What is wellness coaching?

Everything you need to know about wellness coaching, a new support offered by Candidate Services

What is wellness coaching?

Wellness coaching is a new service provided by Reach to ensure that all candidates can persist and thrive in their jobs, academic programs, and personal lives. Wellness coaching is a space to reflect holistically on one’s life and identify areas one would like to create change.

As educators, we also know that our sense of purpose and engagement within communities can be deeply fulfilling, and yet, we often give so much of ourselves to others that we don’t prioritize our own wellbeing. 

Everyone has the right to pursue wellness and experience it in all areas of their lives. We recognize that many of our candidates are facing systemic barriers to their wellness— and, we’re committed to helping educators push back on those barriers and advocate for themselves and others. This means that our work is emotionally and intellectually draining at times, so prioritizing our holistic wellbeing is critical to remain committed to the journey in the long run.

Why might I want to work with a wellness coach?

Wellness coaching is a great additional support in coping with the external and internal challenges of being an educator and a Reach candidate. Because wellbeing is a state that is constantly in flux, we don’t pursue “perfect wellness” through coaching. Rather, we strengthen self-awareness, self-compassion, connection, personal agency, and purpose in order to make small changes and navigate challenging situations.

There are many powerful outcomes to working with a wellness coach. Many people experience personal growth and an increased ability to maintain the practices and routines that support their wellbeing. Additionally, educators get clarity on their personal and professional values, define their vision for a sustaining and holistic career, and cultivate greater gratitude and mindfulness.

What can I talk about with a wellness coach?

Anything you’d like! Wellness coaching is a safe space to talk about work, school, and your personal life. Whether you’re struggling to balance the demands of your program, feeling overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities at home, or looking for support in identifying your own values as an educator, a coach can be a great resource for you. 

How much time does it take? 

We are offering two forms of wellness coaching this year:

How do I access wellness coaching?

The process is simple to access individualized coaching:

• Head to the Reach Coach Gallery and browse the available coaches. You’ll book your first session on your coach’s profile page in the gallery. 
  
  • Be sure to sign up using your Reach email address! 
• To log onto your first session and to chat with your coach, access the portal.

To access topic-focused single sessions: 

• Head to this Reach Deep Dive Coach Gallery and browse the coaches available for this type of session. You’ll book your first session on your coach’s profile page in the gallery. 
  • Be sure to sign up using your Reach email address! 
• To log onto your session or send a chat message to your coach, access the portal.

Who are the wellness coaches?

The Reach Wellness coaches are all current or former educators from across the country. Previously, they worked with a nonprofit organization, edwell, to provide wellness coaching for educators. Now, they are part of the Reach team and are excited to be supporting candidates!

Wellness coaches are teachers, administrators, yoga instructors, musicians, artists, and much more! After your advisor shares the link to the Reach Coach Gallery with you, you can read more about each coach’s background and interests.

Are my conversations confidential? 

Your wellness coach will do everything they can to keep the contents of your conversations private. Your coach will not report anything from your conversations back to your professors, advisors, mentors, or employers. If your coach is concerned that you may be at risk of harming yourself or others, they will break confidentiality in order to keep you safe. 

There is a longer confidentiality agreement available to review when you sign up for wellness coaching, and is part of the wellness coaching client agreement that you’ll sign. 

How is coaching different from therapy?

Wellness coaching is not therapy and our coaches are not clinical mental health service providers. While there is certainly some overlap, their training is different from that of a therapist or counselor.  

Wellness coaches are there to guide your own self-reflection and self-learning process. They alongside you identify strategies to improve your wellbeing, and offer resources or suggestions, but they don’t have all the “answers” for you. Often, therapy has a greater emphasis on healing from past experiences, while coaching is much more focused on your present state and goals for the future.

What if I need to see a therapist or counselor? 

If you are concerned about your mental health and would benefit from working with a licensed and trained mental health provider, we encourage you to seek support. Our Manager of Candidate Wellness and Accessibility, Sarah Barnes (sbarnes@reach.edu) can work with you to identify providers in your area.

Who can I contact with additional questions?

Please reach out to Sarah Barnes, Manager of Candidate Wellness and Accessibility, at sbarnes@reach.edu if you have any additional questions about coaching.