| Course | HW450 Applied Health Coaching |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 6 |
| Paper type | Coaching plan |
| Length | About 900 words, 6 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 HW450 Unit 6
Three Pillars Over Sixteen Weeks, Built Around the Evenings: A Unit 6 Coaching Plan for a Caregiver With Stage 1 Hypertension
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HW450: Applied Health Coaching
Unit 6 Coaching Plan
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The client, family, sessions and figures are composite; the guidelines and studies cited are real, and medical decisions remain with her physician.
Teresa's Goals, in Her Words
"Stay off blood pressure pills." "Have more patience with Mom." The plan treats the second goal as seriously as the first, because her stress and her blood pressure are linked in her own account of her days, and because a plan that ignored her caregiving would fail within a week.
What the Evidence Recommends
National guidance for adults with elevated or stage 1 blood pressure recommends nonpharmacologic measures first for those at lower cardiovascular risk: weight loss if overweight, a heart-healthy eating pattern such as DASH, sodium reduction, more potassium, regular physical activity and limiting alcohol, with blood pressure rechecked after several months (Whelton et al., 2018). In the DASH-sodium trial, both lower sodium and the DASH pattern lowered systolic pressure, and the combination lowered it most (Sacks et al., 2001). These are the measures her physician asked her to try, and they form the content of the plan. The coaching determines how she puts them into her life.
Pillar One: Eating Pattern and Sodium
Goal she set. Bring estimated sodium from about 3,800 milligrams a day toward 2,300 by week 12, mostly through lunch and dinner changes.
Strategies. Sunday lunch preparation with her son, three days a week; a reserve of reduced-salt frozen entrées at work for hard days; one home-cooked dinner a week, then two, using a slow cooker so dinner is ready when caregiving starts; checking labels on her three most frequent takeout orders and choosing the lowest-sodium option.
Measure. A three-day food record every four weeks using the same app.
Pillar Two: Physical Activity
Goal she set. Walk 20 minutes after dinner with her mother five days a week, and a 20-minute lunchtime walk on two workdays, by week 10.
Strategies. The after-dinner walk on the cul-de-sac her mother enjoys; lunchtime walks with a coworker who has asked to join.
Measure. Step count from her phone, weekly average.
Pillar Three: Alcohol
Goal she set. Wine on Friday and Saturday only, one or two glasses, by week 8.
Strategy. The porch tea ritual written as an if-then plan for weeknights.
Measure. Wine nights per week on her log.
Underneath: Stress and Connection
Goal she set. Two evenings a week with help: her sister on Thursdays and, once arranged, an adult day program on two weekdays so she can rest before evening care.
Strategies. Follow up with the area agency on aging; ask her husband to take one bath night a week.
Measure. A weekly stress rating from 1 to 10 and a patience rating she invented herself: "How many times did I snap at Mom this week?"
Teresa's patience rating is not on any validated scale, but it is the measure she checks first every week, which makes it the most useful one in the plan.
Why These Goals and Not Others
Weight loss is also recommended for people with high blood pressure who are overweight, and Teresa's physician mentioned it. Teresa chose not to set a weight goal, saying that after her mother moved in, weighing herself had become "one more thing to feel bad about." Her choice is respected: weight may change as eating and activity change, and her physician will see it at the recheck. The plan also leaves potassium out of her goals, because her physician did not mention it and potassium changes can matter for some people with kidney or medication issues; she can ask at her next visit.
Session Focus
Session five, week 7. Review the first two months of logs; adjust lunch and dinner strategies.
Session six, week 9. Activity and the lunchtime walks; respite arrangements.
Session seven, week 11. Wine and evenings; what has replaced the decompression the wine provided.
Session eight, week 13. Review home readings she shares and her logs; prepare questions for her physician's three-month recheck.
Follow-up, week 16. Maintenance after the program ends.
Home Blood Pressure and the Physician
Teresa takes home readings twice a day for one week each month, as her physician asked, using a validated upper-arm cuff and the technique her clinic taught her. A joint statement from national heart and medical associations recommends averaging multiple readings taken over several days for decisions, rather than reacting to any single reading (Shimbo et al., 2020). She will share her averages with me as a record of progress and with her physician, who decides whether lifestyle measures are enough at the three-month visit. I do not interpret the readings.
When the Plan Will Change
If her readings or symptoms prompt her physician to start medication, the plan continues alongside treatment. If caregiving demands rise, as they did the week her mother fell, goals scale down for that week rather than being abandoned.
Conclusion
The plan applies the measures national guidance recommends for stage 1 hypertension, sodium reduction, a DASH-style pattern, activity and less alcohol, through strategies chosen around Teresa's evenings and her family. Its measures include her blood pressure averages, shared with her physician, and her own patience rating, because both of her goals matter.
