I call myself a Health Coach (or a Wellness Coach) but it doesn’t mean that I am healthy! The term has come to life over the past few years and the field is on its way to becoming regulated and standardized.
My life experiences led me to learn (mostly the hard way) about the mind-body connection. This meant I was lucky enough to be able to deal with breast cancer primarily by using complementary and alternative therapies. After this experience, I had an intense urge to share my experience with others because I felt I could understand what they were going through. I hoped to offer them another point of view which might help them along healing journey.
Although I have my Masters in Counseling Psychology, when I became a therapist I did not think about focusing on working with people who were dealing with physical illnesses. Having lived in Germany, Brazil, Mexico and Spain I had been exposed a great deal to alternative medicine yet I never was able to put the world of therapy and complementary medicine together until I heard the term “Health Coach”. Once I decided to try to help people deal with their illnesses by telling them my story and sharing my limited but first hand knowledge of various healing modalities, people from all over the world started to call me and ask my about my healing experiences. For lack of a better name and mostly for insurance purposes I chose the title “Wellness Coach” which means I can teach and give advice.
Suddenly, I was spending a good deal of time on the phone helping people understand what I have come to learn about the mind-body connection and the various complementary and alternative therapies which helped me. However, the number one lesson I learned was that every single individual is different and no one can ever really tell anyone else what to do. The best I can do is share my story, and my personal experience and beliefs. I can only hope that some part of my story might help someone find a way to come to peace with the choices they need to make regarding their health.
I learned that I did not want to be judged by my personal decisions, and therefore it was not right to judge someone else. Each person makes a choice to do what he or she can live with. I had to have a lumpectomy even though I do believe that lumps can miraculously disappear. However, I opted not to do chemotherapy or radiation although I was strongly advised by my oncologist several times to do so. I diligently went to all the chemo and radiation consultations but just could not make myself feel comfortable about experiencing them. It just did not feel right-for me.
I call myself a Wellness or Health Coach and therefore, I have applied for a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Complementary Therapies & Healing Practices: Health Coaching Track at the University of Minnesotta in Minneapolis which falls under the umbrella of the Center for Spirituality and Healing (www.csh.umn.edu). I hope to get ahead of the game so that when the field becomes more standardized, I will already have the degree on my permanent transcript. Until now I have been out in the world doing a nameless job that actually has a title! I know that this choice is also about my own continuing healing journey and I am curious to see what else I will discover about myself as I try to attend better to the needs of others who might look to me for some guidance.