health coach certification

The National Board Certification credential (NBC-HWC) represents the profession’s highest standard, and was developed in collaboration with the National Board of Medical Examiners.

With greater availability of health and wellness coach training programs than ever before, ensuring baseline qualification of coaches - and the organizations training them - has become critical to advancing the industry’s standard of care.

Our Health Coach Certification is Approved Health and Wellness Coach Training & Education Program by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC).

Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for the HWC Certifying Examination to become National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).

To qualify for the National Board Certification Exam, you must:

1. Have an associate’s degree or higher or 4,000 hours of work experience in any field
2. Complete an NBHWC approved training program
3. Complete 50 health & wellness coaching sessions (upon graduation from approved training program)

Once you have met these qualifications, you must apply for the National Board Certification Exam and score 80% or higher.

Yes. mindbodygreen's Health Coach Certification is an NBHWC-approved training program. That means graduates are eligible to sit for the NBHWC board exam and pursue the NBC-HWC credential — the profession's highest standard, developed in collaboration with the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Health coaches are behavior and motivation experts. They partner with clients who are seeking to improve their well-being and provide them with the knowledge, skills & motivation to make lasting lifestyle changes.

This can include - but is not limited to - nutrition approaches, fitness/activity plans, stress management protocol and broader lifestyle adjustments that will help clients reach their wellness goals.

The most effective coaches motivate, support and demonstrate unconditional positive regard for their clients and believe in their capacity to change.

A health coach can provide a range of guidance depending on area(s) of practice and specific client need(s). This may include guidance on ways of eating, lifestyle adjustments, healthy habit creation, accountability, positive reinforcement and more.

A health coach can also:

Empower and educate clients to advocate for themselves in their healthcare setting. Assist clients to find a network of providers that best support their needs and wellness goals. Support clients in achieving health goals and behavioral changes which are consistent with their healthcare providers treatment plans. Help clients shift their perspective to see new opportunities and release limiting beliefs. Enable clients to increase their primary food, improve nutrition, and make lifestyle shifts to promote overall health and well-being. A health coach does not diagnose conditions or prescribe any individualized treatments, tests, or supplements for conditions. What health coaches can say about nutrition, exercise and lifestyle varies by state and by country.

There are several meaningful ways in which our program stands apart from other board-certified options:‍

1. Our program not only provides best-in-class coaching fundamentals, but does so through a uniquely holistic mindbodygreen perspective.

2. Our weekly training has been thoughtfully designed to maximize knowledge retention & skill building in the shortest period of time possible (versus spreading the course over 6- or 12-months).

3. Our curriculum includes abundant real-time practice, including peer & faculty mock coaching feedback, to ensure you are confidently ready to serve as a health coach by time you graduate.

4. Certified health coaches - NBC-HWCs - will teach, train and mentor you through every step of the process. We truly believe that there is no better way for you to learn than from professionals who have successfully earned their board credentials and spent hundreds of hours working with clients.

5. Our support doesn’t end upon graduation: we are committed to helping to position all of our students for success - not only through connection to our extensive wellness community but through access to a robust network of graduates for opportunity sharing, continuing education and more.

If you’d like to learn more about what makes our Health Coach Certification stand apart, we invite you to chat with a Program Advisor mbgcoaching@mindbodygreen.com

Our Health Coach Certification provides students with the foundation of effective health coaching, including various methods of listening, inquiry, reflection, goal setting, mindset shifts and habit creation. While basic nutrition is covered within our Health Coach Certification, students seeking a more in-depth nutrition training would benefit from the nutrition & longevity+ program.

The nutrition & longevity+ provides in-depth insight on functional nutrition. It’s a fantastic compliment to the Health Coach Certification, and as an advanced training to build upon nearly any health & wellness discipline.

No. From time to time, we may offer different complimentary courses, perks and partnerships as part of enrollment in a given cohort. Those perks will always be made clear at the time of enrollment and cannot be changed after enrollment. Perks are not interchangeable from cohort to cohort.

Our Alumni Program provides graduates with twenty hours of annual education for ongoing support and development. We offer focused study sessions for alumni preparing for the NBHWC exam. Alumni also have the opportunity to learn from and get real-world insights and inspiration from industry experts and successful health coaches. Many topics covered during alumni education sessions help our coaches build their businesses, including marketing, pricing services, finding clients, incorporating group coaching, and more.

To further support alumni in building their own businesses, we offer free business education designed to give you practical tools for marketing, business development, and—just as importantly—shifting your mindset for long-term success. Mindbodygreen graduates can enroll in this business course at no additional cost.

This course takes place online - through streamed video, live instruction and downloaded materials. Students must have the following:

- Good internet connection
- Laptop & Zoom account (free)
- Familiarity with Zoom
- Printer access

Kindly note that Zoom is required for recording your practice sessions (a prerequisite for all board-approved programs) and the recording feature is not supported on mobile or tablet devices. A laptop or desktop computer is required.

The Health Coach Certification is twenty weeks in duration with pre-determined program start and end dates. This means that all students within a particular enrollment period will become part of one unified cohort, progressing through the program together & graduating at the same time. It makes for a fantastic built-in support network!

Given this fact, it is important to ensure that you are in a position to commit to the requirements of the program for 20 weeks. The majority of this program is delivered through required live instructional hours taught at set times each week.

While we understand life events can interfere with participation, students who miss more than a few lessons and are not able to attend make-up sessions will be encouraged to complete the course during the next enrollment cycle.

Refund requests up to 14-days after purchase will receive a full refund, less a $250 administrative fee.

Refund requests up to Week 3 of the Health Coach Certification will receive a 75% refund, less a $250 admin fee. No refunds will be granted after Week 3 of the program.