Latest Trends on Behavioral Health Coaching
Behavioral change has a tremendous impact on employee satisfaction and performance. Although it may appear to cost more, it usually pays for itself in improved retention and satisfaction. Self-serve wellness programs typically engage only 30-40% of the population, primarily healthy individuals. On the other hand, systematic behavioral health coaching can achieve engagement levels of up to 90%. What are the latest trends for behavioral health coaching? Let’s find out!
Virtual health coaching
Virtual health coaching is an innovative way to help people achieve better health outcomes. Unlike a traditional coach, who meets with clients in person, a virtual health coach can consult with clients anywhere. One recent study found that eight out of 10 health plan members have never received condition coaching. And that’s just the beginning. As technology and on-demand behavioral health coaching grow, more health coaches work remotely.
While virtual health coaching isn’t new, it is still a relatively new trend that is expected to expand exponentially in the coming year. This technology has forced many professionals to move their practices online. As a result, many health coaches are integrating virtual health coaching into their business models. Here are some of the benefits:
The primary goal of virtual health coaching is to improve the quality of user-system interactions to encourage compliance and engagement among patients. These two factors are crucial in successful behavioral changes and adaptation to a healthy lifestyle. The virtual interface allows for a more personalized user experience and better bounding conditions between virtual objects. When combined with human-like avatars, virtual health coaching can improve the quality of user-system interactions and patient adherence.
Group coaching
The demand for behavioral health coaching is rising. The trend is more pronounced among men than women. In the last year, men sought care for family and relationship issues 5.5 times more than women. The latest statistics show that millennials and Gen Z struggle with anxiety issues. Since March, 58% of anxiety disorder diagnoses have been attributed to this demographic. Many of these individuals have little to no social support in their lives. By offering these services in the workplace, companies can provide access to mental health support for their employees.
More insurance companies are beginning to cover coaching. Aetna and UnitedHealthcare have already announced their support. Codes for Health and Wellness Coaching are available with the American Medical Association, but they need to be activated. In addition, the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching has launched a project to study HWC use. It means that full insurance reimbursement is only a matter of time. In the meantime, patients are encouraged to seek coaching as an option for treatment.
The concept of “health coaching” has evolved over the years. Many chronic conditions can be managed with simple lifestyle changes, and health coaches can help patients make these changes. In 2015, Huffman and Miller defined “health coaching” as a patient-centered care approach that encourages patients to adopt health care interventions. Today, the trend is a global one.
Behavioral health coaching in schools
The latest school-based behavioral health coaching trends include introducing more interactive structures to teacher training programs. In addition, teachers can benefit from learning about effective mental health interventions, and preservice training programs should focus on teacher capacity building. The effectiveness of school-based behavioral health interventions is assessed based on improvements in academic achievement and on-task learning behavior. In addition, positive behavioral health interventions reduce suspension and absenteeism rates.
School-based programs may help address this problem by cooperating with counselors onsite, reducing barriers to care, and minimizing travel time. Furthermore, when community partners collaborate, school-based behavioral health coaching programs can effectively reach the most significant number of pupils. However, schools should be willing to spend money to hire mental health practitioners to serve their students since some school-based programs do not include permanent staff.
More school psychologists are finding new ways to share their knowledge with school personnel. According to Samuel Song, a professor of school psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who also serves as president of the APA’s Division 16 (School Psychology), a trauma-informed program can help educators recognize signs of trauma in their students and learn to deal with their tragedies. In addition to training the students and teachers, psychologists also invest in school personnel’s social and emotional health training programs. One of these programs involves the RULER program developed at Yale University.
