{"id":63478,"date":"2021-09-03T11:55:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T18:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=63478"},"modified":"2021-09-03T11:55:58","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T18:55:58","slug":"ucan-make-a-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/ucan-make-a-change\/","title":{"rendered":"UCAN make a change"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is no secret\u2014the past 18 months have demonstrated how important building healthy, sustainable habits are to maintaining overall well-being. Getting started on that path can be tough, but NAU\u2019s University Coaching for Activity and Nutrition<\/a> program, better known as UCAN, is there to help the Lumberjack community get started on a healthier path.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone needs a little bit of therapy in life,\u201d senior Hannah Rahn <\/strong>said, one of the program\u2019s veteran student health coaches. \u201cUCAN is a great introduction into that setting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA little bit of therapy\u201d is about what UCAN is. UCAN heath coaches aren\u2019t doctors, personal trainers, dietitians or licensed counselors; they\u2019re students. And they aren\u2019t there to help through major life overhauls. Rather, they can help students, faculty and staff who are looking for ways to make small adjustments to be happier, have better physical and mental health and respond to stress more productively. Coaches can teach breathing exercises and meditation or create plans and strategies for physical activity to manage stress.<\/p>\n

\"UCAN<\/a>
UCAN Health Coach Hannah Rahn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It might be just what the doctor ordered.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, people need a licensed therapist for high-level needs, but in other cases, someone could benefit from making a few minor tweaks to their days to help create self-care moments that reduce stress and anxiety. That\u2019s where UCAN heath coaches step in. Health coaches offer 1:1 sessions to support clients whatever changes they are interested in making, using proven techniques for lasting behavioral change. The student health coaches gain real-world client experience and at the same time serve the campus community by providing students, faculty and staff the support and accountability of a coach for those who want to enhance self-care patterns but who don\u2019t require a licensed therapist.<\/p>\n

Rahn, who is studying psychological science with a minor in health coaching, said her experience with UCAN has solidified her choice in career, time and time again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember after my session coaching, I called my mom and said, \u2018Mom, my first session was scary, but this is for sure what I want to do, I want to be a therapist,\u2019\u201d Rahn shared.<\/p>\n

The coaches undergo 45 hours of training, including a semester-long class on motivational interviewing\u2014the client-centered communication technique used by UCAN. Motivational interviewing is taught across disciplines including nursing, public health, dietetics, physical therapy, medicine, education and psychology, giving the UCAN coaches a major advantage for those who go into graduate training programs. Having already mastered the skills needed to experience positive outcomes with clients and patients and having plenty of client hours also makes them an asset to future employers.<\/p>\n

Sara Scott<\/strong>, the student manager last year, graduated in May from the Nutrition and Foods program and went into her career with an increased confidence in her reflective listening skills and motivational interviewing training, making her a better listener and a better friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to practice more reflective listening and elicit my peers\u2019 personal reasons for change when they share goals they want to achieve,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u201cWe walk around every day throwing advice around like we can solve everyone’s problems, when in reality, everyone has the answers to their own problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Health<\/a>
Health coach Sara Scott hosting a virtual session<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She said having someone to talk to and get support from in a non-judgmental space can make all the difference when trying to make behavior changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coaches feel like they\u2019re making a major difference in their clients\u2019 lives,\u201d said Dawn Clifford<\/strong>, UCAN director and a professor in the Department of Health Sciences. \u201cThey realize that as a result of the sessions they lead, their clients experienced major healing in their relationship with food, feel more confident and accepting of their bodies and, because they changed their sleep habits, have more energy for other areas of their life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott remembers one particular session when she asked all the right questions and used her motivational interviewing skills, to ask her client why she wanted to make a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a point in the session when the client got silent, said \u2018wow, I’ve never thought about that before.\u2019 And we sat in silence for a minute or two before we talked about this breakthrough and worked on setting her new goal. I walked out of that session feeling like I really helped them see that they have all of the answers and my role is to help them reach within themselves and find those.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ultimate goal for the UCAN program is to connect the NAU community with valuable resources to support holistic wellness. The first session is free and is available to students, faculty and staff on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus, statewide and online. After the first session, clients can purchase six 45 minute sessions throughout the semester for $20, making UCAN an affordable and accessible alternative to other clinical settings.<\/p>\n

UCAN is one of various resources supporting holistic wellness as part of the Live Well NAU framework<\/a>. By partnering with Counseling Services, Campus Health Services, Campus Recreation, Employee Assistance and Wellness and other departments throughout NAU, UCAN connects clients to other resources that support their health and well-being while also providing them with the tools to create concrete plans for making changes.<\/p>\n

For more information about UCAN, read their health and wellness blogs<\/a>. To sign up for a free health coaching session, visit UCAN\u2019s registration page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"Northern<\/a>McKenzie McLoughlin | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-4789 |\u00a0McKenzie.McLoughlin@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

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