Health & Wellness Coaching
Health & Wellness Coaching is a collaborative, goal focused service designed to help individuals improve their overall well being, performance, and quality of life. Coaching is a supportive partnership that helps clients clarify what matters most to them, identify meaningful goals, and build sustainable habits through accountability, reflection, and action.
What Does a Health & Wellness Coach Do?
A Health & Wellness Coach partners with clients to support self directed, lasting behavior change that aligns with their values, priorities and lifestyle. Rather than prescribing solutions, coaching creates a collaborative space where clients build clarity, confidence, and momentum towards meaningful goals.
Through this partnership, a Health and Wellness coach helps clients:
- Identify what they want to work on and why it matters to them
- Set goals that feel realistic, achievable and personally meaningful
- Build motivation and confidence through strength- based conversations
- Break goals into clear, behavior-based actionable steps
- Strengthen follow through through reflection, accountability and on-going support.
At Thrive by Graham Behavior Services, coaching is provided by a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) who is duually certified as a Behavior Analyst (BCBA). This background supports the coaching process by applying evidence-based behavior change principles to habit building, goal clarity and consistency, helping clients move from insight to action in a practical, sustainable way.
Coaching is future focused and growth oriented. Clients are viewed as the experts in their own lives, and sessions are respectful, strengths based, and non-judgmental.
Who Can Benefit From Health & Wellness Coaching?
Health and wellness coaching is designed for individuals who want to make meaningful, sustainable changes and turn their intentions into action. Coaching may be a good fit for:
- Parents and caregivers of children with autism or other developmental disabilities who want to prioritize their own well-being while navigating ongoing demands
- Any parent seeking more balance, energy, or clarity
- Individuals who feel overwhelmed or “stuck” and are looking for clarity around their health routines or priorities
- Adults looking to build or improve health habits related to movement, nutrition, stress management, or life satisfaction
- Individuals motivated to make lifestyle changes who struggle with consistency, follow-through, or accountability
- People seeking a supportive, nonjudgmental space to explore goals and build confidence
- Anyone looking for a collaborative, strengths-based approach to improving overall well-being and quality of life
- Graham Behavior Services staff and client families
Caregivers often put their own needs last. Coaching offers a dedicated space to focus on your own wellness, which can positively impact your family, relationships, and daily functioning. Small, intentional changes can lead to meaningful improvements in quality of life.
What Might a Coaching Session Look Like?
Health and wellness coaching sessions are collaborative and client-centered, with a focus on creating meaningful, sustainable change. Each session is guided by the client’s goals, values, and current priorities, with the coach serving as a supportive partner throughout the process.
Each session is individualized and guided by the client. Sessions may include:
Check-in on what has happened since the previous session, including successes, challenges and insights.
Exploring goals and values to ensure the focus remains meaningful and aligned with what matters most to the client.
Identifying strengths and barriers that may be influencing progress.
Breaking goals into realistic, behavior-based action steps that feel achievable and relevant.
Reflecting and problem solving together to support learning and growth.
Establishing accountability by identifying next steps before the session ends.
Coaching sessions are future-focused, strengths-based, and nonjudgmental. Clients are viewed as the experts in their own lives, and the pace of change is guided by the client. Education may be provided briefly when helpful, but the focus remains on discovery, autonomy, and action.
Areas of Wellness We May Explore
Health and wellness coaching is flexible and personalized, meaning focus areas are guided by what matters most to each client. Coaching supports whole-person well-being and often uses a Wellness Wheel framework to help clients identify where they feel strong and where they would like more support.
Occupational Wellness
Improving work-life flow
Managing energy, time, and competing demands
Aligning daily routines with personal values and goals
Social Wellness
- Exploring relationships, boundaries, and support systems
- Strengthening communication and connection
- Balancing personal needs with caregiving or family responsibilities
Emotional Wellness
Developing strategies to manage stress and prevent burnout
Building emotional awareness and resilience
Strengthening self-compassion and confidence
Spiritual Wellness
- Clarifying values, purpose, and meaning
- Aligning goals and habits with what matters most
- Creating space for reflection and intentional living
Intellectual Wellness
Increasing clarity, focus, and decision-making
Identifying unhelpful patterns and supporting mindset shifts
Creating structure and routines that reduce overwhelm
Physical Wellness
Building realistic movement routines
Exploring nutrition habits that support energy and well-being
Improving sleep routines and daily self-care practices
Environmental Wellness
Creating physical spaces that support focus, calm, and daily routines
Reducing environmental stressors and increasing organization at home or work
Designing surroundings that align with personal values, sensory needs, and well-being
Financial Wellness
Building awareness around spending habits, financial stressors, and money-related behaviors
Exploring values-based financial goals and priorities
Creating simple, sustainable budgeting or tracking routines that support follow-through
How Applied Behavior Analysis Enhances Coaching
Applied Behavior Analysis offers practical, evidence-based tools that strengthen health and wellness coaching. When integrated thoughtfully, ABA principles help turn goals into sustainable habits that fit into real life while remaining collaborative, client-driven, and respectful.
Behavior change expertise that supports habit-building, consistency, and follow-through
Data-informed tracking that helps clients notice patterns, celebrate progress, and guide meaningful adjustments
Individualized planning that considers strengths, values, lifestyle, and environmental factors
Evidence-based strategies such as reinforcement, shaping, and goal measurement, used flexibly and compassionately
An ethical, strengths-based framework that prioritizes autonomy, informed choice, and client voice
Support for small, sustainable changes that build confidence and momentum over time
By combining health and wellness coaching with the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis, we support behavior change that is practical, flexible, and aligned with personalized goals, helping clients move forward in ways that feel achievable, empowering, and lasting.
Getting Started
For individuals seeking meaningful and lasting change, a minimum commitment of six months is recommended for health and wellness coaching. Research consistently shows that sustainable habit formation and behavior change take time, consistency, and reflection.
A six-month engagement allows clients to fully participate in the coaching process, build momentum, and create habits that support long-term well-being. During this time, clients have space to reflect on progress, celebrate wins, adjust goals as needed, and plan for continued growth beyond the coaching experience.
Choosing to invest in your health and well-being now can lead to benefits that positively impact your family, work, and daily life well beyond the coaching period.
Ready to take the first step?
Meet Your Health & Wellness Coach
Laura Dolan earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University. Shortly after graduating, she began working at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center (DDDC), a school program for individuals diagnosed with Autism. At the DDDC, she received intensive training in the field of Applied Behavioral Analysis. Laura enjoyed my work so much that she decided to pursue her master’s in Special Education and obtained her Behavior Analyst Certification. While completing the coursework for her BCBA she continued to work at the DDDC, working in a highly structured ABA classroom which enabled her to integrate theory with practice. More recently, she has followed a lifelong passion of living a healthy lifestyle and continued personal growth by becoming a certified health and wellbeing coach.
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Ready to Get Started?
Schedule a Free Consultation to learn more about Health & Wellness Coaching at Thrive by GBS and explore whether this service is the right fit for your goals and needs.
