HCA Model Core Training

Health Change Australia, in association with Health Coaching Australia (HCA) train health practitioners in the HCA Model of Health Change for better patient outcomes.

The HCA Approach

The HCA Model of Health Change is a clinical practice decision framework that enables clinicians to integrate client-centred communication and health behaviour change support into clinical consultations and programs. It provides clinicians and organisations with an evidence-based behaviour change clinical pathway to complement usual clinical pathways for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease and rehabilitation from illness and injury.

The HCA approach can be applied to any individual or group setting where clients or patients are required to take some action to achieve better health or quality of life outcomes. The aim of the approach is to increase the likelihood that clients will carry out lifestyle and treatment recommendations that are appropriate to their health condition/s and risk factors. It does this by actively assessing and building client motivation and confidence to act on recommendations, by identifying and addressing common barriers to change and by providing clients with enduring self-management skills.

HCA core training for clinicians provides participants with a set of nine practice principles, seven essential communication and behaviour change techniques and a 10 step decision framework to enhance their ability to facilitate client self-management. HCA training is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians from diverse professional backgrounds who are skills at assisting participants to apply the HCA approach in their own clinical contexts.

HCA Core Training Part 1 (CT1)

The HCA Core Training Part 1 (2-day) workshop provides skills training for clincians, case coordinators and team leaders in how to use the HCA practice principles, essential techniques and 10 step decision framework in clinical practice.

The CT1 workshop provides a mix of PowerPoint presentation, discussion, client cases, videos and practical exercises to teach the HCA approach. The workshops are facilitated by two highly trained HCA facilitators with clinical backgrounds. The facilitators make every effort to contextualise the workshop delivery to meet the needs of the participants according to their professional roles and backgrounds.

Every participant is provided with a high quality spiral bound practice manual that acts as an ongoing reference and practice resource.

Details:

• Timings: 8.30am-5pm each day, registration at 8.15am first day
• 24 participants maximum (note: exercises are conducted in pairs)
• Run on Mon/Tues or Thurs/Fri
• Suitable for all health professionals, case managers and team leaders

HCA Core Training Part 2 (CT2)

The HCA Core Training Part 2 (1-day) workshop builds on CT1 by further assisting clinicians to adapt the HCA approach to their particular role and clinical context. Essentially it is a troubleshooting workshop that review the CT1 content in greater depth and practices the most critical behaviour change processes. The aim of the workshop is to increase clinician confidence and enhance their skills in embedding behaviour change support in their usual clinical practice. CT2 also includes content and discussion on how to integrate the HCA approach into group education programs. 

The training format for CT2 is very flexible and allows participants to clarify principles, processes and techniques, and to discuss their strengths and challenges in using the HCA approach in their work context. It provides participants with the opportunity to tailor the training content to their own needs.

Details:

• Pre-requisite: HCA CT2
• Suggested timeframe: 3-6 months after CT1
• Timings: 8.30am-5pm, registration at 8.15am
• 24 participants maximum (note: exercises are conducted in pairs)

HCA Core Training for Managers (CTM)

The HCA Core Training for Manager workshop presents an overview of the HCA Model of Health Change and the training provided to clinicians in CT1 workshops. The workshop includes discussion of the common challenges and opportunities associated with implementing health behaviour change support in clinical practice and programs. 

Managers are invited to raise issues and concerns for discussion with their peers. The HCA approach often represents a change in the way that clinicians practice. In addition to requiring clinicians to learn and practice new skills, implementing the HCA approach may require changes to paperwork and/or data collection systems, reflection on key performance indicators and allocation of time and human resources to skills development, systems integration and capacity building.

Details:

• Recommended attendees: team leaders, program managers, middle to senior-level managers
• Please note: for those managers who also have a clinical load, this workshop does not teach skills. Therefore in some instances it may be appropriate for those individuals to attend a CT1 workshop.
• Timings: can be altered to suit (3 1/4 hours content to be retained)
• No maximum number of participants

Overview of the HCA Approach to Health Change (Overview)

Overview of the HCA Approach to Health Change is a one-day workshop designed to provide a fast-paced insight into the practice principles, essential techniques and decision framework of the HCA approach. The workshop includes PowerPoint presentation, discussion, several videos and two practical skills-development exercises for participants to practice two critical techniques. It does not provide the in-depth skills training incorporated in the CT1 workshop nor allow practice of all of the essential techniques. 

Details:

• Timings: 6 hours (4 1/2 hours content)
• Timings can be altered to suit: 9.30am-3.30pm as a guide
• Maximum number of participants: 50

Training for Individual Practitioners

If you are an individual practitioner looking to attend core HCA training, please click here.

In-House Training for Organisations

If you are an organisation wishing to train a number of staff members in the HCA approach, please click here.