Alisha Evans is a qualified Health and Wellbeing Coach and National Programme Manager at Experience Led Care. In her article, she discusses how group clinics can help people to feel more confident and in control of their health and care through peer support.
Behaviour change is a fickle, complex beast. Anyone who has ever tried to overhaul their lifestyle knows it’s not just about knowing what to do. It’s about having the right mix of support, motivation, timing, and belief that change is actually possible. And when you’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes, your HbA1c is creeping up, and your weight and blood pressure are nudging into worrying territory, behaviour change can feel like running a marathon with zero training.
Then you find yourself sitting across from a health and wellbeing coach who doesn’t really feel like you. They’re young, smiling and their bodies aren’t giving them any problems. That might feel a world away from how you’re experiencing things now. But they’re kind, they’re knowledgeable, and they genuinely do want to help. But a part of you can’t help thinking: What do you know about what I’m going through?!
You’re being asked to open up about fears, habits, and the tangled complexity of your life, and the person listening doesn’t quite look like someone who has been through that too. It’s nobody’s fault; it’s just human nature. As a coach myself, I’ve sat in those rooms, feeling the weight of that unspoken question.
My name is Alisha Evans, and I’m a Level 3 qualified health and wellbeing coach. I can say, hand on heart, that some of the most meaningful moments I’ve witnessed in healthcare haven’t happened in my one-to-one sessions, they’ve happened in Group Clinics.
Group clinics bring something to the table that no textbook, qualification or online course can replicate: lived experience.
There is a special kind of magic that fills a room when people sit together and realise they’re not the only ones feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, confused, or frustrated. The relief is almost visible. Shoulders drop. People smile in recognition. Someone laughs at an anecdote that they’ve lived themselves. Suddenly, the room feels softer, and people relax, knowing they’re not alone.
I’ve watched people in group clinics listen to their peers in a way they simply don’t listen to me in a one-to-one session…and I say that with zero frustration, and complete admiration. When someone says, “I tried that active 10 app, and now I’m walking everyday” the group leans in. When another person admits they were terrified to start medication, three others nod in agreement, knowing that was exactly how they felt too before they tried it. That kind of connection can’t be prescribed; it’s built.
And in those moments, behaviour change stops feeling like a lecture and starts feeling like a shared journey.
Yes, I’m there to guide, support, and provide the evidence-based tools. But it’s the group who shows each other what’s possible. It’s the group who normalises the setbacks, celebrates the small wins, and shares the kind of honest truth you only get from someone who really gets it.
Group clinics transform personalised care. Each person walks in with their own story, their own barriers, their own goals…but in a group, they discover strategies that might never have crossed their mind. They gain confidence not just from professional advice, but from seeing someone just like them take a small step forward.
And the ripple effect is incredible. People leave feeling not just informed, but understood. Not just motivated, but supported. Not just advised, but connected.
If you ask me, personalised care isn’t just about tailoring a plan. It’s about giving people a space where they can see themselves reflected, heard, and encouraged. That’s the power of group clinics. That’s how behaviour change sticks.
And that’s why I’ll always believe that healing and thriving happens best when people do it together.
Feel free to contact me at alisha@elcworks.co.uk if you want to talk about how group clinics can improve personalised care in your work.
Alisha Evans
National Programme Manager
The ELC Programme
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alisha-evans124
Website: www.elcworks.co.uk
X @ELCworks