Successful Coaching Behaviors: Challenges and Opportunities in Relationships

Health and wellness coaching is a valuable intervention to help individuals improve their long-term physical, psychological, and social well-being. Coaches, individuals who employ motivational strategies through trusting relationships, have shown success in supporting individuals’ pursuit in creating and sustaining healthy lifestyle changes. We discuss the theoretical principles underlying coaching practices and present essential coaching behaviors that influence the quality and strength of the client–coach relationship. We acknowledge scenarios in which the client–coach relationship has grown stale or is incompatible; in these cases, we propose lateral referrals, which we define as identifying and redirecting clients to another coach possessing similar abilities to continue the coaching relationship. This strategy need not be exclusive to coaching as it would likely be beneficial for other health care professionals. Lateral referrals are promising as they provide an opportunity to meet individuals’ unique needs and enhance the likelihood of sustained changes.