HEALTH CARE LIFE COACH CERTIFICATION
The American Institute of Health Care Professionals
Frequently asked Questions and Responses (FAQs)
Welcome to the FAQs section for the Health Care Life Coach certification program. This area is provided to you as a source of information that may be more clarified, related to questions you may have in regards to our certification program. Information regarding recertification, as well as information about our online continuing education courses, is also provided. We highly recommend that you first thoroughly review all of the information on our website, under the main page for Health Care Life Coach Certification. Access main page.
If after reviewing all of the provided information and this FAQs section, any other questions may be addressed by completing our request for information form online (access info form). Thank you for your interest in our Health Care Life Coach program.
HEALTHCARE LIFE COACHING BLOG: Please visit our Healthcare Coaching interactive web blog. Our blog contains articles, news, events and information related the Health Coaching and Life Coaching field.
What is Certification?
Response: certification is a voluntary process, which is provided by a well organized organization, that through its qualified advisory boards, develops comprehensive and quality standards for the practice of a type of specialty. The developed standards address high quality requirements for the practice of a certain specialty. The defined standards speak to educational and/or practice requirements, any required prerequisites, and the need to adhere to a defined code of ethics for the practice specialty. Certification is a voluntary process. It is different than any type of licensing. Certification is one means by which professionals may be publicly recognized as achieving a high level of education, knowledge base and practice skills for a certain healthcare related specialty. Certification also assists employer organizations and clients in their assessment of appropriate qualifications for candidates seeking positions in organizations and/or involved in private practices. It is commonly held, today, that certification by a very well organized professional organization, is fast becoming a "gold standard" for specialty practices. Certification testifies and provides a verification of defined educational requirements, adherence to a solid code of ethics, and in many instances prerequisites of practice experience for the practice of health care coaching and related services.
What are the criteria/standards I will need to meet to achieve certification?
Response: The educational criteria and standards are well and clearly defined within our website. Please access our main page to preview these requirements. Access here.
May I apply for and be conferred certification if I have been practicing as a health care life coach in a clinical setting or private practice with out they need to meet the educational requirements?
Response: No. The Board that oversees the development and approval of defined criteria and standards for certification will not consider only practice experience as meeting requirements in full. This decision was made as those who are already in consulting practices have varied and different experiences related to life coaching in health care education and counseling and there is no insured uniformity that all who have practiced as a health care life coach have the same knowledge base and skills attainment. The evaluation of one's past practice experiences in coaching and in health care is highly variable and subjective. As such, the Board has developed objective criteria/standards for the conferral of certification. For these reasons, practice experience without the attainment of education will not be considered as fulfilling criteria and standards for our certification.
Over the years, I have completed many seminars and continuing education courses related to life coaching, health care and nutrition/wellness. Will these apply toward the education requirements for certification?
Response: No, under ordinary circumstances. One would have to verify completion of college level courses or continuing education courses directly related to the following; Coaching, Health Care Nutrition and Wellness Counseling. The courses would have to be "comparable" to our defined continuing education courses in our curriculum. The content of the courses must be comparable, as well as the hours of continuing education. Those who believe they may have already obtained comparable education and study in this specialty may submit a proposal to us, including all verifications of course completions, course descriptions, school or organization attended, etc. Each such submission will be evaluated on an individual basis.
What is the major practice focus of a certified health
care life coach?
Response: a certified health care life coach, as defined by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc, is a previously licensed or certified health care professional who has achieved a high level of education, knowledge and skills in the following areas; 1) coaching and mentoring, 2, health care, and 3) nutrition and wellness consulting. There is an emphasis placed on attaining wellness and an emphasis on disease prevention, as well as a holistic approach encompassing body/mind and spirit.
Certified Health Care Life Coaches are health care professionals who use their knowledge of change management therapies and strategies to work with clients or groups to facilitate major behavior changes in overall health care, such as weight loss facilitation, smoking cessation, physical fitness, and many other areas of personal health. The Health Care Life Coach uses change therapy and theories, along with motivational psychology and support therapies to assist clients in developing plans to change poor health behaviors, implement effective behaviors toward better health status, and/or develop and implement plans for preventative health care living.
