Suppose you’re trying to kick off the new decade right by resolving to stop smoking, or lose a little weight. Noble goals, sure, but easier said than done. The treadmill gathers dust, the fast-food drive-through beckons, you swear to just one cigarette after work; sometimes, you need a little something more than pure willpower. And unfortunately, while Jillian Michaels on the TV show The Biggest Loser seems like a fine health coach, she isn’t going to meet us weekly with personalized advice.
Coaching has traditionally been a face-to-face affair. You’d make an appointment, typically based on when the professional was available to see you. You’d drive, to an office or a gym, interact with the coach for an hour or two, and then be on your own for the rest of the week. Phone coaching, has in some ways broadened the flexibility of the practice, but it still leaves much to be had in terms of freedom and in-the-moment help.
Could internet and web 2.0 technologies, which emphasize mobility, constant connectivity, and a more democratic attitude towards communication hierarchies, kick-start a revolution in the way healthcare and wellness coaching operates?
From “IT” to “RT”
Hummingbird Coaching thinks so. The company, founded in 1997 and offering its services to numerous corporations including Motorola and Proctor & Gamble, offers wellness coaching using e-mail and text message (i.e., SMS) platforms. According to the “Hummingbird Coaching 2.0″ white paper, several studies have shown that despite the initial impression of cold impersonality implied by a purely text-based relationship, online coaching is just as effective, if not more so, than face-to-face support.
Some of the arguments will no doubt sound familiar to anyone keeping up with the progress of the e-patient movement. As Hummingbird puts it, internet innovations of the past decade and a half have steered away from the “information technology” label to something more appropriately called “relationship technology.” By harnessing the potential of today’s almost-constantly connected online culture, coaching can move away from the compartmentalized domain of weekly face-to-face appointments and become an instantly accessible resource built on “teachable moments.”
Beyond Exercise Advice
The service’s website also touts the generally high standards of training and education of its coaches. There is no regulation or official certification for the increasingly popular “health and wellness coach” profession which causes some to look at this trend with some skepticism. Hummingbird coaches predominantly have Masters degrees and at least 3 years experience in a “behavior change” profession.
Coaches don’t just provide health information or exercise encouragement; they dig deeper into each client’s psyche using principles of the Positive Psychology movement. They help each client explore her own unique drivers of pleasure, engagement, and meaning and use this to “help clients balance their lives.”
High Touch, High Tech
There is a growing body of evidence that health and wellness coaches do improve the health outcomes of their clients. Unfortunately, like many good health solutions, it doesn’t have a reimbursement code so it exists as a practice completely separate and independent from the physician practice.
While many corporate wellness programs have some form of health education or phonable advisers, Hummingbird offers a unique and promising glimpse of a future that is both high touch and high tech. Each client has a real person as a coach, and through text messaging and email interactions, the service is more efficient and effective for everyone.