Featured Sessions

Eight Ways of Hoping

Keynote speaker: William R. Miller, Ph.D.

Hope has been a key component of motivational interviewing since first described in 1983, as hope predicts better outcomes in counseling and psychotherapy whether measured from the perspective of clients or clinicians. Hope is also a universal human experience and a component of mental health more generally. Research and scholarship on hope are blossoming in the fields of ecology, economics, medicine, nursing, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, and theology.

Experiencing Motivational Interviewing

Keynote speaker: William R. Miller, Ph.D.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is now widely used in many helping professions to strengthen people's own motivation for and commitment to change. This workshop offers an opportunity to personally experience giving and receiving empathic understanding and explores how it can be useful both when maintaining neutrality and when facilitating directional change that a client desires. Additionally, you will learn about and apply the psycholinguistics of change.

With so much growth and momentum in the field of health and wellness coaching, what is the present state of the profession, and what’s still needed in working toward a vision of a world where all people have the opportunity to thrive, including with the support of qualified health and wellness coaches?

This opening panel featuring staff leaders from the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) will offer current industry insights as well as highlight areas of opportunity to continue championing for the advancement of health and wellness coaching through evidence-informed standards of education, training, credentialing, and research.

The simple act of presence invites forth everything your clients need. Coaching with presence is a journey into not knowing; into questions rather than answers; and a willingness to stay in the discomfort of new ideas to discover fresh meaning and purpose in your work and life in general.

We will explore how presence, curiosity and compassion can alert us to tendencies to over-commit and over-serve, subtly rush to solutions, crave breakthroughs on our watch, or cheerlead when we mean to empower.

Through mindfulness experiences, discussion, and sharing we’ll explore how to welcome the vulnerable void of a mindful pause and trust the insight and solutions arising from that space. We will dare to turn up self-care and self-love whether we shine or fall flat, delight in the potential of the unfinished, embrace ambiguity, and become irresistible through authenticity.

“Community As Medicine '' brings the wellness wheel to life and illuminates opportunities to amplify the impact of health coaching by leveraging the power of community and peer support. Based on the work of Open Source Wellness, this joyful, intimate and playful session demonstrates opportunities to add experiential learning and transformational experiences alongside traditional talk-based coaching. Together we’ll participate directly in experiential coaching—including physical activity and guided mindfulness—and we’ll also engage in introductory explorations around trauma-informed coaching, cultural humility in coaching, and group coaching. Come prepared to move your body, nourish your mind and heart, connect deeply with one another, and leave with tangible action steps to carry forward into your work and world!

This session is designed to rapidly generate a culture of authenticity, candor, vulnerability, and cohesion, while engaging participants in an experiential, and unusually deep review of their own wellbeing.

Our value as health professionals is often based on our competency and capacity to deliver information and services in our respective fields, in which expertise is often placed above all else. But there is something even more important, especially in caring for people’s health and wholeness—humility. Since the 1990s, medical doctors and public health scholars Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-Garcia have urged healthcare providers to practice “cultural humility.” This involves both introspection of our upbringing and how we relate to people (the micro level), as well as attention to culture and power dynamics in society (the macro level).

In this session, we’ll discuss how the field of sociology and the sociological imagination can provide the tools to help us as health and wellness professionals further develop this key characteristic of cultural humility in providing optimum care.

As the popularity and demonstrated effectiveness of health and wellness coaching continues to grow to address chronic disease prevalence worldwide, delivery of this approach in a group format is gaining traction, particularly in health care and community settings.

However, it is imperative that consistent standards be established within the field by national leaders, with the engagement of coaches already leading such groups. This panel will provide insights into the NBHWC’s recent development and validation of group coaching competencies and discuss how these competencies are intended to be used to help guide research, curriculum development, and the continued evolution of group health and wellness coaching.

Additionally, practical guidance will be provided as to how health and wellness coaches can translate these group coaching competencies into practice to effectively and responsibly guide the group process in a variety of settings.

To transform the health of individuals and communities around the globe a paradigm shift is needed— one which focuses on providing whole-person care that is inclusive of individuals’ physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social needs and well-being.

This panel will provide an evolving perspective of mental health and well-being, specifically addressing the stigma of mental health and discussing the needs and opportunities for health and wellness coaches to further develop their knowledge, skills and capacity for understanding and supporting the mental health needs of the diverse individuals they serve—all while remaining within their scope of practice. 

Additionally, the impact of lifestyle behaviors on mental and emotional health will be discussed and practical guidance will be provided as to how coaches can work collaboratively with licensed mental health professionals as well as create bridges to community resources and services.

This session will explore the importance of inclusivity in health coaching programs and actionable strategies to ensure the gift of health coaching is accessible to ALL.

Together we’ll uncover the barriers marginalized communities face to access health and wellbeing coaching, and discuss how tailored coaching programs can bridge the gap. From understanding diverse needs to implementing inclusive coaching techniques, participants will gain valuable insights into fostering an environment where every individual feels empowered to pursue their wellness goals.

Whether you're a seasoned health and well-being coach or just starting your journey, this session offers practical guidance and tools to create a meaningful impact on the lives of diverse populations. Get ready to elevate your coaching practice and contribute to building a healthier, more inclusive world.

Combining multidimensional approaches helps your clients move through their coaching journey more quickly and easily, with greater confidence and authenticity.

This session offers an opportunity to look through different lenses for curiosity, exploration, and action. The integral coaching approach often eliminates false starts and saves time and energy. Learn how to level up your coaching practice and leave with tools you can use the next day with your clients to facilitate lasting transformational change.

With continually growing interest in health and wellness coaching comes exciting new opportunities to pave your own personal path in the field.

This closing panel— geared toward practicing and aspiring coaches alike— will offer practical insights from practicing health and wellness coaches as to areas of opportunity for professional practice along with important considerations when it comes to finding your niche and heeding your unique calling.

Discover ways in which you can cultivate a career that you love (and make a viable living while doing so) while enhancing your impact in the lives of those you serve.