Holistic health coaching is an exciting field that allows you to help people transform their lives by helping them take control of their health and wellness.
The purpose of this article is to provide you with the information you need to become a holistic health coach.
Step 1: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Holistic Health Coaching or a Related Field
Before you can be licensed as a holistic health coach, you will need to earn at least a bachelor’s degree in holistic health coaching or a related field. There are many colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees in holistic health coaching, but some schools may require that you also have an associate degree before they will accept applicants into their program.
Step 2: Earn Your Holistic Health Coach Certification
In order to become licensed as an official holistic health coach, you must pass two exams administered by the National Association for Holistic Agriculture (NAHA). These exams cover areas such as nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy and traditional Chinese medicine. Once you have passed these exams, you will receive your NAHA certification badge. This badge indicates that you have met the minimum requirements for licensure as a holistic health coach and can legally practice this profession in any state in the United States.
How To Become Holistic Health Coach
As a wellness journalist, one of the best parts of my job is getting to share my favorite healthy discoveries with people. Whether it’s a new eating plan, just-released food product, or buzzy workout, I love helping people live their best, healthiest lives ever. Are you the same way? Then you might make a pretty stellar health coach.
I had never heard of health coaches before I worked at Well+Good and it became my job to interview wellness experts for a living. I had a vague idea of them meeting with clients, but wasn’t quite sure how they were different than dietitians or nutritionists—or even if they were legit.
If, like I was, you’re vaguely aware of holistic health coaches, but aren’t quite sure what they do and what it takes to become one, keep reading. Now that I’m one myself—surprise!—I can tell you all about it.
What does a holistic health coach do, exactly?
After it seemed like everyone I was meeting in the wellness world was a holistic health coach, I decided to find out for myself first-hand what they’re about. I went to an open house hosted by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), the world’s largest health coaching program. They broke it down to me this way: You know how there are trainers who help keep your fitness on point? Health coaches are trainers for other areas of your life, primarily diet and eating habits. And holistic health coaches look at the whole picture (meaning besides food) to help clients with other issues, such as time management, anxiety, and stress.
Unlike doctors, health coaches can’t diagnose clients with specific conditions. And while nutritionists and dietitians may put clients on a specific eating plans to treat specific issues, the role of a health coach is to help you find the tools and skills you need reach your health goals. If, for example, you want to try going plant-based but still have to make dinner for the whole family (who is used to eating meat-centric meals), a health coach can help create a meal plan. Or if you want to eat healthier but have a crazy schedule and never seem to have time to meal prep or work out, a health coach can help with time management. If something a client is grappling with is outside the scope of a holistic health coach, they would refer that person to another credentialed professional for extra support.
I became interested in health coaching because I saw it as another way to help people. Sure, writing articles with need-to-know info is one way. But working one-on-one with clients with their specific health needs is another, and I find it really rewarding. I can tell you first-hand that many times people come in with the goal of talking about food, but often the sessions become so much more than that. For example, if someone says they have a problem with excessive snacking after work, talking with a health coach might help them realize that their post-work eating might be linked to intense stress at work, or just because they’re not getting enough filling protein and healthy fats at lunch. I love helping my clients work through these roadblocks.
Of course, many health coaches have clients, but that isn’t the only career path people take. Some choose to blog or write books with their tips. Others may launch a wellness-minded business. Health coaches can also work full time in hospitals or clinics alongside doctors, nutritionists, or dietitians.
How to become a holistic health coach
1. Do your research
Like virtually everything, step one of becoming a holistic health coach starts with a little Googling. There is no one organization that reinforces specific course requirements or hours needed to train, nor is a license required to practice. Because of this, it’s important to look into programs to make sure they require rigorous coursework and training to ensure you’re getting legit info and skills.
