Health Risk Assessment Guide
Health Risk Assessments are one of the most common forms of assessment used in the wellness industry. This is, in part, due to the fact that Health Risk Assessments allow clients to take charge of their own wellness. This is done as part of a process of awareness, as clients answer questions tied to their overall health and wellness.
What are Health Risk Assessments?
A well-planned wellness Health Risk Assessments is a tool designed to both inform the coach while educating the client about themselves. The process also tends to stimulate a new awareness of possibilities for change from the client.
When you assess your client, you can use any of the various screens typically used, but you may also choose to develop your own. Regardless of which screens or assessments you use, it is essential to encourage your client to be honest with you. The client will benefit more if they show openness in their communication with you.
Sometimes assessments are subjective and cannot be proven by scientific means. This would be, typically, those thoughts or feelings from your client. However, physical assessments do rely on science and scientific measures. Physical assessments, with biometrics, can then be paired with an action plan for your clients to manage their lifestyle, health, and wellness.
Performing a Health Risk Assessment
As part of the Health Risk Assessment process, remember that you are getting a snapshot of where the client is now before changes are attempted. In this way, you are not telling the client how they are, but instead, they are revealing just that to you.
When you have finished assessing your client, you’ll want to produce a list of their strengths. Look for any connections that can be made between the strengths and values or beliefs that have been revealed in the assessment process.
In order to build both confidence and self-efficacy with your client, it is essential that you acknowledge your client’s strengths in the form of their positive qualities, behaviors, and current lifestyle behaviors or practices. This sort of approach creates a more positive attitude for success, by exploring areas of the client’s life that they have acknowledged at this time, that they would like to change.
We have indicated the importance of your client’s vision. This will also factor into decisions that both you and your client make. Once your client’s needs are revealed through assessments, it is then appropriate to develop an action plan consisting of anywhere from 2 to 5 simple steps, drawn from your client’s information.
Creating Lifestyle Changes
Another factor to be mindful of is that the action plan is made up of small steps for continuous improvement positively reinforced upon successful completion. This will lead to lifelong, sustainable lifestyle change behaviors.
Areas of interest for change will be those ranked by the client as priorities. These are the areas of your client’s life that they are the most motivated to change while holding the greatest potential for personal growth. Although this will be a small list, factors that contribute to success in behavior change will be far-reaching and include many dimensions of wellness.
The most useful action plans are those that are simple for your client, yet specific and doable, in order for the client to achieve with a high likelihood of success. Again, the intent is to build confidence, often seen lacking in the earlier stages of change or readiness.
Health Risk Assessments allow a Certified Wellness Coach to not only consider an individual’s wellness but also allows for aggregate information to be compiled when used in groups. Regardless of type, assessments are essential to help us see our clients and all that they bring to the wellness coaching experience.
How to Start a Coaching Career
Becoming a Certified Wellness Coach is the perfect addition for the fitness professional who wants to offer more all-inclusive wellness services to clients. The time is now for you to enjoy this exciting and rewarding career, which offers you personal fulfillment while improving the lives of others.
If you are passionate about helping people and living a fulfilling life, we can help you achieve your dreams right now. The Life Strategies Coaching Certification Course combines the latest advancements in human potential and neuroscience with proven methods of success used by the world’s most productive people.
Spencer Institute certification programs are open to anyone with a desire to learn and help others. There are no prerequisites.
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