CIP 2.0 Syllabus

Welcome to the Coaching Intensive Practicum 2.0!

This 12-week interactive online course is designed for IIN graduates or graduates of any health coach certificate program to improve and refine their coaching skills in a supportive environment while completing the education requirements to sit for the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) exam to become a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).

Since it was founded in 2010, the NBHWC continues to gain worldwide recognition as a key player in advancing the credibility of the health coaching field. Having partnered with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to launch their certification exam, the NBHWC has become a globally recognized and respected institution, whose board certification is regarded as a global benchmark of professional coach training.

We are so proud to be in partnership with the NBHWC, enabling our graduates to pursue board certification and garner additional visibility and distinction in a continuously growing field by enrolling in the Coaching Intensive Practicum 2.0!

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

As the leader in holistic nutrition and health coaching, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) provides continued learning opportunities to further hone passion and skills for students to excel in their career. This course will focus on learning and applying evidence-based best practices in health coaching.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate NBHWC-consistent coaching competencies in simulated coaching exercises with classmates

• Understand and communicate your scope of practice, recognizing the differences between your role as a Health Coach and related professions and knowing when to refer clients to other providers

• Explain the coaching process as outlined by the NBHWC, listing key objectives and desired outcomes for each phase

• Establish a coaching agreement and co-create the coaching relationship to build trust and rapport

• Demonstrate effective communication skills, including active listening and exploring and seeking clarity, as well as coaching acumen, like empathy and nonjudgment

• Describe and demonstrate learning strategies that empower the client to take self-directed action, increase confidence, and encourage self-efficacy

• Demonstrate your ability to follow the client’s agenda in eliciting goals and desired outcomes, track progress and accountability, and evaluate and close the coaching session

• Identify a client’s readiness to change and apply the appropriate behavior change strategies for each stage of the transtheoretical model of change

• Summarize and distinguish the challenges of behavior change for lifestyle and health improvement and harness a client’s intrinsic motivation using motivational interviewing

CONTENT

The course contains 48 video lectures and 40 handouts on coaching skills and process, including:

• Distinguishing the role of a Health Coach

• Effective communication techniques

• Enhancing awareness and fostering new perspectives

• Motivation and techniques for inspiring change

• Working through ambivalence and resistance

• The transtheoretical model

• Tracking progress and monitoring accountability

• Positive psychology

• Group coaching skills

• Cultural competence

• Professional development for Health Coaches

INTERACTIVE LEARNING: LIVE COACHING PRACTICE, SUPPORT, AND MENTORSHIP

To practice applying what you learn in the prerecorded guided learning portion of the course, you’ll be required to attend 22 live learning sessions, making this our most interactive class! What you’re learning will come to life in these sessions, vastly improving your ability to effectively and appropriately coach your clients. There are two main components of this aspect of the course: live learning and buddy coaching sessions.

Live Learning Sessions

All students are required to attend two live learning sessions each week, which will be held during weeks 1–11 (no calls will be held during week 12). You’ll get to choose the dates and times of these sessions from a menu of options. These live learning sessions, led by an experienced NBC-HWC and educator, will give you the opportunity to clarify and apply concepts from the corresponding week’s module content, ask questions, participate in group discussions, and practice your coaching skills in a safe and supportive environment.

These live learning sessions are where the practical skills assessment (PSA), a live coaching demonstration that you will complete with a partner, will take place. PSAs will enable you to highlight your coaching skills and receive detailed feedback from your course instructor as well as from your classmates who are observing the session. Upon completion of the PSA, you’ll submit a self-reflection form that documents the skills from the Job Task Analysis that were used.

Buddy Coaching Sessions

In addition to the live learning sessions, you’ll be required to sign up for and participate in three buddy coaching sessions with another student and a board-certified faculty coach. These sessions will provide an opportunity to hone your coaching skills by practicing the roles of both the coach and the client in an intimate, virtual environment!

While performance during these sessions is not graded, you’ll receive comprehensive feedback following each demo to help you fine-tune your skills and continue exceling at your craft. Similar to the live learning sessions, you’ll submit a self-evaluation form within one week of each buddy coaching session to reflect on your performance and identify skills that you used from the Job Task Analysis.

More details about the live learning and buddy coaching session requirements will be covered during the first week of class!

Private Facebook Group

Finally, you’ll be invited to join a private Facebook group moderated by your course instructor, which you can access 24/7! Outside of your live calls and buddy coaching sessions, this is your forum to seek additional support, receive helpful links and reminders, and engage in class discussions about what you’re learning.

Module Overviews

The Coaching Intensive Practicum (CIP) consists of 10 core modules, two pre-course modules, and an extensive health and wellness library with over 15 hours of content for you to review at your own pace. Upon enrollment, you will gain access to the pre-course modules, which will introduce you to the course structure and describe foundational concepts in preparation for the course. The pre-course modules should be reviewed prior to the class start date.

On the following pages, you’ll find a module-by-module overview of the content in the Coaching Intensive Practicum.

