| Course | HW350 Principles of Health Coaching |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | Seminar reflection |
| Length | About 790 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 9
I Had the Answer Before She Finished the Question: A Unit 9 Seminar Reflection on Coaching Versus Advising
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HW350: Principles of Health Coaching
Unit 9 Seminar Reflection
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The seminar, classmates and coaching details are composite; the sources cited are real.
The Moment I Chose
In an early session, Gloria, my retired letter carrier client, began describing her afternoons: the quiet house, her husband out, the kitchen. Before she reached the end of the sentence, I said, "What if you kept fruit on the counter and put the chips in the garage?" She said that was a good idea. She did not do it. Two sessions later she told me she had felt "a bit lectured" and had stopped mentioning the afternoons.
I chose this moment for the seminar because it bothered me. The advice was sensible. It was also mine, not hers, and it closed a conversation she had just started.
What the Seminar Showed Me
The facilitator asked us to play the moment back slowly. When I did, a classmate, Darnell, who coaches in a cardiac rehabilitation program, asked what I thought Gloria was about to say before I interrupted. I realized I did not know. She might have said she was lonely, or bored, or that the afternoons reminded her of the route. I had answered a question she had not asked.
Darnell also pointed out that I had described myself, in the first unit, as someone who "loves solving problems." He said that is exactly the trait that makes the urge to advise strongest. Miller and Rollnick (2013) name this the righting reflex and warn that it backfires: when a helper argues for change, the person often finds themselves arguing the other side.
My advice was good, and that was the problem: it was good enough that she agreed with it and never thought about it again.
Why the Urge Is So Strong
Many of us come to coaching from jobs where advising was the job. I was a pharmacy technician for eight years, answering questions all day. Other classmates were personal trainers, nurses' aides and teachers. In those roles, a quick answer is a kindness. In coaching it can take something from the client: the chance to reach her own solution, which self-determination theory suggests she would be more likely to keep (Ryan & Deci, 2000).
The coaching field itself has struggled to define how coaching differs from advice and education, and a recent call for clarity argues that this confusion affects how coaches are trained and how clients experience them (Nacif, 2025). Hearing that made me feel less alone in the mistake, but also more responsible for getting it right.
What I Do Differently Now
Three changes. First, I wait. When a client starts describing a problem, I let her finish and then reflect what I heard before saying anything else. Second, if I have an idea, I ask permission to share it and then ask what she thinks, so the idea becomes something to consider rather than an instruction. Third, I keep a tally at the end of each session of how many questions I asked and how many suggestions I made. In my first five sessions, suggestions outnumbered questions. Now questions outnumber suggestions about three to one.
The change showed in Gloria's next sessions. When she returned to the afternoons, I reflected that they felt empty and that the snack was the bright spot. She took the conversation somewhere I would not have: volunteering at her church office two afternoons a week, which she arranged herself.
How Gloria Responded Later
In our eighth session I told Gloria that I had been too quick with advice early on and asked whether it had affected what she shared. She said it had, a little, and that she had noticed me "slowing down" since. She also said the volunteering idea felt like hers in a way the fruit bowl never did. That conversation was uncomfortable to start and useful to finish, and it strengthened our working relationship.
What I Still Struggle With
When a client says something unsafe, the urge to advise is right, and the line is not always clear. When Gloria mentioned stopping a medication, advising her to call her nurse practitioner was the correct response, not a coaching failure. I am still learning to tell the difference between a moment that calls for information and referral and a moment that calls for patience.
A Last Reflection
My view going in was that the slip was small. I left understanding that it was the central skill of the course: letting the client do the deciding, even when I think I already know the answer.
