Health Coach

As interest in preventive health, whole-person wellness, and behavior change continues to expand, trained health and wellness coaches are needed to help individuals identify their personal health and wellness goals, build on their strengths, and develop sustainable strategies for positive behavior change. This comprehensive health coach training program provides you with the foundational knowledge and practical coaching skills needed to partner with clients using an evidence-based, client-...

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9 Months / 80 Course Hrs
Open Enrollment
Clinical Experience
Offered in partnership with your preferred school

CSU Channel Islands

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Health Coach

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Course code: GES1144

What you will learn

  • Apply evidence-informed behavior change theories and coaching techniques to help clients identify goals, overcome barriers, and create sustainable health and wellness changes
  • Demonstrate client-centered communication skills, including active listening, reflective responding, motivational interviewing, values clarification, and collaborative goal setting
  • Apply health and wellness coaching ethics, professional boundaries, confidentiality requirements, scope of practice, and appropriate referral protocols
  • Integrate whole-person health principles and foundational knowledge of nutrition, physical activity, mental health, chronic disease, substance use, and social determinants of health into scope-appropriate coaching conversations
  • Demonstrate practical health and wellness coaching competencies through live coaching practice, instructor feedback, and a practical skills assessment

How you will benefit

  • Develop health and wellness coaching competencies through a program designed to align with NBHWC training requirements and support a future pathway toward NBHWC certification, pending program approval
  • Build confidence working directly with clients through structured live practice, instructor guidance, peer feedback, and practical application of coaching skills
  • Develop the professional judgment needed to coach within an appropriate scope of practice, maintain ethical boundaries, and recognize when a client should be referred to another healthcare professional
  • Gain versatile coaching competencies applicable across healthcare organizations, corporate wellness programs, community wellness settings, and independent coaching practice
  • Leave the program with an employment-focused plan for applying your coaching skills and pursuing professional opportunities in health and wellness coaching

How the course is taught

  • Self-paced, online course
  • 9 Months to complete
  • Open enrollment, begin anytime
  • 80 course hours

Lesson 1: Foundations of Health and Wellness Coaching

  • Chapter 1: What is Health and Wellness Coaching?
  • Chapter 2: Coaching Presence and the Client Relationship
  • Chapter 3: Scope, Roles, and Ethics in Professional Practice
  • Chapter 4: Anatomy of a Coaching Session 

Lesson 2: Behavior Change Theory and Motivational Interviewing

  • Chapter 1: Foundations of Change: Core Behavior Change Theories
  • Chapter 2: Motivational Interviewing and the Language of Change
  • Chapter 3: Sustainable Change and Scope: Applying Models in Practice 

Lesson 3: The Language of Coaching: Communication, Culture, and Applied Practice

  • Chapter 1: The Language of Coaching: Core Communication Skills
  • Chapter 2: Culturally Responsive Practice and Pattern Recognition
  • Chapter 3: Applied Tools: MI Prompting and Structured Goal Cocreation 

Lesson 4: Ethics and Professional Practice

  • Chapter 1: Ethical Foundations: The NBHWC Framework and Client Responsibilities
  • Chapter 2: Score Boundaries and Disclosure Triage
  • Chapter 3: Applied Ethics, Decision Processes, and Referral in Practice 

Practical Skills Assessment

Lesson 5: Holistic Health and Wellness Coaching

  • Chapter 1: Foundations of Whole-Person Health
  • Chapter 2: Components of Proactive Health and Well-Being
  • Chapter 3: Lifestyle Medicine, Prevention, and Chronic Disease
  • Chapter 4: Health Equity and Social Context
  • Chapter 5: Scope-Bounded Holistic Coaching
  • Chapter 6: Applied Whole-Person Coaching 

Lesson 6: From Credential to Career: Employment, Completion, and Professional Readiness

  • Chapter 1: The Coaching Job Landscape: Settings, Credentials, and Ethical Expectations
  • Chapter 2: Completion Planning and Strength-to-Setting Alignment
  • Chapter 3: Employment-Ready Plan 

Final Exam

Misty Marlowe

Misty C. Marlowe completed her M.A. in Clinical/Community Psychology at UNC-Charlotte and her Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Capella University. She has devoted the past 22 years of her career to the nuances of human behavior and personal development. With a commitment to fostering resilience and enhancing relationships, Misty has excelled at coaching individuals from diverse backgrounds, aiming to unlock their potential for personal growth. Her approach to life coaching, grounded in Jungian Analytical and Gestalt techniques, reflects her passion for helping others achieve self-understanding and positive change.

Prerequisites:

Associate’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university, or 60 college credits, or 4,000 hours of work experience.

Students who plan to sit for the NBHWC certification must have achieved an associate’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university.

Students who have obtained 60 credits but have not yet finished their degree may complete an education attestation form upon beginning their application for certification.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 10 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Microsoft Word Online
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC) 

The certifying body is a unique accreditor of Health and Wellness coaches nationally, ensuring the highest standards for training and practice. They focus on client-focused, evidence-based practice that prioritizes ethics and maintains a strict scope of practice amongst healthcare colleagues.  

Health coach salaries vary based on experience, location, employer, and other factors. According to Salary.com, the average health coach salary in the U.S. is approximately $62,400 per year, or $30 per hour, as of October 2026. The middle 50% of health coaches earn approximately $53,800 to $70,800 annually.

A health and wellness coach is a professional who partners with clients to identify health and wellness goals and make sustainable changes that support their overall well-being. Rather than diagnosing conditions or prescribing treatment, health coaches use a client-centered approach to help individuals clarify goals, build on their strengths, identify barriers, and develop realistic strategies for change.

Health coaches may support clients in areas such as healthy habits, physical activity, stress management, sleep, work-life balance, and other wellness goals. They use skills such as active listening, motivational interviewing, goal setting, action planning, and accountability to support lasting behavior change. Health and wellness coaches can bring their skills to a variety of settings, including healthcare and wellness organizations, community programs, corporate wellness initiatives, and private coaching practices.

This course is intended to prepare students for the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC) certification. Currently, the course is applying for approval and is pending results. Students who are enrolled when the course is approved will be able to sit for the NBHWC certification exam.

After you register, you will receive 9 months to complete the course. The time allotted for completion has been calculated based on the number of asynchronous course hours and live session attendance required.

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