Inside Wave’s Coach University: Raising the Bar for Mental Health Coaching
Most platforms treat coaching as a gig. Contractors, inconsistent training, no accountability for outcomes.
That doesn’t work for employers, health plans, or the people who need care.
What Is Mental Health Coaching and Why It Matters Now
Mental health coaching has quickly become the front door to care access. Employees want faster, stigma-free ways to get support without waiting weeks for therapy. But not all coaching is created equal. Too often, “coaching” is a catch-all term, delivered by contractors with inconsistent training, no clinical model, and no accountability for outcomes.
At Wave, coaching is not “therapy-lite.” It’s a disciplined, evidence-based modality rooted in clinical science, delivered by rigorously trained, National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coaches (NBHWC), and continuously measured for results.
The Problem: Coaching Has No Industry Standard
The demand for coaching has exploded, yet most platforms rely on gig workers or part-time contractors. There is no shared definition of what coaching is, no common training framework, and no accountability for outcomes. Employers and health plans end up with inconsistent experiences and little proof of impact.
That is exactly what Wave set out to fix.
Wave’s Coach University: Turning Great Humans Into Great Coaches
Wave built Coach University (Coach U), our in-house training program, to professionalize coaching. Instead of outsourcing to contractors, Wave employs and develops our own workforce of W-2 coaches who are trained, supervised, and supported to deliver consistent, measurable care.
Coach U is rooted in our transdiagnostic model, and designed by Dr. Sarah Adler, a Stanford professor of psychiatry and clinical psychologist. Training includes evidence-based skills from CBT, ACT, and DBT, combined with values-based approaches that help members build resilience and meaning in their lives.
This ensures every Wave coach is not only empathetic, but clinically rigorous — ready to meet members where they are and guide them toward sustainable change.
Our Coaching Model: A Four-Step Cycle
At Wave, coaching follows a structured cycle that ensures consistency and measurable impact:
Initial Assessment & Foundation
Coaches gather context, understand presenting concerns, and set clear aims. This foundation ensures care is personalized from day one.Deeper Understanding & Exploration
Coaches identify underlying mechanisms keeping members stuck and explore individual strengths and values.Targeted Intervention & Action
Coaches apply evidence-based skills and strategies tailored to each member’s needs — from stress management to navigating grief, menopause, or chronic illness.Measuring Progress & Sustaining Change
Progress is assessed continuously. Members reflect on milestones, while coaches ensure clinically significant outcomes are tracked and sustained.
Built for Outcomes, Not Just Empathy
Unlike many vendors who stop at empathy, Wave’s model is engineered for results.
Weekly clinical rounds ensure expert oversight and rapid escalation for higher-acuity cases.
Our clinical supervisory model provides structured supervision pathways, keeping quality and safety consistent at scale.
Coaches act as both care providers and navigators, ensuring smooth transitions when therapy or specialty care is needed.
Whole-Spectrum Care, Including High Acuity
Most competitors design coaching only for “subclinical” needs. Wave’s model goes further. Our coaches are trained and supported to handle the full spectrum of acuity, from everyday stress to more severe needs, with structured escalation and trusted referral partners for select diagnoses.
That means employers and health plans don’t need to worry about gaps in coverage. Wave coaching works across entire populations, including high-acuity members.
Why Employers and Health Plans Should Care
When coaching is delivered with rigor, structure, and accountability, it drives better outcomes for people, and better ROI for organizations.
Higher engagement: 15–25 percent of employees use Wave, compared to just 2–5 percent with traditional EAPs.
Faster improvement: 70–73 percent improve within weeks, with anxiety and depression symptoms reduced by up to 50 percent.
Cost savings: Modeled health plan impact shows billions in potential savings by shifting utilization from costly therapy to early intervention coaching.
Proof in the Results
Wave’s outcomes speak for themselves. Members improve faster, stay engaged longer, and cost less to support compared to therapy-first approaches. And behind those outcomes is Coach University, ensuring every Wave coach is prepared, supported, and accountable.
👉 See how Wave’s coach-led care model delivers measurable results. Book a Demo