References
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Nacif, A. P. (2025). A call for clarity and reflection in the field of health, wellness and wellbeing coaching. International Coaching Psychology Review, 20(1), 69-77. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsicpr.2025.20.1.69
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
Reading the HW 350 Unit 9 instructions
In Unit 9, students reflect on a seminar about the difference between coaching and advising, usually by examining a moment from their own practice. Choose a specific moment, describe it honestly, explain what the seminar helped you see and set out what you now do differently. Instructors look for movement in your thinking and for evidence of changed practice, such as a later session that went differently. A source on motivational interviewing or coaching practice supports the analysis. Many prompts also ask where the line between coaching and advice is genuinely unclear, such as safety concerns. First-person writing is expected. Describing the client respectfully, and reporting the client's own response if you discussed it with them, makes the reflection more credible.
Inside the HW350 Unit 9 example
The reflection opens with the moment: a client describing her quiet afternoons and the coach interrupting with a fruit bowl suggestion, which she accepted and ignored. The seminar section reports the playback exercise and a classmate's question about what she had been about to say, then the observation linking the writer's problem-solving pride to the righting reflex, under a highlighted line that the advice was good enough to be agreed with and forgotten. A section explains why helpers from advising jobs feel the urge most. Three changes follow, with a tally that now shows questions outnumbering suggestions three to one. Gloria's own response, the cases where advice is right and a closing paragraph complete the paper.
Where the points sit in the HW350 Unit 9 rubric
Seminar reflections earn their points through honesty, insight and evidence of change. A specific moment described candidly earns more than a general discussion of coaching. The seminar's contribution should be clear, whether a classmate's question or a reading. Graders reward linking the moment to theory, such as the righting reflex, in a way that explains it. Concrete changes in practice, ideally measured, show the reflection mattered. Acknowledging where advice is appropriate shows nuance. Reporting the client's view adds credibility. Professional first-person writing and three APA 7 references, for the motivational interviewing text, self-determination theory and the clarity paper, complete the rubric.
HW350 Unit 9 help from the desk
Reflections on coaching often describe a success story rather than a mistake, which leaves little to reflect on. Another weakness is criticizing advice in general without examining one's own habit. Some writers claim to have stopped advising entirely, which is unrealistic and ignores safety situations. Sources cited without connection to the moment add length but not insight. Reflections that never show a later change in practice end without proof. Before writing, recall a session where your client agreed with you and then did nothing, and ask what happened in the minute before. Share that moment, and the reflection can be drafted around it.
Get an HW350 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
Share what the seminar covered, your experience and the prompt with its rubric. A custom reflection connects the discussion to your coaching practice. It comes back within 24-48h, and the first is free. 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.
More HW350 papers and BS in Health and Wellness samples
- HW350 Unit 1: Health Coach Role Discussion Post
- HW350 Unit 2: Intake and Eligibility Appraisal
- HW350 Unit 3: Behavior Change Models Comparison
- HW350 Unit 4: PERMA Positive Psychology Application
- HW350 Unit 5: Self-Efficacy and Sustained Gains Paper
- HW350 Unit 6: Mindfulness in Coaching Paper
- HW350 Unit 7: Motivational Interviewing Exchange
- HW350 Unit 8: Coaching Scope and Referral Memo
- HW350 Unit 10: Coaching Plan
- HW410 Unit 9: Workplace Stress Analysis
- HW320 Unit 9: Client Nutrition Memo
- HW420 Unit 9: Client Support Memo
- HW315 Unit 9: Intervention Design
HW350 Unit 9 questions, answered
What if I missed the HW350 seminar?
Most sections offer a written alternative. Check its instructions.
What is the difference between coaching and advising?
Advising tells the client what to do; coaching helps the client decide.
Should the reflection include a mistake?
Often, yes. A moment you advised instead of coached makes a strong reflection.
Where can I find a free HW350 Unit 9 sample paper?
The complete HW350 Unit 9 seminar reflection is given here, examining a coach's habit of advising too quickly and what changed after a seminar on the righting reflex.
What does the writer change in the HW350 Unit 9 sample?
Waiting for the client to finish and reflecting first, asking permission before sharing ideas and tallying questions against suggestions after each session.