Customer Reviews

Wellness Coaching for Lasting Lifestyle Change

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Michael Arloski has produced a thorough coaching manual. This book is based upon a review of the wellness concept as pioneered by leading practitioners over the past 30 years, particularly Dr. John Travis and the National Wellness Institute. In "Wellness Coaching for Lasting Lifestyle Change," Arloski guides the reader who seeks to coach others. He employs a variety of effective techniques to organize a lot of information. Among the major themes that coaches are urged to master are wellness mapping, making connections and understanding core competencies. All three are thoroughly explained - and they do make sense.

A wide range of health-related practitioners will find solid ideas in this book for motivating clients (and themselves) to reach improved levels of performance both professionally and personally. While the focus is behavioral change, Arloski presents a solid groundwork in health education history, change theory and traditional methodologies. A central coaching idea continually reinforced is the mindset shift from prescribe and treat (or educate and implore) to advocate and inspire.

Among the key chapters are sections devoted to medical coaching (persons with health challenges), unique coaching issues in different kinds of settings (e.g., hospital versus corporate programming) and attending to the interpersonal dynamics within coaching (e.g., "calendarizing" and body/mind concerns).

Generous, easy-to-understand graphic illustrations and an extensive recommended reading list add to the value of "Wellness Coaching."

Michael heads the Ft. Collins, CO based "Real Balance Global Wellness Services" organization. He is a licensed psychologist, consultant and wellness advisor for "The Institute for Life Coach Training." He has served as president of the Northern Colorado Association for Training & Development, the Ohio Society for Behavioral Health And Biofeedback and the Colorado College Counselors Association.

As an Educational Psychologist and School Psychologist, I found portions of the book to be useful in my work as a Student Success Coach with college students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and NonVerbal Learning Disorders. I appreciated the positive focus of the book, as well as the paradigm shift away from "prescribe and treat" to self-discovery and self-advocacy, which is more developmentally appropriate for college students. I would hesitate to recommend this book for use with younger students. It is clearly geared toward adults, but portions can be modified for older adolescents.

This was a refreshing read because it dovetails nicely with the research in Humanistic and Positive Psychology. In particular, I found the tools in the appendix to be useful for the initial rapport-building and goal-setting sessions. My students have enjoyed the "Wellness Wheel" activity, which is a self-assessment tool for rating satisfaction in many areas of their lives (not just school or work). My only disappointment was that the materials in the appendix appeared to be scanned in and were too small to reproduce.

Inspiring because Dr. Arloski strengthens my belief that we can help people get past the obstacles that keep them from seeking a deep sense of wellness. And because he teaches us how to inspire positive change in others.

Instructive because the book shows us the psychological stages people pass through as they attempt, and hopefully succeed, at creating lasting lifestyle change; we just need to stay with them as they move along the path.

And indispensible because it's the perfect handbook for health and wellness professionals to keep handy; to remind themselves to review the steps, to stay with the client where they are and to ride out the waves of change with patience, compassion and joy.

Suzanne Ballantyne

[...]

If you are a Health and Wellness Coach you will want to have this invaluable book by your side. I've read just about every book there is on health and wellness coaching, I've even written one myself and this is still the best.

This book is well worth every penny; a comprehensive look at Wellness from one of the leading authorities. I highly recommend this book for anyone who values wellness and wants to incorporate a healthy lifestyle into their lives. It is written in a user-friendly manner and really feels like you have a coach in your coner on every turn of the page.

-Greg Giesen

Author, Ask Dr. Mac

Although I found the topic interesting and the author knowledgeable, the information is presented in a rather confusing fashion. I would therefore not recommend for study like a textbook.

There are also quite a few grammatical, punctuation, and spelling mistakes. A good editor could have remedied all.

This text is an excellent review/overview of Wellness Coaching. There is historical information, then defines the topic down to the how to level, and recommendations for approach, requirements, suggested forms, additional resources and certification. I'm new to coaching and this book helped me get started, it will also be an excellent reference source going forward.

Dr.Arloski has provided a comprehensive overview of the health coaching field. I felt that this forms were quite useful and he used sound health education theory and principles in discussing health coaching. This book should be considered a classic in this new and burdening field.

Michael Arloskis wonderful book on Wellness Coaching brings to the reader insight & clarity into wellness coaching as well as providing a step by step coaching process giving the reader a clear overview of all the elements that one needs to consider as part of the wellness or health coaching process and plan.

Starting with Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the development of wellness models, Arloski also addresses in detail the subtle but essential ingredients often overlooked that make for successful coaching. From the qualities needed to be a successful coach to his Wellness Mapping 360' approach including useful worksheets and tools, this book provides a highly skilled practitioners insights and process. I highly recommend it for any health professional wishing to improve their ability to support their patient or clients in changing behavior. I will be using this book in teaching Wellness Coaching to University students next year.

Eva Migdal (B.App Sc (physiotherapy), M.Env.Sc, Dip Ed, Grad Dip(media)

I came across this book looking for a niche to complete one of my assignments of my Coaching Diploma.

It was one of the best manuals I could find in the matter of Wellness Coaching.

The book gives a good definition of wellness coaching and I found very useful:

- The different tools and models presented (even though a bit theoretical)

- The insights for anybody thinking of becoming a wellness coach

- Arloski's mastery aligning the model / concept with the International Coaching Federation core competencies

- The chapter on coaching people with health challenges

And last but not least, Michael Arloski's used of real examples and own story make the book real and very inspiring.

I feel fortunate to have come across Michael's work. His solid background and experience in psychology and coaching, his involvement with the International Coaching Federation and his passion for what he does, gives him lost of credibility.

Wellness Coaching is a very new industry and Michael Arloski is with no doubts making the path and setting up the standards.

Anybody thinking seriously about making wellness coaching a way of living should have this book.