Wellness Coaching for Lasting Lifestyle Change, Second Edition, By Michael Arloski, Ph.D.
For several years now, I’ve been asked to present the closing session of the Annual Conference of the American Journal of Health Promotion. My task over several days is to scurry between the lectures of dozens of experts and wrap up the conference with a “what have we learned?” session. It suits my short attention span learning style as I urgently move through sessions rather like channel surfing through T.V. programs. Stopping by Dr. Michael Arloski’s session on health coaching, I planned my usual fifteen minute window which, for most lectures, is plenty of time for extracting the important learning’s. I lost track of time listening to Dr. Arloski and, finally, ‘I put down my remote’ and settled in to appreciate what is a rarity in continuing professional education. Both a deeply informed scientist and a thoughtful practitioner, Dr. Arloski is a master at showing how theory needs to inform practice. What’s more, he has a gift for explaining how well conducted coaching enables sustainable behavior change.
Michael Arloski’s book “Wellness Coaching,” offers wellness practitioners, academics and preventive medicine clinicians alike a thorough review of coaching as it can be employed for medical or lifestyle interventions and can be applied in individual to large group settings. His skills as a teacher are in full display in his writing as he seamlessly weaves concepts and stories together into an easy to use guide that covers an impressive swath of the contemporary wellness landscape. Indeed, I would venture that Arloski’s “Wellness Mapping” approach to coaching that both informs and, at the same time, is informed by a person’s motivation, culture, values and skills is his most important contribution to the health profession.
At a time when new entrants to the field of wellness are creating silos with their claims that apps or social media or culture change or another idea du jour are the key, Arloski infuses his learners with a profound appreciation for the interdependencies between all of these things. I’d commend Arloski’s book to anyone intent on continuous learning and improvement as a health professional. Put down that remote and pick up this book. You’ll lose track of time but you will gain a true appreciation for what it takes to coach others who, like me, too often confuse what’s urgent with what’s important.
