Health and wellness coaching is gaining momentum as a valuable tool for supporting sustainable behaviour change – especially for people living with chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes. Its conversational, client-centred style makes it an effective complement to traditional health education. While education is important, many people struggle to apply what they’ve learned to their daily lives. Making changes to habits – no matter how small – can be overwhelming without the right kind of support.
Diabetes educators, in particular, are on the frontlines of this challenge. They routinely provide expert advice on nutrition, exercise, medication, and self-care, only to see clients return with little progress or motivation. It’s not that the information isn’t useful—it’s that translating knowledge into action is complex, especially when clients feel stuck, discouraged, or ambivalent about change.
This is where coaching makes a real difference.
Health and wellness coaching offers a way to engage clients in meaningful, respectful, and motivating conversations. Instead of focusing on what the client should do, coaching explores what the client wants to do and feels capable of doing. It draws on evidence-based models such as Motivational Interviewing, Positive Psychology, and Appreciative Inquiry to help people clarify their goals, tap into their strengths, and build confidence to take small, manageable steps.
Importantly, coaching is not about abandoning the expertise of the health professional. It’s about changing the style of interaction – from directive to collaborative. And when diabetes educators learn and apply coaching skills, the results can be transformative.
A growing body of research supports the effectiveness of this approach. The Compendium of Health and Wellness Coaching (Sforzo et al., 2017, 2019), and its 2024 update, reviews dozens of studies showing that coaching can lead to improvements in clinical outcomes, behavioural adherence, and quality of life for individuals with chronic illness. In diabetes specifically, health coaching has been associated with better glycaemic control, reduced distress, and increased self-management capacity (Wolever et al., 2010; Sforzo et al., 2019).
For health professionals who may feel disheartened by limited progress using traditional methods, adopting a coaching mindset can also be professionally rewarding. It brings deeper connection, greater client engagement, and a sense of shared success when clients begin to take charge of their health.
As rates of chronic illness continue to rise, especially those related to lifestyle factors, health professionals need more than just clinical knowledge—they need communication skills that inspire change. Health and wellness coaching provides exactly that: a practical, proven, and empowering approach that supports both clients and professionals alike.
Wellness Coaching Australia is committed to the training and upskilling of health professionals in our unique Health Coaching practice to enable them to work with clients and patients in a more powerful and meaningful approach – that works! If you have been considering learning the principles and foundational skills of Health and Wellness Coaching, then enrol in our Foundations of Health and Wellness Coaching online course.
References
• Chen, R.-Y., Chou, K.-R., Chao, Y.-F., & Chang, Y.-C. (2019). Effectiveness of short-term health coaching on diabetes control and self-management efficacy: A quasi-experimental trial. Frontiers in Public Health, 7, 314. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00314
• Magalhães, T. P. C., Figueira, F. O., Camargo, M. R. G., Albuquerque, M. C. M., & Nogueira, M. A. (2018). Type 1 diabetes mellitus: Can coaching improve health outcomes? Archives of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 62(4), 485–489. https://doi.org/10.20945/2359-3997000000058
• Sforzo, G. A., Kaye, M. P., Ayers, G. D., Talbert, B., Hill, M., & Wolever, R. Q. (2017). Compendium of the health and wellness coaching literature. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 13(3), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827617708562
• Sforzo, G. A., Moore, M., Frates, E. P., & Wolever, R. Q. (2019). Integrative health coaching: A behavior skills approach that improves chronic condition self-care. American Journal of Health Promotion, 33(5), 785–792. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117119845925
• Sforzo, G. A. et al. (2024). Updated compendium of health and wellness coaching research. [Manuscript in press].
• Sullivan, V. H., Sutter, C., Halterman, R., Sullivan, K. J., & Hendrix, J. (2019). Health coaching for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus to decrease 30-day hospital readmissions. Professional Case Management, 24(2), 76–82. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCM.0000000000000304
• Wolever, R. Q., Dreusicke, M. H., Fikkan, J., Hawkins, T. V., Yeung, S., Wakefield, J., & Duda, L. (2010). Integrative health coaching for patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized clinical trial. The Diabetes Educator, 36(4), 629–639. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145721710371523
