| Course | HW350 Principles of Health Coaching |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 2 |
| Paper type | Intake and eligibility appraisal |
| Length | About 700 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health and Wellness |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HW350 Unit 2
Importance Nine, Confidence Four, One Screening Flag: A Unit 2 Intake and Eligibility Appraisal for a Newly Retired Coaching Client
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HW350: Principles of Health Coaching
Unit 2 Intake and Eligibility Appraisal
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The client, clinic and program criteria are composite; the sources cited are real.
The Program's Criteria
The clinic's coaching program accepts adults referred by a clinic provider for a lifestyle-related condition such as prediabetes, high blood pressure or obesity; who can commit to twelve sessions over six months by phone or video; and who do not have an untreated condition that coaching could not safely support, such as an active mental health crisis. A positive depression screen does not exclude a client, but the program requires the referring provider to complete a fuller assessment before coaching starts.
Intake Data and Appraisal
Referral information. Nurse practitioner referral; A1C 6.2 percent, blood pressure 138/88 on two visits, body mass index 31, right knee osteoarthritis. Medications: one blood pressure medicine. The referral meets the condition criterion. The knee is relevant to any activity goal, and the coach should not set activity goals that conflict with the provider's advice about it.
Life context. Retired five months ago after 31 years delivering mail on a walking route. Married, two grandchildren nearby, sings in a church choir. She says her step count "fell off a cliff" when she retired and that she snacks more at home. This context is a strength and a clue: she has a long history of daily activity, now interrupted.
Goals in her words. "Get my energy back" and "not end up on diabetes pills like my sister." Both are her own, which is the starting point of coaching, since coaching supports goals the client chooses within the medical plan (Perlman & Abu Dabrh, 2020).
Readiness. On a ten-point ruler, importance 9 and confidence 4. The gap between the two is the most useful single finding on the intake: she wants to change but doubts she can.
Sleep and mood. She sleeps about six broken hours. Her answers to the two-item depression screen, about loss of interest and feeling down over the past two weeks, gave a positive result.
The intake told me what Gloria wants, how much she believes she can do it and one thing I am not trained to assess.
The Screening Flag
A positive two-item screen does not diagnose depression, but it calls for further assessment by someone qualified. Following the program's process, I did not discuss the result as a diagnosis with Gloria. I told her that her answers suggested her mood had been low and that the nurse practitioner would like to ask a few more questions, which is routine. I sent a same-day message to the nurse practitioner through the record. Guidelines for health coaches emphasize recognizing mental health symptoms, making referrals with clear language and having crisis procedures in place, because coaches lack standardized referral standards (Voss et al., 2026).
The nurse practitioner saw Gloria two days later. A fuller questionnaire showed mild symptoms, she reported no thoughts of harming herself and she accepted a referral to the clinic's behavioral health counselor. The nurse practitioner confirmed that coaching could proceed alongside counseling.
Eligibility Decision
Eligible. She meets the referral and condition criteria, can commit to twelve sessions and has been assessed by her provider for the mood concern, which will be supported by a licensed counselor in parallel. I will check in about mood briefly at each session and follow the program's process if anything changes.
What the Intake Means for Session One
The gap between importance and confidence suggests the first sessions should build confidence through small, early successes rather than set ambitious targets. Her history of walking every day is a resource: she has done this before. Retirement is a transition that has removed both her activity and the structure of her day, so rebuilding structure may matter as much as any single behavior. Ahmann et al. (2023) found that most coaching studies they reviewed showed gains that were at least partly sustained after coaching ended, which supports aiming for habits she can keep beyond the six months.
References
Ahmann, E., Saviet, M., Conboy, L., Smith, K., Iachini, B., & DeMartin, R. (2023). Health and wellness coaching and sustained gains: A rapid systematic review. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 18(2), 162-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276231180117
Perlman, A. I., & Abu Dabrh, A. M. (2020). Health and wellness coaching in serving the needs of today's patients: A primer for healthcare professionals. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2164956120959274
Voss, M. E., O'Neill, C., Austin, C., & Kreitzer, M. J. (2026). Mental health referrals in health coaching: Guidelines for safe, ethical practice. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276261464952
The Purdue Global HW350 Unit 2 instructions
Unit 2 hands you a client's intake, real or invented for practice, and wants it weighed against a program's eligibility rules. State the criteria, then read each part of the intake, from referral information and life context to goals, readiness and screening items, and say what each means for coaching. Instructors look for judgment about scope, especially when a screening item needs a licensed professional. The appraisal should end with a clear decision and with what the findings mean for the first session. Sources on referral practice and on what coaching can achieve support the reasoning. Write the client's goals in the client's own words, since those words become the starting point of the coaching that follows.
How this HW350 Unit 2 example is built
The worksheet opens with the program's eligibility criteria, including the rule for a positive mood screen. Each intake section is appraised in turn: the referral's numbers and the knee, the loss of her route and her snacking, her goals quoted directly and the readiness gap. A highlighted line separates what the intake told the coach from what the coach is not trained to assess. A section describes how the screening flag was handled: the words used with Gloria, the same-day message, the nurse practitioner's assessment and the counseling referral, all following published referral guidance. The decision section records eligibility with counseling in parallel. A final section turns the findings into priorities for session one, with the review of sustained gains guiding the aim.
HW350 Unit 2 rubric: what earns full points
Intake appraisals are judged mainly on accuracy, scope and use. Each intake section should be read against the stated criteria. Graders reward recognizing findings that need referral and handling them by the program's process. The language used with the client about a screening result should avoid diagnosis. A clear eligibility decision with its reasons is expected. Turning findings into first-session priorities shows the appraisal will guide practice. Quoting the client's goals in her words reflects coaching values. Sources on referral and on coaching outcomes support the reasoning. Three references in APA 7 complete the worksheet.
Common HW350 Unit 2 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Weak appraisals copy the intake form line by line and never say what it implies for the sessions ahead. Another common weakness is treating a positive screen as a diagnosis, or ignoring it. Some writers make medical judgments about lab values instead of noting them as context from the referral. Eligibility decisions without reasons leave the reader unsure how the criteria were applied. Appraisals that end before the first session miss the practical point. Before writing, set the program's criteria beside the intake form and mark each item that meets, fails or needs referral. Send the intake and criteria, and the appraisal can be drafted from them.
Get an HW350 Unit 2 example written to your instructions
Share the intake data, the program criteria and the instructions with the rubric. A custom appraisal reads each item and reaches an eligibility decision. Turnaround is 24-48h, free the first time. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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HW350 Unit 2 questions, answered
What is on a coaching intake form?
Goals, health history from the referral, readiness, supports, barriers and screening items.
Who decides eligibility?
The program's criteria, applied by the coach, with the referring provider for medical questions.
What if intake shows a mental health concern?
The coach follows the program's referral process to a licensed professional.
Where can I find a free HW350 Unit 2 sample paper?
The complete HW350 Unit 2 intake and eligibility appraisal can be read here, assessing a newly retired client's intake against program criteria, including a positive mood screen.
How is the mood screen handled in the HW350 Unit 2 sample?
The coach does not diagnose, uses neutral language, messages the nurse practitioner the same day and starts coaching only after the provider's assessment, with counseling running alongside.