How to get started
Start a conversation with your health team about your needs and priorities, or learn about Whole Health practices from other Veterans through the Introduction to Whole Health and Taking Charge of My Life and Health courses.
The Introduction to Whole Health is a 2-hour educational and experiential session based on a specific curriculum that exposes participants to the foundational concepts of Whole Health, allows time for self-care and self-exploration, and for completion of a Personal Health Inventory (PHI).
The Introduction to Whole Health session are encouraged to join the Taking Charge of My Life and Health course which is a longer-term group program where Veterans can delve deeper into self-exploration of areas in their lives they wish to enhance and to create SMART goals with action steps that will help them attain these goals.
The road to better health and well-being starts here, with you. Contact your local TVHS site of care to connect with a Whole Health Partner and register for one of the courses.
Whole Health Coaching
Whole Health Coaches partner with Veterans seeking to enhance their well-being through self-directed, lasting changes, aligned with their values. Health Coaches display unconditional positive regard for their Veterans and a belief in their capacity for change, and honor that each client in an expert on his or her life while ensuring that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental. Health Coaches work with Veterans on identifying the Veterans’ motivation for change, determining goals for their work together, developing treatment plans to reach these goals, implementing those treatment plans, and assessing progress in order to adjust plans as necessary.
Health Coaches collaborate with the Veterans and their primary care and specialty care providers to develop goals designed to improve health outcomes, reduce risk from chronic illness, and lessen the likelihood of admission to the emergency department, inpatient care, or long-term care.
Coaches support clients in mobilizing internal strengths and external resources and develops self-management strategies for making sustainable, healthy lifestyle behavior changes and more effectively managing chronic disease. Health Coaches may work in primary care as a member of a PACT to assist Veterans with weight management, smoking cessation, addressing problematic areas in the eight components of proactive health and wellbeing, and adherence to chronic disease such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and chronic pain. Health Coaches may work in specialty care—including mental health, nephrology, oncology, cardiology, infectious disease and others—to assist Veterans with identifying goals, developing behavior plans, and taking action steps to increase adherence to treatment. Health Coaches may work on inpatient units to assist with identifying goals, developing behavior plans for discharge, and assisting with post-discharge follow-up. In all settings, Health Coaches conduct interventions that lead to improved functioning, decreased probability of deterioration or admission, and enhanced quality of life.
Ask your health care team for a referral to a Whole Health Coach.
More Whole Health offerings
Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH)
Integrative medicine and health reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic and lifestyle approaches, healthcare professionals, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing. TVHS offers approved Complementary and Integrative Health approaches covered by the Veterans Medical Benefits package when deemed appropriate by the Veteran and care team. Learn more about Complementary and Integrative Health here.
Spreading the Whole Health Message
Whole Health – It’s All About You – This report includes Veteran, leadership, provider and staff stories about the impact Whole Health is having on the health and well-being of Veterans.
A Look Inside Whole Health – See how the Whole Health System is moving VA from a focus on episodic care to more continuous engagement with the Veteran throughout his or her life.
Living Whole Health – Learn how VA is partnering with community and Veterans groups, nationally and locally, to raise awareness of Whole Health.
Adopting Whole Health – See how Veterans are partnering with VA providers on the Whole Health journey and taking, control of their care
