Wellness Coaching

Recently, the Boston Globe, published an article about Wellness Coaching.

Basically, the article talks about patients who need help with the emotional side of a disease. There certainly is a need for this kind of work. I am painfully aware of it because my wife is a psychologist who deals with injured patients who will have to spend the rest of their lives dealing with chronic pain.

But I have a few issues with the article.

If you get wellness coaching from a program sponsored by the hospital–how do you know the coach isn’t more interested in the well-being of the medical institution than the patient?

And by the way, why wouldn’t helping someone deal with the emotional impact of a  terrible disease or injury, be a normal part of the healing process–shouldn’t the doctor who is treating the patient take some responsibility for this. No, because the medical schools just teach technical skill and dealing with the emotional consequences is not part of the course work – too touchy feeley— takes too long–no money to be made there.
Unfortunately there is a connection between the psyche and healing – but don’t try to tell a surgeon that.

As you may have noticed this is a particularly sore subject because we see so many patients who are abandoned by their doctors when the surgeon can’t do any more and the patient is still in debilitating pain.

Wellness Coaching  that also involves healthier lifestyles (stress management, food consumption, exercise) as well as emotional support, is certainly needed, but it needs to start sooner in the recovery process and its focus should be on  a holistic approach.

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