PRE-COURSE MODULES

Orientation and Foundations

As soon as you enroll in the course, you’ll gain access to the Orientation and Foundations modules. The Orientation will walk you through the structure of the course and your graduation requirements so you know exactly what to expect and can plan accordingly. You will also learn about the NBHWC certifying exam and what you’ll need to prepare your application.

The Foundations module will lay the groundwork for understanding the specific role and definition of Health Coaches, according to the NBHWC. The fundamental question you’ll examine as you kick off your journey with us is, What is coaching?

In this module, we’ll explore established definitions of what health and wellness coaching is and compare it to related professions to flesh out what coaching isn’t. This will help you conceptualize the value of your profession and the boundaries of your scope of practice. By the end of these modules, you’ll have a clear picture of what will be expected of you in the coming weeks so you can set yourself up for success.

Coaching Foundations, Preparation, and Program Structure

In Module 1, you will learn about the three phases of a coaching program and the key processes and goals for each. We’ll discuss how to co-create a coaching relationship and why taking the time to do this is so important. You’ll learn how to be fully present for your clients and practice preparing for and showing up to a coaching session with focus and presence. We’ll also go over how to establish a coaching agreement, the major components of it, and how to discuss it with clients in the initial session. We will analyze and deconstruct sample coaching agreements, and you will be prompted to create your own. Additionally, we will deepen our conversation of scope of practice, considering what exactly Health Coaches can and cannot do and what their role is in the healthcare field.

2

Create a Client-Centered Coaching Relationship

In this section of the course, we will explore how to establish a client-centered relationship and how this creates the foundation for positive client outcomes. You will learn the elements of a client-centered coaching relationship and practice building trust and rapport. In this module, we will also discuss the power of listening and how to develop active listening skills and coaching presence. Additionally, we will discuss how to apply these foundational skills to hold space for clients to process their emotions.

Effective Communication Techniques

In Module 3, we’ll begin our exploration of coaching process and the skills and competencies that help foster positive client outcomes. You will learn about and practice using techniques and tools that will foster effective communication in a coaching relationship. We’ll review basic communication skills that you learned in the Health Coach Training Program, including reflecting, mirroring, and summarizing. We’ll explore and apply more advanced communication techniques to expand the conversation and encourage clients to go deeper. We’ll discuss techniques coaches can use to focus the conversation and help clients move forward, and we’ll explore how to use powerful questions and best practices for exploring and seeking clarity. Additionally, we will reflect on when and how it is most appropriate and helpful to apply the various skills learned in this module.

Enhance Awareness and Foster New Perspectives

In the module, we’ll explore the concept of self-awareness and address how conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, values, and desires can impact progress. We’ll cover one of the major keys to coaching success: shifting perspective. Transcending our beliefs and considering wider or alternative perspectives is the foundation of all change, so this process will be a major focus of this module. You’ll learn how to identify and overcome limiting beliefs that can hold clients back from making change and practice coaching through this process.

Motivation and Techniques for Inspiring Change

In order for meaningful and lasting change to occur, a client must be internally motivated and ready to take action. This module focuses on how to thoroughly explore a client’s motivation and willingness to change before moving into the goalsetting process. We’ll take an in-depth look at how motivation and emotion are resources for goal-oriented behavior and review the necessary conditions to support these two critical elements. You’ll be introduced to motivational interviewing, a well-established communication process for inspiring client-identified change, and we’ll focus on how to apply it and practice using it in coaching sessions. We’ll also practice looking for “change talk” and “sustain talk” from clients and how to work with them to help clients move forward.

Work Through Ambivalence and Resistance

In Module 6, we’ll continue our exploration of motivational interviewing and how to apply this methodology to clients who are stuck or resistant. We’ll explore why clients get stuck and how to most effectively work with those who experience resistance or ambivalence around making a change. You’ll be prompted to think critically about how to navigate these scenarios as a coach and practice using motivational interviewing tools to help clients through roadblocks. We’ll also explore how to support clients with acceptance and emotional healing to overcome challenges and past hurts and promote positive growth moving forward.

Set Goals, Track Progress, and Monitor Accountability

Simply put, coaching is the process of empowering clients to dig deep and use their inner resources to create change. In this module, you’ll learn about and practice using the transtheoretical model (also known as the stages of change model) as a powerful tool for assessing a client’s readiness to change. We’ll review best practices for goal-setting techniques and practice helping clients set “S.M.A.R.T.” goals. You’ll explore how to facilitate learning and results for your clients in a way that takes individual needs and styles into account and places the responsibility on the client to take action. We’ll look at how to help your clients move forward and design their actions by discussing best practices for goal setting and planning. This module will also address how clients can track their own progress through effectively monitoring their action steps and overall growth.

Positive Psychology Resources and Support

A positive and client-empowered approach can boost confidence and self-efficacy, having a profound impact on client progress and coaching outcomes. In this module, we will explore how the power of positivity – leveraging a client’s strengths and values and creating empowering and growth-facilitating experiences – can encourage progress, especially during the middle phase of coaching. You’ll learn and practice how to most effectively tap into a client’s strengths and available resources to help them propel toward their goal. Additionally, we’ll consider how clients can harness their intrinsic motivation and emotions to increase self-efficacy and work through challenges and fears. We’ll also discuss the major theoretical components of positive psychology, including the PERMA model – a tool focusing on how positive approaches can have a profound impact on client outcomes, and practice using it with clients.

