NETA Wellness Coach cheat sheet

Andragogy (Knowles) assumes adult learners are self-directed, experience-rich, problem-centered, and internally motivated; pedagogy assumes teacher-directed, content-centered learners.

Malcolm Knowles' six andragogical assumptions: self-concept, experience, readiness to learn, orientation to learning, motivation, and need to know.

Transformative learning (Mezirow): perspective transformation occurs through a disorienting dilemma, critical reflection, and discourse; it is not mere information acquisition.

Experiential learning cycle (Kolb): concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, active experimentation; effective learning addresses all four modes.

Self-efficacy (Bandura) predicts persistence; mastery experiences are the strongest source, followed by vicarious modeling, verbal persuasion, and physiological states.

Adult attention spans decline without interaction; chunking content into segments of roughly 10-15 minutes with active recall improves retention.

Readiness to learn tracks life roles and developmental tasks (Havighurst); timing instruction to a felt need increases engagement.

Learning styles (visual/auditory/kinesthetic) lack strong evidence for matching instruction; use multimodal delivery instead.

Prior experience can be a resource or a barrier: existing mental models may require unlearning before new skills transfer.

OARS: Open questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries - core microskills used across helping conversations.

Reflection types: simple (repeat/rephrase), complex (paraphrase, reflect feeling, double-sided); complex reflections add meaning or emotion.

Reflection-to-question ratio: skilled interviewers often produce two or more reflections per question; high question density correlates with client passivity.

Nonverbal channels (tone, pace, posture, eye contact) carry relational meaning; incongruence between words and tone is read as the true message.

Empathic listening requires withholding judgment and confirming understanding before problem-solving; premature advice-giving raises resistance.

Closed questions yield short factual answers and are useful for specifics; open questions invite elaboration and sustain change talk.

Summaries serve three functions: collect content, link to prior material, and signal transition to a new topic.

'Righting reflex' is the urge to fix or advise; it predicts poorer outcomes because it argues for change from the outside.

Cultural humility: ask about the client's own explanatory model and preferences rather than assuming norms from group membership.

Transtheoretical Model stages: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance (plus termination); interventions should match stage.

Decisional balance (TTM) weighs pros and cons of changing versus staying the same; pros rise and cons fall as people progress toward action.

Self-efficacy and temptation are stage-specific; confidence typically increases across stages while temptation decreases.

Health Belief Model constructs: perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy.

Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura): behavior, personal factors, and environment interact (reciprocal determinism); observational learning and self-efficacy drive change.

Theory of Planned Behavior: attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control predict intention, which predicts behavior.

Relapse is a normal stage of change, not failure; the model treats it as recycling to an earlier stage rather than a terminal event.

COM-B model: capability, opportunity, and motivation must all be sufficient for a behavior; intervention targets the deficient component.

Ecological models nest individual factors within interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels; single-level interventions rarely sustain change.

MI spirit: partnership, acceptance, compassion, evocation - collaboration rather than expert-to-recipient instruction.

Four processes in sequence: engaging, focusing, evoking, planning; planning before engaging or evoking typically backfires.

Change talk subtypes (DARN): Desire, Ability, Reasons, Need; mobilizing talk (CAT): Commitment, Activation, Taking steps predicts behavior better.

Sustain talk reflects the status quo side of ambivalence; it is expected and is not the same as resistance or opposition.

The righting reflex - arguing for change - elicits counter-argument (sustain talk) from the client; avoid the trap.

Rolling with resistance: reflect, amplify, or shift focus rather than confront or correct; confrontation predicts dropout.

Ambivalence is a normal conflict between two valued options, not denial or lack of motivation.

Elicit-Provide-Elicit for information exchange: ask permission, offer briefly, then ask for the client's reaction.

Scaling questions (importance and confidence, 0-10) identify which dimension to address and why the client chose a number above zero.

SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound; vague goals produce weak follow-through.

Goal-setting theory (Locke & Latham): specific, difficult-but-attainable goals outperform vague 'do your best' goals when feedback and commitment exist.

Implementation intentions (Gollwitzer): 'if situation X, then I will do Y' plans increase goal attainment by pre-linking cues to actions.

Proximal (short-term) goals drive self-efficacy and motivation more than distal goals alone; combine both.

Goal commitment rises with client-authored goals, public declaration, and perceived importance; imposed goals reduce ownership.

Outcome goals (weight loss) are less controllable than behavior goals (walk 20 minutes, 5 days/week); prefer process goals.

Action planning specifies what, when, where, and how often; coping planning anticipates barriers and pre-selects responses.

Goal difficulty and specificity interact: the performance benefit appears when the person has the skill and accepts the goal.

Progress feedback and goal revision prevent stagnation; goals set too far beyond reach undermine confidence.

Common barriers: low confidence, competing demands, social pressure, cost, transportation, and mental health symptoms.

Barrier identification precedes problem-solving: name the barrier, then ask what has worked before and what might work now.

Problem-solving steps: define the problem, brainstorm options without judging, evaluate, choose, plan, and review.

Relapse-prevention model (Marlatt): high-risk situations, coping skills, and abstinence violation effect determine lapse trajectory.

Abstinence violation effect: all-or-nothing interpretation of a lapse predicts full relapse; reframe lapses as learning data.

Coping planning outperforms motivation alone for maintaining behavior under stress; pre-commit responses to anticipated triggers.

Self-efficacy is barrier-specific: high confidence in one setting does not transfer automatically to another context.

Social support and environmental restructuring reduce reliance on willpower; change the cue rather than fight the urge.

Harm reduction accepts incremental gains when abstinence is not feasible, keeping engagement and reducing risk.