The Health Care Life Coach is also schooled in nutrition and wellness consulting, allowing them to serve as teachers and mentors in client plan development for disease management and preventative health care. They assist clients in understanding the importance of good nutrition and eating habits to assist in their goals for health.
Certified Health Care Life Coaches also incorporate their knowledge and skills in change management and coaching/mentoring directly into their own specific practice specialty or specialties in health care. As such, they are able to offer a wide variety of care services utilizing a coaching/client mentoring model.
Where do certified health care life coaches practice?
Response: Health Care Life Coaches practice in many varied settings today. The services of well trained/educated coaches/mentors in health care are in much demand throughout our country and throughout the world. Health Care reform is mandating a new and more innovative model of care delivery, one that focuses on wellness and health care prevention. The need for such health care life coaches will continue to escalate well into the future. Our health care life coaches may practice in many varied settings, including; ambulatory care practices, wellness centers, managed care organizations, fitness centers, social agencies, hospital and health care agency patient teaching programs, community organizations, in private practice as allowed by licensing laws, in collaboration with medical staff, psychologists, licensed counselors, social workers, case managers, mental health agencies, therapists, etc. Potential practice settings are unlimited within the overall health care delivery system.
More specifically, health care life coaches incorporate their knowledge and skills in coaching/mentoring and in nutrition and wellness consulting directly into their own specific and current practice specialties. This offers clients a more synergistic approach to health care delivery and provides for multiple benefits to clients and populations receiving care. All licensed health care professionals are eligible to enter the program for Health Care Life Coach Certification.
Does the American institute of health care professionals provide approval's for education programs whose graduates would qualify for being conferred certification?
Response: Yes. We have collaborated with two professional continuing education organizations to offer a full curriculum of continuing education in Coaching and Nutrition and Wellness consulting. Candidates must complete the full program of continuing education courses to be eligible to apply for and receive Certification as a Health Care Life Coach. Candidates must first meet one of the pre-requisites for entry into the continuing education program. The pre-requisites are clearly defined under the comprehensive information page on the Health Care Life Coach certification section on our website: access here. To preview our full continuing education program in Health Care Life Coaching: access here.
We also do provide a full program approval process for those education facilities and or organizations providing education related to health care life coaching. Applications for program approval are thoroughly reviewed and must adhere to the defined standards and criteria as established by the advisory board. Once a particular education program has been approved it is then posted as an approved program on our website (view approved programs). Graduates of programs we have approved may apply for certification. Any formal education program offering both coaching and wellness nutrition, education, meeting our standards, may apply for approval of their program.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR ACHIEVING THIS CERTIFICATION?
Response: There is a two-phase process. In order to provide clear and sufficient information on the process we have developed a separate page that defines the process. You may access this information on the certification process at this link: click here.
How can I make application?
Response: Making application is an easy process. We provide on this website a link to a printable application. Those wishing to make application may access this link, print out the application form, completed it, and submit it to our office for review. You may access online applications at this link. Please note that incomplete applications will not be reviewed. All applications that are submitted must be complete and include all required documents and verifications as specified for review and consideration of certification conferral.
Once I have achieved certification, must I ever be re certified?
Response: Yes. A conferred certification has a period of 4 years. At the end of the four-year period the certification will expire. The American Institute of Health Care Professionals provides a full program for recertification. Detailed information on the criteria to be recertified, after the three-year initial certification period, is provided on our website. Access here.
Our organization is sponsoring a one-day seminar on the topic of LIFE COACHING. Does the American institute of health care professionals provide for program approvals for CEU credits?
Response: Yes. We do offer a full program for the approval of education courses, seminars, and other related learning activities related to the topic of life coaching and wellness/nutrition. If an application for approval is approved, then the sponsoring organization may declare on its CEU certificates that the program has been up reviewed and approved by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals. More information is available on our website, access here.
I am currently certified by the American institute of health care professionals as a health care life coach. I know I am required to achieve additional education in order to qualify for recertification in the future. Do you offer any continuing education courses that I may take to meet my recertification requirements?
Response: We will soon be offering continuing education courses in life coaching and in wellness/nutrition, which are approved for the required continuing education hours for recertification.
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