Group Coaching Skills and Facilitation

In this module, we’ll discuss and practice how to apply the skills and competencies you’ve learned in this course to working with clients in a group setting. We will compare group and individual coaching in terms of both skills used and structure. We’ll consider the pros of group coaching for coaches and clients and which types of clients may benefit the most from a group setting. We’ll explore the phases of the coaching process applied to a group setting, how to effectively form and facilitate a coaching group, and tips for structuring your sessions and group activities. You’ll also learn how to navigate different personalities and learning styles during group coaching sessions to allow for the most effective interaction between clients.

MODULE 10

Professional Development for Health Coaches

In the final module, we’ll consider professional development and legal aspects of health coaching. We’ll review and discuss the NBHWC Code of Ethics and consider the professional responsibility of coaches to conduct themselves in an ethical manner. You will analyze and reflect on a variety of scenarios that present potential ethical dilemmas and discuss how you would move forward as the coach. We’ll also revisit our exploration of scope of practice and consider how it is different from but related to ethics. We’ll explore the topic of cultural sensitivity and competency. We will critique various coaching scenarios, and we’ll explore professional considerations for coaches, including HIPAA compliance, proper record keeping and file storage, and legal considerations for working in a healthcare setting. We’ll wrap up the module with an outline for continued professional development.

CURRICULUM STRUCTURE

This course contains a mix of live, interactive components and pre-recorded and preloaded content (guided learning).

Once class begins, new modules are released in the Learning Center every Monday in weeks 1–10, with the exception of any holiday break weeks. Modules can be accessed from anywhere, anytime. There are no new modules released in weeks 11 and 12, which are designated for wrapping up your assignments and studying for and taking the final exam.

Each module contains:

• Learning objectives

• 4-5 pre-recorded lectures with accompanying slides

• 3-4 reading assignments and resources

• A pre-recorded expert coaching demonstration

• A five-question self-assessment quiz

• An interactive skill-building activity and reflection exercises

• A module recap study guide

• Additional reading recommendations

The health and wellness library, which contains over 15 hours of video content, will open at Module 1 and remain open for students to consume at their own pace and convenience. This content is comprised of hand-selected videos from our Health Coach Training Program and will serve as a great refresher as you apply your coaching skills and prepare for the NBC-HWC certifying exam.

Once you enroll, you’ll be able to access your Course Schedule, which can be found on the Documents page of the Learning Center, for specific dates outlining when modules open, when live learning calls take place, and the final exam period.

Students will have access to all module materials in the Learning Center for six months following graduation.

In addition to the Learning Center materials and activities, students will receive a link in their welcome email to join a private Facebook group for their class that is moderated daily by the course instructor and NBC-HWC support staff. Every week, the instructor will post discussion questions to help students think critically and apply the material they’re learning in that week’s module. All students are expected to participate in these discussions and spend a minimum of 10–15 minutes responding and engaging on each discussion post. Outside of class time, this group also serves as a forum to ask questions and seek additional support and mentorship. This is also where instructors will post announcements, helpful links, and reminders.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

To successfully complete the Coaching Intensive Practicum (CIP) and the education requirements for the NBHWC exam eligibility, students are required to:

1| Complete and pass a practical skills assessment (PSA) during a live learning session and properly and fully complete and submit a self-reflection form.

2| Participate in three buddy coaching sessions, supervised by a board-certified faculty coach, and properly and fully complete and submit a self-reflection form for each session.

3| Obtain a score of 80% or higher on the CIP final exam. (Note: This is not the NBHWC certifying exam!)

All graduation requirements must be completed and submitted by the last day of class. Please note this date in the Course Schedule. It is the student’s responsibility to review each of the graduation requirements and prepare for them accordingly. Details on how to complete each graduation requirement and where to find the necessary forms and links can be found in the Orientation module.

Coaching Intensive Practicum 2.0 is officially recognized by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as a Continuing Coach Education (CCE) for continuing education credits.

Coaching Intensive Practicum 2.0 is officially recognized by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as a Continuing Coach Education (CCE) for continuing education credits.

Support

The Coaching Intensive Practicum is not a test-prep course but rather an organized set of educational activities satisfying eligibility requirements to apply and sit for the NBHWC-certifying exam. Participation in the course will help students prepare for the exam, but is not a replacement for studying and further exam preparation. Any questions about the exam application process or the exam itself should be sent to info@nbhwc.org.

Questions about course materials, course content, and graduation requirements should be directed to your course instructor in the Facebook group or during the live learning sessions. Please do not contact your instructor via Facebook private messaging.

Any questions, feedback, or concerns that you would like to privately share with the IIN staff or your instructor can be sent to support@coachingintensivepracticum.com, where your inquiry will be privately and individually addressed. All questions regarding payment plans and technical support can also be sent to this email address.