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George Mason University recently welcomed Martin Binks as professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. He brought a new special topics course with him to the College of Public Health: NUTR 594 or “Motivation: Learning to Coach.”
“[The topic] is rooted in health coaching, specifically for improving health, overall quality of life and well-being, but the skillset that we teach is very applicable across various professions business settings, and so forth,” said Binks, who has a PhD in clinical psychology and behavioral medicine.
With more than 20 years’ experience working with patients, he has typically done work under the umbrella of the organizations that he works for, Binks said his career has been about building new clinical and research programs where they didn't exist or improving those that were already in place.
He started with a health coaching program at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center, where he was a director of behavioral health, research, and new business and strategic alliances, and continued his work at Texas Tech University where he founded a clinical research institute, the Nutrition and Metabolic Health Initiative.
“There are lots of theories in psychology—self-determination theory, self-efficacy theory, cognitive behavioral theory—so how do we use these theories and translate that into tools that we use to motivate people?” he said. That is the question that his course aims to address.
The graduate course doesn’t require any pre-requisites and provides an unwavering client- focused approach to motivating and empowering people, Binks said, redefining the relationship between medical professionals and their clients, who benefit from having control and autonomy over their own health goals.
While techniques such as motivational interviewing are commonly taught in medicine and used to understand how to motivate an individual person specific to their needs, Binks said this class teaches so much more.
“A coach’s primary tool is questions,” he said, “because it’s about the person in front of you. We often, especially in health care, assume that we know everything and the patient doesn't. That’s the worst thing we can do.”
Kathryn Tadio, MS Nutrition ’18, is an adjunct professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies and is taking the course as a nondegree student.
“I am counseling clients now, and I'm already learning how to apply this course material with them. Having this resource has been really beneficial,” said Tadio, a registered dietitian who works for Dietitian Live, a telehealth program.
The first assignment students receive is an improv assignment, allowing students to practice thinking and speaking on their feet, which is a great tool for a coach.
Students provided verbatim transcripts, and then used a dictation software to edit the scripts and analyze their own conversations.
One of the cons with the class is that students might think they’re just having a normal conversation because it appears so natural, Binks explained, it takes time to fully appreciate the depth of thought that a coach brings to each and every choice they make in that conversation.
“The assignment was so well thought out and it involved a lot of role playing and practicing what we're learning with fictitious clients. We were asking questions around people's triggers, for example, what makes them eat even when they're not hungry,” said Tadio. “That’s definitely something that I’d tiptoe around with actual clients, so it's good to practice with those questions now because it really lowers the risk of miscommunication or mistakes in the real world.”
The asynchronous aspect of the course provides an interesting real-life element, Binks said. Students practice their new skills in role play assignments.
“We’re online, but the assignments require the students go out into their personal world talking to their friends and family and coaching them,” said Binks. With these assignments, students learn and practice the necessary complex skill sets that they can then apply to pretty much any field they want.”
Tadio was pleased to have access to such a resource. “I’m really happy to see how George Mason’s nutrition department has grown since I was a student. Now they offer the registered dietitian track and courses like this one, which will make more well-rounded health care professionals.”