How A Health Coach Can Support You With Your Mental Health

First, it’s important to understand that a health coach is not a counsellor or therapist unless they also hold those additional qualifications.

In my case, I am not a counsellor or therapist. I have a diploma in psychology, a Level 2 qualification in counselling skills, and a background as a pharmacist, which helps me understand medications often used to support mental health. Alongside this, I have training as a health coach which is based on helping people improve their health through behaviour changes, so they can adopt healthier habits that support their overall health and in this case their mental health.

So when I support someone with their mental wellbeing, my role is not to diagnose or provide therapy. My role is to help people identify and overcome the habits, behaviours, routines, and barriers preventing them from doing the very things that support good mental health.

Because the truth is this: Most people already know what they “should” do.

Sleep well. Move your body. Drink water. Reduce stress. Connect with people. Get sunlight. Think positively. Take your medication.

The challenge is not usually lack of information. The challenge is being able to actually do those things consistently in real life and often when life is life-ing.

And that is where I as a health coach come in.

The main areas a health coach would not provide are:

• Counselling/Therapy

• Other specialised treatments

*You may however find, that a counsellor/therapist has the extra skill of coaching.

Mental Health Is Often Supported By Many Different Areas

As per the spider diagram.

All these areas affect each other. When several are struggling at once, mental health can suffer too.

This is why mental health support is not limited to counselling/therapy. These areas in between sessions are where people may struggle and that is where a health coach is of value.

In my own practice, because of my background as a pharmacist, I can also support clients with identifying practical barriers preventing them from taking medication consistently.

For example:

• Forgetting doses

• Busy schedules

• Lack of routine

• Fear of side effects

• Difficulty understanding the purpose of medication

We then work together to find realistic strategies that help them take their medication more consistently.

However, if a client is experiencing side effects or concerns relating to their medication itself, I would always refer them back to their GP or prescribing healthcare professional.

When I take on a client, with their consent, I also notify their GP that I am working with them. This allows us to work collaboratively to support the individual from different angles and ensure safe, joined-up care.

“Simple” Advice Is Often Not Simple

I attended a mental health webinar recently where advice included:

• Sleep well

• Move daily

• Practice being still for 5-10 minutes

• Focus on one meaningful task

• Connect with others

• Get sunlight

• Reduce stress

Most people already know these things.

But what if you haven’t slept well in 20 years (true story)? What if you hate exercise? What if your work schedule is overwhelming and you don't have 5-10 mins to be still? What if your way of reducing stress is eat, drink, smoke, recreational drugs? What if you feel stuck in life and don’t know your purpose?

These are exactly the areas where a health coach helps.

Examples of How a Health Coach Helps

1. Sleep Problems

The challenge:

“I’ve never slept well. This is just who I am.”

How a health coach helps:

A health coach helps identify habits and routines that may be affecting sleep. Sometimes it’s late-night working, stress, poor eating habits, lack of boundaries, relationship strain, or overstimulation from phones and screens.

We also look at mindset.

One client realised saying:“I’ll never sleep well”was reinforcing hopelessness.

Instead, they reframed their self-talk to: “I know this may take time, but I’m willing to be patient and make effort.”

That shift alone helped them stay committed to improving their sleep habits rather than giving up mentally before even trying.

2. Exercise & Movement

The challenge:

“I hate exercise.”

How a health coach helps:

One client believed he disliked exercise.

After exploring further, we discovered he actually disliked crowded gyms, and he found the one he went to was not to his hygiene standards. What he DID enjoy was badminton, golf, and squash. I asked him what was the common feature in all those sports. He realised he enjoyed them because they were social. He needed that social element to movement, something that can be done with someone else.

Now he exercises consistently because he found movement that fits him, that he also loves. The result? Consistency in being active and the extra benefit of better mental wellbeing & less stress.

3. Time Management & Stress

The challenge:

“I don’t have 5-10mins to be still.”

