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National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaching Program

In just one year, become a national board-certified health and wellness coach (NBC-HWC).

National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching Learn to become a health and wellness coach at CSU

CSU is proud to prepare students for the requirements of the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching. Through our streamlined courses and supervised coaching, you will expand your knowledge of health and wellness, gain a more holistic perspective to help people reach and maintain their health goals, and be ready to take the National Board Certification Exam in one year.

What do National Board for Health and Wellness Coaches (NBC-HWCs) do?

NBC-HWCs train in behavior change theories, motivational strategies, and health education and promotion theories to the highest standards in the profession, which means that they have the skills and knowledge to:

  • Partner with clients looking to enhance their well-being through self-directed lasting changes aligned with their values.
  • Support clients in creating and sustaining change for improved health and well-being.

NBC-HWCs use a client-centered approach wherein clients decide their goals, engage in self-discovery or active learning processes, and self-monitor behaviors to increase accountability, all within the context of an interpersonal relationship with a health coach.

Program Information

The one-year program

Through study and practice in this comprehensive one-year program, you will:

  • Explore dimensions and determinants of wellness
  • Study and gain a deep understanding of both coaching structure and process
  • Master evidence-based information and skills necessary to facilitate meaningful sustainable client behavior change and improve health outcomes
  • Acquire specialized wellness coaching knowledge and communication skills
  • Develop evidence-based behavior change methodologies
  • Learn important legal and ethical considerations
  • Discover foundational business and marketing principles

How to qualify

To qualify for the National Board Certification Exam, you must meet eligibility requirements set by NBHWC, including educational background, completion of an approved health and wellness coaching training program, and a specified number of coaching experience hours.

Step 1: Complete our NBHWC-approved training program.

Our program was designed to provide comprehensive education and training in coaching techniques, behavior change theory, and other relevant topics, meeting the eligibility requirements set by NBHWC. To earn a certificate of completion for our program, students must complete:

  1. FSHN 271: Integrative Wellness Coaching I
    • Foundational concepts in wellness and wellness coaching. Dimensions and determinants of wellness and the interrelationships. Evidence-based information and skills coaches need to facilitate client behavior change and improve health outcomes, while utilizing self as the client to gain helpful perspective and potential personal benefits.
  2. FSHN 272: Integrative Wellness Coaching II
    • Coaching structure, process, and ethics/legal considerations. Develop specialized wellness coaching knowledge and techniques through study and practice.

Courses must be completed in order and in full (all 75 course hours, with a grade of 75% or higher). This includes three supervised coaching sessions of at least 20 minutes in duration with 20 minutes of structured, instructor-provided feedback. These coaching sessions include the final Practical Skills Assessment (PSA) required by NBHWC.

Step 2: Log Coaching Sessions:

  • NBHWC requires at least 50 coaching sessions of at least 20 minutes duration, after completion of Step 1.
  • See Coaching Log for detailed NBHWC requirements.

Step 3: Document your education or work experience

  • Associate’s degree or higher, 60 college credits, or 4,000 hours of work experience.
  • NBHWC FAQs

Step 4: Have materials (listed above) complete prior to applying to sit for exam:

  • Application window will close ~two months before the designated exam window.

Step 5: Take the Board Exam:

  • Exam is 150-questions, 2 sections, each 1 hour and 52 minutes in duration.
  • There is a fee associated with the exam.

About the Profession

What does the work of an NBC-HWC look like?

  • In their work, NBC-HWCs display unconditional positive regard for their clients and a belief in their ability to change, honoring the fact that each client is an expert on their own life while ensuring that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental.
  • NBC-HWCs support clients in activating internal strengths and external resources to make sustainable and healthy lifestyle behavior changes.
  • Whatever goal the client sets, the health coach ensures that they are supported until the desired outcome is achieved.

Where do NBC-HWCs work?

  • NBC-HWCs work in a variety of settings:
    • Some work on healthcare teams alongside physicians and other allied health professionals as part of an integrative approach to client care.
    • Other NBC-HWCs work in digital coaching platforms, community-based programs, employee wellness programs, insurance companies, schools and universities, fitness centers, or in entrepreneurial capacities.