Besides IIN, some other popular holistic health coaching programs include IAWP and American Fitness Professionals & Associates. Universities are also starting to offer holistic health coaching, such as Duke Integrative Medicine and University of Delaware. It’s important to consider factors like cost, duration, and if the structure will work with your schedule. IIN, for example, is a 6-month or year-long program (depending on which you prefer) and costs $6,000. Duke University’s 18 week-long Integrative Health Coaching Foundation Course is $4,440. The Primal Health Institute is six months and at $2,995 perhaps the most cost-effective option.
For me, IIN was the best choice given the price, structure, and topics. It gave the choice of either a year-long program or a six-month program (where you do the same amount of work as the year-long one, just in a shorter time frame.) Because I was working full-time on top of being in the program, I chose the year-long program.
Another indicator that a program is worth your attention is seeing who their graduates are and if they have strong client testimonials. If a program is getting bad reviews on Better Business Bureau, it’s probably not worth your time or money.
I also recommend comparing different schools’ course topics. Maybe one place has a point of view about health and nutrition that doesn’t quite gel with your own, or they’re offering classes that feel really boring or basic. That’s another good hint that it’s not the right choice for you.
2. Talk to people who have done it
Because you’re likely about to drop a few thousand dollars on health coaching school it’s important to not just rely on the program sites themselves to make your decision. When I was deciding whether or not to enroll in a program, I asked people who had done it what they thought about their experience. Of course, I have access to lots of health coaches and experts as part of my job. But I have found that sending an email or Instagram DM to someone telling them you are interested in becoming a health coach and are wondering if you could pick their brain almost always works, too.
Questions to consider asking: How much time did you spend a week on the course? Do you have a chance to do practice client sessions with other students so that you’re prepared for paying clients after graduating? Is it fun? Has it helped your career?
3. Do the work
Once you make your decision, the next step is actually enrolling and, you know, completing your course requirements. I committed about five to eight hours per week to watching video lectures and taking quizzes at the end of each lecture. Like other programs, IIN had bigger online tests as part of the curriculum. There were also mandatory small groups with other students, done via phone. The small groups were really helpful in for test prep and practice exams, and also provides a safe space to talk about any fears or questions that came up. Chances are, someone else is wondering the same thing!
4. Do practice sessions
Every certifiable holistic health coaching program requires students to do practice coaching sessions while still enrolled. To graduate from IIN’s program, I had to complete five practice sessions. I practiced with my friends and colleagues, but others may choose family members or even other students in the program. This is a safer, less stressful environment to help you develop your skills working with clients, so you’re more comfortable once you’ve graduated doing it on your own.
5. Build your business plan
Even before you finish your course, start putting your business plan together. Who do you want your clients to be? Are they busy moms with the goal of weight loss? Maybe you want to specialize in something, such as catering to vegans or executives in fast-paced, high-stress jobs. Once you find your niche, put a plan together about how you’re going to secure clients. Are you going to launch a website and create fliers? Are you going to approach medical professionals, suggesting a partnership?
Part of many health coaching programs, including IIN’s, includes teaching students exactly how to do this. Some will even make business cards for their students free of charge or give blueprints for fliers. Most also provide form templates health coaches can give clients to fill out, once they’re ready. But as for actually making connections in your community—such as finding other health professionals to partner with—that’s all you. It’s up to you to reach out and ask to meet with doctors, dietitians, or other experts you wish to partner with, asking if they are open to hearing how you can enrich their offerings.
6. Make money
How much can you expect to make as a health coach? Since in many cases, you’ll be launching your own business, it’s really up to you how much you want to charge. Some may choose to keep their session costs low so they can cater to people who might not otherwise be able to have access to a health coach, like college students or people in lower-income communities. Others may choose to charge $150 an hour, catering to a different clientele. You have to decide for yourself what you think your services are worth (and what makes sense to support your business plan). If you are hired by a hospital or clinic, the average salary is $48,239, according to Glassdoor.
For me, being a holistic health coach offers a chance to transform someone’s life. If you’ve ever dealt with digestive issues, anxiety, weight gain, or another health issue, you know how overwhelming it can be. Imagine helping someone with that. What could be more valuable than helping someone take control of their health?
