ACA’s annual meeting, the National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC), is packed with great educational content and world-class presenters. Join us Feb. 28-March 3 in Washington, D.C., to hear from some of the profession’s most compelling thought leaders. Here we pose several questions to one of our featured speakers: Joel Kreisberg, DC, PCC
Dr. Kreisberg’s Presentation: “Behavioral Change, Health Coaching and Chiropractic Care: Sustaining Long-Term Results” (on Saturday, March 3). (For complete conference information and schedules, click here.)
How did you become interested in the topic you are presenting?
In my 20 years of practice, I noticed that while I was delivering quality “alternative” care, I was still the “doctor” treating the “patient.” Sometimes my patients would do what I suggested and often, they wouldn’t. I realized that I needed a new way to deliver care, to set up the healing relationship in a more effective manner. Without really knowing what I was getting into, I signed up for a coaching program. Eighteen months later, I was a chiropractic physician and a coach. I did both for two years as separate careers. Over the next five years, I began to integrate them. It took time to get it right, but now all my clients are given a coaching program in the second session. It’s the way I deliver my services. Needless to say, the results are spectacular, for my clients and for me!
Who should attend your presentation and why?
If you are unhappy with giving advice that isn’t followed, or you feel that you have to remind your patients to come in, then shifting to a relationship-centered model is worth looking into. A learning module used in health coaching engages enlivens and motivates patients to take responsibility for their care. If you’re interested in how and why, and the evidence that supports this approach, come and find out!
What about your presentation topic (or you) may surprise people?
You’ll find that you have seen many of the skills health coaches use. It’s likely you use some of them in one way or another. What is different is your ability to put these skills together in an integrated fashion that fosters lasting change. You’ll be surprised by how much richer and healthier you’ll feel at the end of a work day when adding coaching to your practice. I spend less time “treating” and more time listening and reflecting back with my clients. Shifting awareness supports behavior change. Shifting both awareness and behavior gets lasting results.
Are there any new developments in your specialty/topic area that make your presentation at NCLC 2018 especially relevant or timely?
In 2017, the National Board of Medical Examiners recognized a Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). This newly licensed health care profession has taken off in the physician, nurse and psychotherapy communities. Functional medicine practitioners are integrating health coaching into their practice. In 2018, chiropractors can learn health coaching through the new program at Southern California University of Health Sciences, and get CEUs while doing it.
What’s your best advice to a recent chiropractic college graduate (or, alternatively, what is your best advice to someone who has been in the field for several years and is looking for new challenges or ways to expand their practice)?
If you are looking for ways to diversify your practice or to distinguish yourself from other integrative practitioners, health coaching skills offer a unique advantage. If you are interested in innovative care models and increasing your satisfaction with work, health coaching provides an opportunity for both. You do not have to give up any of what you are doing already; just shift to a relationship-centered care model, which facilitates growth and healing for patients and practitioners.
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Learn more from Dr. Kreisberg about this topic by joining us Feb. 28-March 3 in Washington, D.C. Register for the annual meeting today by clicking here. Join the conversation online by using the hashtag #NCLC2018.
