Welcome to the screen reader for the simulation NASM Wellness Coaching. In this simulation you will learn how to coach a client on their wellness journey, prepare to talk with your clients with a refresher on motivational interview techniques, and watch a Wellness Coach apply these techniques.
Pic 0: A title card appears that reads “Working with a Client” before transitioning to a scene where a woman stands in a cozy room. She has light tan skin, short cropped brown hair, and is smiling. She’s wearing a gray long sleeved shirt which has the acronym “NASM” on it.
Wellness Coach: Have you ever felt pressure to do something, but weren’t sure it was right for you? Maybe what would have helped is having someone on your side to help you think through what you want and how to achieve it.
Hi, I’m Tasha and as a wellness coach, that’s what I try to help my clients with.
One way to talk with your client about their motivation is through Motivational Interviewing, or M.I.
Pic 1: The screen changes to one with “M.I.” in large text. The “I” has a little word bubble with a check mark at the top. Underneath, text appears in brackets which reads “Coaching style to help resolve indecisions to find motivations to change.”
Wellness Coach: M.I. is a coaching style that helps clients work through or resolve indecision or uncertainty and find motivations to make positive decisions and accomplish goals.
Pic 2: The image changes to one of two figures talking, one gesturing towards the other. Between them is an image of two text bubbles. The larger text bubble is coming from the gesturing figure, and it has the text “M.I.” inside of it.
Wellness Coach: Using M.I. techniques from your very first meeting with a client can help you learn about the values they hold.
Pic 3: Text appears underneath in brackets which reads “M.I. improves changes in the short term and the long term.”
Wellness Coach: That can improve their chances of successful change in the short term and the long term.
Pic 4: The screen returns to the Wellness Coach.
Wellness Coach: Let’s take a look at some steps that can help you when talking to a client.
Pic 5: The screen changes to one with two figures talking, one gesturing, with two word bubbles between them. The gesturing figure’s word bubble has an image of two arrows stacked on top of each other, one pointing left and the other pointing right. Beneath there is text which reads “Build Rapport: Let your client know you’re there to support them and that your goals match theirs.”
Pic 6: The word bubble and text changes. The new image in the gesturing figure’s word bubble is a checklist with two lines checked off. The text below reads “Identify: Identify differences between what the client wants and what they’re doing now.”
Pic 7: The gesturing figure’s word bubble now has an image of a tactical scheme diagram. The text below reads “Make a plan: Work together to determine short term goals, self monitoring, and check ins.
Pic 8: The screen returns to the Wellness Coach.
Wellness Coach: To help with these steps, here are some M.I. techniques that I have found to be useful.
Pic 9: A banner appears with an image of a question mark in a circle and the text “Open Ended Questions.”
Wellness Coach: Open ended questions are questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” They encourage a person to think a bit before they respond. They’re like open doors that invite our clients to take the lead in the conversation.
Next, we’ll take a look at some examples of asking open ended questions when talking to a client.
Pic 10: The screen changes to a man sitting at a table facing the viewer.
Wellness Coach: What do you want to make sure we talk about today?
Arthur: Honestly, I’m not sure. Every time I try to make healthier choices, I get overwhelmed, and I don’t know where to start. So, I guess picking a clear direction. Maybe something like not taking only a couple hundred steps a day, or, I don’t know.
Pic 11: The screen returns to the Wellness Coach. A banner appears that reads “Reflective Listening” with an image of two curved arrows, one going to the left and the other to the right.
Wellness Coach: Now let’s talk about another technique, reflective listening.
Pic 12: The screen changes to one with two figures, one gesturing. There is a word bubble coming from the other figure with an ellipsis within it. Text in brackets underneath reads “Reflective Listening: Listen to what the client is saying.” After a moment, a word bubble appears from the gesturing figure which replaces the other word bubble. It has an image of a quotation mark inside of it. The text in brackets underneath changes to “Reflective Listening: Paraphrase it back.”
Wellness Coach: Reflective listening involves careful attention to what the client is saying and paraphrasing it back so that the client understands that the coach understands, or at least wants to understand.
Pic 13: The screen returns to the Wellness Coach.
Wellness Coach: Now, here’s the thing about reflections. Whatever you reflect, the client is likely to expand on. Any arguments clients make against change are called Sustain Talk and can keep the client repeating their same habits. Reflections are at their most powerful when they unearth the true meaning behind what a client is saying and encourage them to talk about change.
Pic 14: A banner appears which reads “Sustain Talk versus Change Talk.”
Wellness Coach: Anything clients say in favor of change is called Change Talk and is a positive step forward in helping your clients reach their goals.
The health coach can change the outcome of a conversation by using different approaches. The screen reader will explore both effective and ineffective conversation paths using Motivational Interviewing techniques.
Let’s look at an ineffective use of reflections.
Pic 15: The screen transitions to the man sitting at the table.
Arthur: I’m really looking for a clear direction to go in, but I have no idea how to do that. I guess I could get up and walk around more, even in my house.
Wellness Coach: You seem a little lost.
Arthur: I didn’t say that exactly.
Coach Text: “You seem lost” sounded more like the Wellness Coach’s opinion than something they meant. They wondered if the Coach understood where they were coming from. As a result, they didn’t open up and give the Coach more information.
Wellness Coach: You want to lose weight.
Arthur: But, how?
Coach Text: Arthur felt like the Coach wasn’t really hearing what he had to say. As a result, he didn’t open up more about what he was going through.
Pic 16: The screen transitions back to the Wellness Coach.
Wellness Coach: Let’s look at an effective use of reflections.
Pic 17: The screen returns to Arthur.
Arthur: I’m really looking for a clear direction to go in, but I have no idea how to do that. I guess I could get up and walk around more, even in my house.
Wellness Coach: You’re thinking about what direction to go in, possibly a change to your daily exercise and movement habits.
Arthur: Yeah, exactly. I want to feel better about my body, I’m not sure how to get there.
Coach Text: The Wellness Coach accurately reflected what they said. This helped them know she was listening and, as a result, they opened up more.
Wellness Coach: You want to feel better in your body, and you’re hoping that we can come up with small goals together to help you get there.
Arthur: Yeah, I’m not just looking to lose weight, I want to feel good. And I’ve tried dieting, but it didn’t really work. So I want a plan that works for me.
Pic 18: The screen returns to the Wellness Coach. A banner appears with the text “Affirmations” with an image of a thumbs up in a circle next to it.
Wellness Coach: Next up is affirmations. Affirmations are calling attention to the positive. It’s important to be objective and keep your own judgment out of it. For example, it’s less powerful to hear a stranger say, “good job,” and more powerful to hear something objectively, observably true about yourself.
Pic 19: New text appears replacing the previous, and it reads “Affirmations recognize and affirm the client’s strengths.”
Wellness Coach: Clients are more likely to trust, listen to, and be open with a coach who recognizes and affirms their strengths. It helps them feel like they‘re supported no matter what.
Next, we’ll look at two uses of affirmations, one more effective and the other less. This time, we’ll also be able to hear the client’s thoughts and their reaction to what the Wellness Coach is saying.
Pic 20: The screen changes to a young person sitting at a table, facing the viewer. They have brown skin, short dreadlocks, and a neutral expression. They are wearing a blue tank top with an image of a sea and palm trees on it in yellow.