How to Really Know Your Health Coach

By Kathleen Welshman RN-BC, BA, NBC-HWC

Integrative Nurse Health Coach

Health Coach? Wellness Coach? Life Coach? All trendy titles these days that catch people’s attention. But, what do these titles mean and what is the education and credentialing behind them?  If you google “health coach”, you will find varying information from how to become a health coach to where you can find a local health coach.  Consumer be aware. Because this is a new field, anyone can hang a shingle out calling themselves a health or wellness coach. This does not mean they have any formal training or expertise. There are many folks out there calling themselves by these titles, some with very little, if any, educational background in the healthcare field. At Hackensack Meridian Integrative Health & Medicine, we set the bar quite high. All of our health coaches are Registered Nurses first. Our nurses have varying backgrounds and areas of expertise, all with at least 10-20+ years of nursing experience before becoming a health coach. This background has given these nurses a solid foundation on which to build.

Our registered nurse health coaches have all attended and graduated from coaching programs in “integrative health coaching,” not just “health coaching.” Their knowledge in integrative approaches to health and well-being are based on evidence-based practices. Our health coaches have attended programs at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and The University of Arizona, Center for Integrative Medicine. Both of these schools have met all the standards and requirements by the International Consortium of Health and Wellness Coaches (ICHWC). The ICHWC has joined with The National Board of Medical Examiners to develop a national standard for Health and Wellness Coaches. They have set a measure of foundational competencies, knowledge, tasks, and skills essential to the practice of health and wellness coaching. The application of coaching knowledge is assessed by the Health and Wellness Coach Certifying Exam. Our health coaches have sat for the very first qualifying exam, have passed and are now National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coaches. They are among the elite, approximately 1,000 NBC-HWC in the country. Add to this, the requirement of coaches at Hackensack Meridian Health, also are Registered Nurses. So, when seeking out a coach to partner with on your wellness journey, do your research first and turn to Hackensack Meridian Integrative Health & Medicine for highly qualified and credentialed RN/Health Coaches.

Meet our health coaches and learn more about health coaching here.

Click here for more information about Hackensack Meridian Integrative Health & Medicine or call 732-263-7999.

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