Q: When did the profession of health coaching begin?
A: The concept of health coaching has its roots around the early 2000’s through the International Coach Federation. The combination of coaching skills fundamentals along with the desire to help individuals toward a more holistic health plan was born. By taking the knowledge of human psychology and motivation theories, these new providers worked to assist people in making lasting behavior change.
Q: How and When was the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) created?
A: The original credentialing organization was (2010) the National Consortium for Credentialing Health and Wellness Coaches (NCCHWC). Their goal was to move the profession forward using standards that existed for other healthcare providers, and to raise the standard for training programs, working toward a national certification. A Job Task Analysis was created and validated by over 1,000 practicing coaches in the field to give standardization and credibility to health coaching.
Further movement in the profession happened in 2016 when the NBHWC teamed with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to develop an examination for board certification – over 10,000 coaches have been certified through that process since the test was initially offered in 2017. Along with the increased accountability and higher standards, the demand for well-educated and trained coaches has brought forth training programs to prepare candidates to succeed on this path. A name change was implemented in 2019 and the organization changed to the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC), with a stated mission “To champion the advancement of health and wellness coaching through evidence-informed standards of education, training, credentialing and research”. In that same year, the American Medical Association granted Category III CPT codes for the first time to recognize health and wellness coaching. The NBHWC continues to gather evidence for sustainable coaching outcomes in healthcare environments, with an aim of progressing to further approval codes for wider demographics.
Q: What is my path toward National Board Certification through Duke Health & Well-Being Coach Training?
A: Duke Health & Well-Being Coach Training (DHWCT) is delivered in 2 parts – Core Competencies and Advanced Skills. In CORE COMPETENCIES, students will attend 17 weekly live Zoom sessions, with an emphasis on learning and practicing the Essential Elements of Health & Well-Being Coaching. Each week, you will build on listening and inquiry skills through many opportunities to practice. Students utilize those skills and integrate them into the health & well-being coach process, taking clients from exploration of their optimal health vision and their personal values that motivate their desire for change, narrowing to a particular focus area, building confidence through self-discovery, and on to the setting of goals. The training builds momentum for coaches as they put the learnings into real applied practice under the observation of experienced coach trainers. CORE COMPETENCIES brings students to an Assessment, after which they can present themselves as a “Health & Well-Being Coach, Trained at Duke Health”, and then on to ADVANCED SKILLS.
In Advanced Skills, each individual will progress at their own pace through a series of components to deepen their proficiency through further skills practice, mentored feedback, online learning modules, audio/video demonstrations, and webinars that dive into expanded knowledge in health and well-being coaching. The highlight of Advanced Skills is the opportunity to continue practicing the skills and process previously developed, along with the four individualized mentor sessions with an experienced health coach whose role is as your ally and mentor. Together, you’ll review your practice coaching to share their observations of your successful use of coaching skills, strategies, partnership and process. Your mentor will also point out times when you may have slipped into approaches that are less in alignment with the competencies of health & well-being coaching.
At the conclusion of ADVANCED SKILLS, you’ll complete a two-part Written Exam to assess your understanding of core material. Part 1 involves multiple-choice and true/false questions, while Part 2 presents coaching scenarios. Students are permitted unlimited attempts to achieve a score of at least 80% on each part of the exam. Following the completion of all required course components, students may present themselves as “Health & Well-Being Coach, Certified by Duke Health & Well-Being”.
Q: What happens after completing DHWCT? How do I get National Board Certification?
A: After completing DHWCT, you are eligible to aim for the NBC-HWC (National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach) certification. The registration and testing process is entirely through the NBHWC itself. Only individuals who have completed NBHWC approved training programs can apply. The national board exam testing window opens 3 times per year and each exam window is approximately 2 weeks long. Applicants will have to verify their requirements prior to applying (https://nbhwc.org/exam-eligibility-requirements/ ). Since the application deadline is typically about 2 months prior to the testing window, you’ll want to plan accordingly to have completed all your health and wellness coaching sessions prior to the application deadline. The NBHWC has a Practice Exam available to purchase consisting of 50 questions from the 4 categories of the actual exam. Along with the exam itself, there is explanation for the reasoning given for the correct answer. Typically the results can be expected about eight weeks after the test window closes.
For answers to other frequently asked questions, you can go to https://nbhwc.org/faq/
