Whole Person Wellness: Restoring Balance
2005:
Volume 2, Number 1
James Strohecker, President,
HealthWorld Online
Today, there is a widely
recognized need for individuals to take a greater level of
responsibility for their health and wellbeing. At the same time,
people are looking for more personalized approaches to wellness that
address the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of
our lives – approaches that look at us as a whole person.
The principles of “self-responsibility”
and “whole person”, hallmarks of the holistic health, self-care and
wellness movements in the 1970s, are now reemerging as essential
solutions to our current health care crisis and spiraling medical
costs.
A new program that embodies this approach is the Wellness Inventory
developed by wellness pioneer John W. Travis, MD, MPH, and e-health
pioneer HealthWorld Online. A protégé of Dr. Louis Robbins (creator
of the Health Risk Appraisal) while a resident at Johns Hopkins and
working with the US Public Health Service, Dr. Travis chose to
dedicate his life to "teaching people to be well" rather than to
treating patients. Recognized as a founder of the modern wellness
movement, he opened the first wellness center in the U.S. in 1975,
created the original wellness assessment, and authored the classic
Wellness Workbook.
Whole Person Wellness Program
The Wellness Inventory is a pioneering
"whole person" assessment program designed to help individuals gain
personal insight into their state of physical, emotional, and
spiritual wellness. The program offers guidance and tools to
transform this new awareness into lasting changes in one’s life, and
a renewed sense of health and wellbeing
The Wellness Inventory
takes individuals on a year-long wellness journey described
in the following 5 steps:
Step 1 - Assessment: Complete lifestyle assessment covering
12 dimensions of whole person wellness.
Step 2 - Scores: Receive Wellness & Satisfaction Scores for
each section. Learn your strengths and the areas you have the
strongest readiness for change.
Step 3 - Personal Wellness Plan: Create 10 wellness action
steps in the areas you are most motivated to change.
Step 4 – Tools to Help You Reach Your Wellness Goals: A suite
of tools to help you follow your wellness plan & meet your goals.
Step 5 – Resources for Ongoing Wellness: Learn to maintain
higher state of well-being and vitality.
Wellness coaching can greatly accelerate this
five-step process by providing the support and accountability
that increase individuals' chances for
success in meeting their goals.
A Flexible Wellness Solution
The Wellness Inventory offers maximum
flexibility for implementation in a wide range of settings -
corporate wellness programs, hospitals, spas, health practitioners,
life coaches, government agencies and churches.
Reporting, coaching and communication
tools for licensing organizations facilitate individual and group
needs assessment, one-on-one coaching, increased levels of
participation, and ongoing wellness education.
The Wellness Inventory may be utilized
as the centerpiece of a custom wellness solution for an
organization. Optional wellness program
components that may be built around the Wellness Inventory include
wellness coaching, monthly lectures and e-newsletters, and specific
modules such as resiliency training, nutrition, or a walking
program.
Sample
Custom Corporate Program
Using
The Wellness Inventory
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Assessment: Administer Wellness Inventory to
employees.
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Wellness Coaching: Offer wellness coaching to
employees who need assistance in formulating their
personalized wellness action plans.
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Monthly Wellness Lecture: Ongoing employee education
through a monthly lecture series on the 12 dimensions of
lifestyle in the Wellness Inventory. Optional wellness
e-newsletter sent through the email broadcast feature.
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Needs Assessment: Use scores from the first
assessment to determine the companywide needs. Design
program modules to address the needs. Or, design modules
into the overall wellness program from the outset – walking
program, resiliency training, etc.
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Final Assessment with Wellness Inventory: Scores from
the final assessment determine companywide progress. |