As with any job, finding work as a health and wellness coach starts with a great resume, strategies for finding the right job, interviewing skills, following up, and negotiating. (Of course this sounds like career coaching J)
Places to look for health and wellness coaching jobs include:
- Commercial insurance providers – Major insurance providers such as Humana, Aetna, and Unitedhealth use coaches to help improve their consumers’ health.
- Government and community agencies – many agencies provide access to resources that support employee health and wellness including coaching.
- Employee Assistance Benefit Providers – wellness and disease management program providers. This is a growing area for health coaches. These providers contract services to larger benefit provider groups who want to include additional benefits above and beyond the traditional medical, vision, dental, and prescription plans.
Concierge wellness benefit programs – many companies “carve out” their benefit programs and have concierge or specialty benefit programs, or target at risk employees through a structured wellness program of health fairs, education, assessment, coaching, etc.
- Health clubs – YMCAs and other fitness centers are using health coaches as adjuncts to trainers and health educators.
- Corporations – Corporations are beginning to include on-site health coaching for different aspects of health and wellness including weight management, smoke cessation, and stress management.
- Hospitals and health systems – Hospitals and health systems use health coaches for specific disease management care such as diabetes and obesity.
- Home care – In-home assessments –using health coaches in the home for risk management, including safety and fall management, is a relatively new area of coaching utilization.
- Substance abuse rehabilitation – Behavioral health coaches are used to support the individual through their transition from primary treatment and assists in their development of the skills necessary for a sustained commitment to self-management of their chronic disease of addiction.
Health coaching is provided using a variety of methods including telephone, web-based technologies, or face-to-face. Up to 76% of health coaching is done by telephone. This means jobs may be remote so look outside your area too!
