During my first WoW session, I spoke with a man about tobacco use. Health coaching was not new to me, I had counseled many patients about tobacco cessation while working for a community health program prior to beginning school at UCSF. Much else about WoW was new to me though, including my role as a student, navigating the hallways of ZSFG, and working with inpatients instead of in the outpatients setting in which I'd grown comfortable. Our conversation about his tobacco and alcohol use was similar in many respects to previous conversations I'd had with patients: he was ready to quit smoking, he was motivated to quit smoking because of his children and grandchild, he wasn't ready to quit drinking alcohol, but he made sure I knew how much he'd cut back in the past years. But, in speaking with him and learning about his life story, where he grew up, how he came to San Francisco, his dream of visiting his children who live abroad, I was reminded of how each health coaching conversation I've had in the past, and will continue to have as a student, is shaped by the unique experiences of each person.
Anonymous