What We Stand For

We help professionals and community activists develop the critical skills that enable them to help others help themselves make positive, lasting behavior change.

 Our Founders

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David Mee-Lee, MD

David is a board-certified psychiatrist, and is certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM). Based in Davis, California.

David has trained and consulted nationally and internationally for hundreds of organizations, ranging from small mental health centers to government departments and national behavioral healthcare companies.

David has also authored a number of book chapters and papers in a variety of professional publications. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of all past and current editions of The ASAM Criteria.

David is the recipient of ASAM’s 2017 John P. McGovern Award. David has forty years of experience in person-centered treatment and program development for people with co-occurring mental health and substance-use conditions.

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Dr. Deborah Teplow

Deborah is an expert in behavior design and client/patient engagement in self-change.

Her approach is person-centered, solution-focused, and strength-based. She has published widely on evidence-based strategies to promote lasting behavior change.

Deborah earned her doctorate from Stanford University and is certified as a Tiny Habits® Coach by BJ Fogg, Director, Stanford Behavior Design Lab, was a member of Fogg’s TIny Habits Research Lab. Deborah also has extensive training in solution-focused brief therapy and recently graduated from SAMHSA’s Faith Leadership Academy to help faith communities address substance use disorder.

Deborah has pioneered approaches to training that translate solid science into effective action that delivers proven results for professionals and community activists in diverse settings ranging from local, state, and federal organizations to individual groups and families.

Prior to IWE, Deborah cofounded Health Focus, Inc., a medical education company that partnered with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and Indiana University School of Medicine to produce continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. She was instrumental in developing CME for national and international launches of lifesaving pharmaceutical products in oncology, neurology, cardiology, infectious disease, gastroenterology, and psychiatry.

 What We Believe

At the Institute for Wellness Education:

  • We believe…in the democratization of wellness.

  • We believe…everyone can make positive, lasting change to boost their own wellbeing—and inspire and guide others.

  • We believe…everyone, regardless of educational achievement, professional role, or work experience, can make a difference.

  • We believe…everyone from the grassroots and front-lines to the executive suite has a role to play in transforming our culture so that everyone has a voice, a choice, and the ability to exercise that choice.

  • We believe…today’s “expert knows best” helping model, whether in healthcare or other settings, limits individual self-efficacy and community empowerment.

  • We believe…we do our best when we help others help themselves.

  • We believe…together, we can do better.

What We Do

We offer a best-in-class training program that turns the “expert” model on its head. We believe that each person is the expert of themselves, and that all change is self-change.

We offer a rich array of programming in the language of caring conversation and science of behavior change for professionals, in healthcare and social service agencies, community organizations, schools, and businesses. Our training is also appropriate for community activists working to transform communities.

Our courses help practitioners develop the competence and confidence to help others help themselves. In the process, people also learn how to maximize their own well-being.

Our work is based on solid science and integrity. We teach a person-centered, biopsychosocial-spiritual model that accounts for all the factors that contribute to well-being. Our approach is solution-focused, strength-based, and outcomes-driven.

Our Program

Affordable. Accessible. Appropriate.

Socioeconomic status must not be a barrier to learning. We make tuition costs manageable, and give special consideration to people working in community-based settings.

Our online courses and live training sessions are easy to access for students anywhere in the world through any device.

Our program is flexible to fit the needs of people worldwide regardless of setting, scheduling, or target goals.

Our training is rigorous because everyone deserves a chance to thrive. The skills students develop through our training help them transform lives.

Everyone’s a Coach

Our program improves the effectiveness of anyone in a position to influence others, from community activists, clergy, and teachers and students, to business and clinical professionals.

We Set the US National Standard

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Students train with the experts who “wrote the book.” We created the national occupational competencies and training curriculum the US Department of Labor used to establish wellness coaching as an official US occupation SOC # 21-1094.00).

The competencies and curriculum also serve as the basis for the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship in Wellness Coaching. (Bulletin and Curriculum)

Our Vision

We founded IWE with the mission to promote cultural transformation so that health and wellness become the norm for individuals, communities, and the nation.

Our work is inspired by John F. Kennedy’s assertion that “Anyone can make a difference and everyone should try.”

 Our Values

Inclusivity and Empowerment

We believe that everyone, regardless of educational attainment or professional preparation, can make a meaningful contribution to the health and well-being of their community.

Creativity

Our work is characterized by intellectual rigor, generosity of spirit, creativity, and play.

Respect

We respect and value all human beings.

Evidence-Based

We honor the critical roles science and art play in promoting human development and transformational change.

Our Goals

The goals of IWE’s programming are to foster a culture that emphasizes:

  • Strengths vs deficits

    • Relationships and collaboration vs individual blame

    • Prevention vs reaction

    • Engagement and empowerment vs arrogance and judgment

  • Finding solutions by focusing on what works vs solving problems by concentrating on what's wrong.

  • Using science-based strategies and tools within a biopsychosocial-spiritual model to promote positive lasting behavior change.

  • Creating psychological safety so people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings, pursuing new ideas, and applying creative thinking to the challenges they face.

  • Modeling a whole-person, person-centered approach to individual and individual, organizational, and community well-being.

  • Measuring meaningful outcomes to increase what works, eliminate what fails, and improve what shows promise.