS, 2020). This closely relates to the ethical delimitations that require a coach to ensure they facilitate the client’s goals, not their own. The health and wellness coaches are expected only to advise and steward by not giving directives (Perlman et al., 2020). The common aspect relating to the responsibility and ethical assumption is that the wellness coach is expected to be a significant driver toward certain societal goals and proactive ambitions for overall community health and wellness.
In addition, health and wellness coaches are expected to have particular values in their practice. Objectively, the coach is expected to stand in as a role model in many instances to pose as a relevant example of proactiveness towards health and wellness. According to Cosgrove (2021), health and wellness require coaches to prompt the identification of personal values from their clients. Coaching allows patients to gain self-knowledge and identify their paths by choice. The interlink of responsibility and obligations to society and their principles shows that health and wellness coaching integrates the factors and unifies them for effective stewardship of clients and community health and wellbeing.
Conclusion
Health and wellness coaching is an intricate profession with a slim margin between ethically correct and morally acceptable. The job prescription has limitations to the coaches’ role in the influence of a patient, which they are supposed to be conscious about. The ethical considerations are instrumental to facilitating health and wellness, acting as a framework and code of conduct that ensures coaches maintain a professional practice. The accurate definition in the code of ethics specifies the limits ensuring the coaches don’t cross the path of medical practice and do not exceed restricted roles. Therefore, as practitioners, it is essential to act ethically to maintain emotional balance and avoid biased interactions with patients. For effective professionalism, it is necessary to establish policies requiring adequate qualifications and competencies.
Conclusively, health and wellness coaches require prerequisite training to harmonize ethical factors, roles and responsibilities to society, and personal values. This provides reassurance that the coaches offering services to communities are qualified and, as a result, are a valuable assets to society. Thus, the approach will be instrumental in supporting medical health efforts towards public health improvements and transcend to economic growth with financial stability and elimination of occupational stresses.
References
Broadbear, J., & Broadbear, B. (2017). Novice Health and Wellness Coaches: Implication for Professional Preparation. Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 4(3), 178–183. Web.
Cosgrove, F. L., Corrie, S., & Wolever, R. Q. (2021). An exploration of personal benefits reported by students of a health and wellness coach training program. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 1–17. Web.
ICHWC. (2017). ICHWC Code of Ethics. Healthsciedu. Web.
NBHWC. (2021). Code of Ethics. NBHWC. Web.
NHS. (2020). Health and Wellbeing Coach. BMLK. Web.
Oliver, M. D., Baldwin, D. R., & Datta, S. (2018). Health to Wellness: A Review of Wellness Models and Transitioning Back to Health. The International Journal of Health, Wellness, and Society, 9(1), 41–56. Web.
Perlman, A. I., & Abu Dabrh, A. M. (2020). Health and Wellness Coaching in Serving the Needs of Today’s Patients: A Primer for Healthcare Professionals. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 9, 216495612095927. Web.
Rethorn, Z. D., Pettitt, R. W., Dykstra, E., & Pettitt, C. D. (2020). Health and wellness coaching positively impacts individuals with chronic pain and pain-related interference. PLOS ONE, 15(7), e0236734. Web.
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