Whether you’re looking to strengthen your body or your mind, the well-being coaches at Ohio University are here to help.
Well-being coaching is a free, individualized guidance program that provides opportunities for you to gain awareness and learn strategies to help set realistic goals tailored to your lifestyle. Well-being coaches take a positive approach to personal development and utilize motivational interviewing techniques while focusing on your strengths to generate goals that are meaningful to you. Coaches can help students experiencing trouble with sleep, nutrition, physical activity, water intake, time and stress management, productivity, self-esteem, gratitude, and social support systems.
Well-being coaches differ from traditional campus counselors by treating the student holistically, rather than focusing on one aspect. Counselors are often licensed professionals, while coaches are typically student staff who are trained as well-being coaches.
“Counseling is going to provide effective mental health treatment for students with mental health concerns. Coaching is going to be more holistic and promote student well-being through empowering conversations about that student’s strengths and their goals,” said Tony Gregory, OHIO’s assistant director of well-being and fitness.
Counselors may also collect information to create a path to address the student’s concerns, while coaches work with students on a more self-directed plan.
“Coaches believe you are the expert, and we work to help you create a goal toward your own path,” Gregory said.
Jeff Anzo, graduate assistant for well-being and outreach, explained that well-being coaches provide their own specialized services in five areas – physical, academic, career, social, and emotional.
“This program has grown a lot since the start of this pandemic as all these different aspects of well-being really started to arise – being in a virtual space and how do you manage these aspects of well-being. Now that we’re kind of back to in-person there’s social well-being; how do we navigate all these different planes?” Anzo said. “Just like you have a coach in the gym for your body, it’s a coach and a gym for your mind.”
According to Anzo, students have responded positively to the program as they cycle through all the inter-connected aspects of well-being.
“Regardless if someone comes to you and wants help with physical or academic, you do still end up touching on those other areas. There’s always that holistic piece,” he said.
If you would like to request services, please complete the form on the well-being coaching website and a coach will reach out to you through a Microsoft Teams virtual meeting. Students can also email wellbeingcoaching@ohio.edu with questions regarding this service.