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Being a health coach is also about connecting with what makes people happy.”
Health Coach for The Maltings Surgery and Lattimore Village Surgery
At the moment my job is very varied, and I do all types of different things but essentially, my referrals come to me so that I can help them with behaviour change. That means helping them form healthier habits, and making lifestyle interventions in areas such as diet, hydration, sleep, activity and relaxation. Being a health coach is also about connecting with what makes people happy, and if they’re not happy, identifying why that is, and what action steps can be taken to take them to a different place.
Because it’s quite a new service, I only see referrals from GPs. But interestingly, we recently presented a one-off webinar to a patient’s participation group about the health coach service and a lot of them were very excited – they had no idea there was a health coach available to them!
I would say 99 percent of people are, yes. I’ve had a couple of people tell me that they feel like they live well, are quite happy, and that they are sure there is something medical going on — in these cases I would direct them back to the referring GP. But the majority are happy to be trying out support from a health coach, and they’re really pleased afterwards! Some people have actually cried because they are so grateful that they feel listened to and supported. They’re very appreciative that their surgery has something like that to offer.
I definitely see a lot of patients experiencing problems with their mental wellbeing. And I don’t know if that’s because we’re in the middle of a pandemic and it’s quite difficult for people, but I get a huge amount of people suffering from stress, anxiety and depression.
I find that those people often do have physical illnesses as well, because it all comes from inflammation, doesn’t it? I would say that predominantly my referrals come from people wanting to feel better about themselves. I get a lot of people who have no self-worth and low self-confidence. And my role is to help people understand that, so they can make better decisions from that place.
I do also see many pre-diabetics, diabetics and people struggling with their weight - it might be multi-factor. They may have IBS but that improves after we make adjustments, similarly with poor sleep. Sometimes all they need is some motivation. It’s a lovely job.
A patient will go to their doctor with anxiety, for example; they may be on antidepressants. Their doctor will ask them if they are interested in seeing a health coach who can help them with lifestyle changes and with emotional resilience.
The patient fills in a form, which is much like a diary. It covers details like what they do in the day, what they eat and drink, what their sleep quality is like, their stress levels, their activity levels, etc.
Recently, due to the pandemic, all conversations have been over the phone. I get them to talk about why they have been referred and how they are dealing with their condition. Something I hear all the time is, ‘I just want to feel better.’
One lady came to me with anxiety. We discovered that the reason she was anxious was because she had been suffering with cystitis for such a long time. But going through her form I realised she never drank water. Never. Not a drop of it in at least two weeks!
Sometimes there are some really obvious things that you are able to bring out in a deeper conversation with a bit more time. By having those small wins with those small steps, they build their confidence, they build their self-worth. They can see different outcomes, and I love that.
There was a woman I spoke to recently who had been suffering with depression for such a long time. Actually, I had depression and anxiety for a long time, so one of the reasons I do this job is because I get it, and I don’t want anyone to suffer like that. I have a lot of experience to offer.
This patient with depression wasn’t able to sleep. She was having a lot of caffeine — I think it was up to 11 cups per day. The lack of sleep was making her crave sweets, and if you have a lot of sugar, it causes inflammation in the gut that leads to inflammation in the brain, which can cause depression. And just by adding water and reducing sugar and caffeine, all of those things got better. Because of the improvements, her thought process changed; she said, ‘I’ve got hope, I’m going to be OK.’
My patients often say, ‘I’ve been in this hole or cave for a very long time,’ and they can’t believe that just changing breakfast, having some dedicated time where you don’t eat, going to bed a little bit earlier, having a bath, reading a book, all these little things make such a difference.
I was running a private practice originally and 12 years ago, I was sitting on a balcony in Spain, and wrote down an intention list. I wrote that I wanted to be part of the new health paradigm, because it’s solution focused. At that time, I was not looking for a job — I had just had a new baby. But when I saw that The Maltings Surgery was looking for a Health Coach, I thought, ‘I want to be involved in it from the beginning’. Later, I was invited to listen to Michael, Ayan and Rangan talk during one of their Prescribing Lifestyle Medicine courses and I found it so amazing and inspiring to listen to those wonderful talks. I was so inspired by the course and wanted to use what I had learned to help people. I just think it’s a privilege to be involved, really.
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