Summary: While telephonic sessions were the primary vehicle for health coaching in the last five years, Internet-based face-to-face coaching incorporating motivational interviewing techniques is one of the directions the industry will be taking going forward, says Melinda Huffman, partner in Miller and Huffman Outcome Architects, co-founder of the National Society of Health Coaches, and a cardiovascular clinical specialist, writer and author. Mobile applications will also become more widely used, enabling health professionals to quickly access their patients' personal records, and coach via internet-based in-person calls. There will also be a move toward standardizing health coaching in terms of definition, education, and training and skill validation, Huffman says.