How a health coach helps:

We explore where your time is going with the different tools I have and whether your daily routines reflect what truly matters to you.

If the recommendation is walking 30 minutes 3 times a week for your overall health including mental health, but that feels impossible, we may start with 10 minutes, while simultaneously working on removing time wasters from your daily routine. We also find how stress affects your body, some its chest pain, some its headache.

We find quick and effective ways for you to reduce the stress response especially in those scenarios where it may feel impossible to do something in the moment, such as in a meeting, in traffic. Even something like humming in traffic can help because you activate your vagus nerve, which helps reduce the stress response.

The goal is not perfection.The goal is realistic, sustainable progress, long after our sessions end.

4. Food & Mental Health

The challenge:

Stress eating, skipping meals, emotional eating, low energy.

How a health coach helps:

Food affects mood, energy, concentration, sleep, and emotional regulation.

A health coach helps you identify eating patterns and gradually build healthier routines in a realistic way that suits your life and circumstances. A health coach helps you understand things like the link between food and mood, why sugary foods/junk don't help with mental health. Knowing the why behind the recommendations, has been a big game changer for my clients.

5. Feeling Stuck & Lack of Purpose

The challenge:

“I feel stuck in life.”

How a health coach helps:

Sometimes poor mental health is connected to feeling directionless, overwhelmed, or disconnected from meaningful goals.

A health coach asks reflective questions that help you discover what matters to you, what is draining you, and what small steps may help you move forward again. A health coach helps you bring out the answers that already lie within you, even when you don't feel that way.

Health Coaching Is Action-Oriented

Health coaching is not just talking.

At the end of each session, you choose one realistic action to focus on before the next session.

For example: Someone working until 10pm every night identified this was affecting sleep which then has an effect on mental health.

Instead of suddenly stopping work at 5pm, their goal became:“This week I will aim to finish by 8pm twice.”

Small. Realistic. Achievable.

Before the session ends, we find ways to ensure you will be able to succeed with that task. This is where the light bulb moments, creativity and "I never thought of that" come. The client is excited because they've found a new way to do what may be they've struggled with before but can see this time, they will do it.

In the next session we review: What worked? What got in the way? What needs adjusting?

This process helps people build momentum instead of repeatedly failing under unrealistic expectations.

Accountability Matters

One powerful aspect of health coaching is accountability.

Clients know they will come back and reflect on how things went. That alone often helps people stay committed.

Not because they are trying to impress the coach, but because they begin reconnecting with themselves and the goals they genuinely want for their life and health.

When You’re “In the Trenches,” That’s Where a Health Coach Helps

When you are in the trenches of not being able to do what you know is good for your health, that is exactly where a health coach can help.

The issue is often not intelligence. Not laziness. Not lack of information.

It’s usually that something is blocking you:

• A habit

• A routine

• A mindset

• Fear of failure

• Negative self-talk

• Lack of structure

• Emotional overwhelm

• Stress

• Time pressure

• Lack of support

A health coach helps you uncover those barriers and work through them practically and realistically.

Because “sleep well” sounds simple…until you are the one lying awake every night struggling to do it.

Health coaching isn’t for everyone. There are some complex mental health disorders that require more specialist support. Health coaching is also only suited to those ready, willing and committed to the process of change.

The value of having a health coach to support your mental health is having someone who understands you, sees your blind spots, and offers an objective, steady guide when life gets difficult, helping you stay on track toward your goals.

Health coaches play a key role in supporting mental health by offering empathy, non-judgemental listening, and a deeper understanding of your lived experience. They help you recognise patterns, gently challenge you to reach your potential, and provide practical education to fill any knowledge gaps, to support your day-to-day wellbeing.

They also signpost you to other relevant professionals where needed, because mental health is multi-faceted and is best supported through a collaborative approach. It is unrealistic to expect a single profession to support you with your mental health.

If you are struggling with the recommendations that would support your mental health, click here and find out how we can work together on the journey to better mental health.