References
Sacks, F. M., Svetkey, L. P., Vollmer, W. M., Appel, L. J., Bray, G. A., Harsha, D., Obarzanek, E., Conlin, P. R., Miller, E. R., III, Simons-Morton, D. G., Karanja, N., & Lin, P.-H. (2001). Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. New England Journal of Medicine, 344(1), 3-10. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM200101043440101
Shimbo, D., Artinian, N. T., Basile, J. N., Krakoff, L. R., Margolis, K. L., Rakotz, M. K., & Wozniak, G. (2020). Self-measured blood pressure monitoring at home: A joint policy statement from the American Heart Association and American Medical Association. Circulation, 142(4), e42-e63. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000803
Whelton, P. K., Carey, R. M., Aronow, W. S., Casey, D. E., Jr., Collins, K. J., Dennison Himmelfarb, C., DePalma, S. M., Gidding, S., Jamerson, K. A., Jones, D. W., MacLaughlin, E. J., Muntner, P., Ovbiagele, B., Smith, S. C., Jr., Spencer, C. C., Stafford, R. S., Taler, S. J., Thomas, R. J., Williams, K. A., Sr., ... Wright, J. T., Jr. (2018). 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults. Hypertension, 71(6), e13-e115. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYP.0000000000000065
The Purdue Global HW450 Unit 6 instructions
Unit 6 usually asks for a coaching plan that integrates lifestyle medicine principles with the client's goals and barriers. Expect to state the client's goals in her words, summarize what the evidence recommends for her condition and then set goals, strategies and measures for each pillar the plan covers. Instructors look for goals the client set, strategies that answer her barriers and measures that will show progress. The plan should say how the coach will work with the client's clinician, especially when the client tracks medical readings. Session-by-session focus and rules for adjusting the plan during a crisis show realism. Explaining goals the client chose not to set, such as weight, shows the plan respects her decisions rather than the textbook list.
Inside the HW450 Unit 6 example
The plan opens with her two goals and why the patience goal matters as much as the blood pressure goal. A section summarizes the guideline's lifestyle recommendations and the DASH-sodium findings as the plan's content. Each pillar then lists her goal, strategies and measure: Sunday lunches and slow-cooker dinners for sodium, walks for activity, the porch tea ritual for wine. Stress and connection add respite and a patience rating she invented, under a highlighted line about why that unvalidated measure is the most useful one. A section explains why she set no weight goal. Session focus runs to a follow-up at week 16, followed by how readings are averaged and shared and how goals scale down in a crisis.
Where the points sit in the HW450 Unit 6 rubric
Coaching plans are scored on alignment with evidence, client ownership and measurability. The content should match what guidelines recommend for the condition. Goals should be the client's and stated in measurable terms. Graders reward strategies that answer the client's barriers and measures that will show change. Coordination with the clinician, especially around readings, shows scope awareness. Session focus and crisis rules show realism. Including a measure the client designed signals client-centered practice. The plan should explain any recommended measure the client declined. APA 7 entries are needed for the national guideline, the 2001 feeding trial and the statement on home readings. A plan that names when it will be reviewed, and by whom, is easier to grade and to follow.
Common HW450 Unit 6 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Plans often repeat guideline recommendations without turning them into goals the client chose. Another frequent weakness is measures that cannot be collected, or no measures at all. Some writers have the coach interpret blood pressure readings or suggest medication changes. Plans that ignore the client's main barrier, such as caregiving evenings, rarely survive the first week. Leaving out what happens during a crisis makes the plan brittle. Before writing, list the guideline's recommendations and ask your client which two she is willing to start with. Send her choices and barriers, and the plan can be built around them. Goals written in the coach's words rather than the client's are another quiet sign the plan is not hers.
Get an HW450 Unit 6 example written to your instructions
Send the client, goals and plan instructions with the rubric. A custom plan sets goals, strategies, sessions and measures. It is free the first time and arrives within 24-48h. 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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HW450 Unit 6 questions, answered
Which lifestyle medicine pillars should the plan cover?
Those that matter most to the client's goals, often two or three at a time.
Who sets the goals?
The client, with the coach's help.
Should the plan name measures?
Yes, so progress can be evaluated later.
Where can I find a free HW450 Unit 6 sample paper?
Read the full HW450 Unit 6 coaching plan here, applying lifestyle medicine to a caregiver's stage 1 hypertension across five remaining sessions.
Why is there no weight goal in the HW450 Unit 6 sample?
The client chose not to set one because weighing herself had become a source of distress; weight may change with eating and activity, and her physician will see it at the recheck.