If you're serious about pursuing this career path, you'll want to achieve health coach certification. Gaining certification not only makes you a credentialed professional in the field; it also opens up more employment opportunities.
As health and wellness coaching is still unregulated, you can technically call yourself a health coach without any certification. But, you cannot advertise yourself as a “Certified Health Coach”—because you're not, and if you do, you could land in legal hot water over false advertising.
A wellness coach will integrate exercise and activity level as part of a holistic approach to wellbeing, whereas a health coach would focus more on physical improvement and specific health goals. Wellness coaches can meet with their clients in group sessions or in one-to-one meetings to create long-term success.
Anyone, including dietitians, can call himself or herself a health coach. Health coaches work in a wide variety of settings including, corporate wellness, insurance-based incentive programs, and entrepreneurially. There is no type of training, licensure, or certification that protects the title.
In most cases, you don't need a license or certification to be a health and wellness coach in California — the results you deliver matter most.
Many IIN students begin health coaching on the side of their full-time jobs while they're still developing their skills and confidence. Some continue with their current job and keep health coaching as a part-time gig as they build their business.
The average health coach rates range between $200 and $500 per month. Coaches usually charge a fraction of the cumulative amount upfront to “hook” your client and get them to commit to the initial phase of the program. Once they start to see the results, they're more likely to stay-on.
Certified health coaches enjoy promising financial and professional prospects in a growing market, with potential earnings exceeding $90,000 annually and opportunities in various settings such as corporate wellness and community health organizations.
Training - Life coaches can gain certifications through various training providers and coaching programmes but this isn't a requirement of the role. You can call yourself a life coach with no certifications whatsoever.
There are a few exceptions in the health and mental health niches, but as a general rule, you don't need certifications or degrees. Coaching is an unregulated industry in the US.
ABOUT CERTIFIED WELLNESS COACH PROGRAM: HCAI is working with state universities and community colleges to develop curriculum that will be available in fall 2024 for interested candidates with no prior education or experience. The Wellness Coach certificate will initially be free when it is launched in 2024.
The demand for health and wellness coaches is on the rise, and the global corporate wellness market is expected to reach a value of $84.5 billion USD by 2027.
According to Glassdoor, the average hourly health and wellness coach salary is ~$40. But if you learn how to market yourself as a health coach, you can earn more. By offering services that are in demand and positioning yourself as an expert, you can charge $100+ per hour for your work.
Health Coach Certification
So although it's not a requirement by any means, there are ways to get “certified” as a health coach. Most of the time, health coaches who say they're “certified” are only certified by the school/program that they received their certificate from.
Health coaches should carry professional liability insurance to protect themselves from any potential legal or financial consequences. General liability insurance: General liability is similar to professional liability—with some important differences in terms of what types of risks each protects you from.
What is the difference between a health and wellness coach? The primary differences between a health coach and a wellness coach are their focus of work, who their clients are, and if the changes are prescribed.
While they overlap to some degree, there are some significant differences between these two positions. Personal training is more focused on fitness, weight, and body composition goals. Wellness coaching or health coaching is broader and includes developing more healthy lifestyle habits in general.
Monthly life coaching fees typically range from $500 for personal coaching to $1500 per month for executive coaching. Many coaches will include some incentives in the package to make it more affordable.
Clients need to play an active role in their wellness goals and process of change. So, clients in stages 3-5 who are ready to make a lifestyle change are most ideal for health coaching, although individuals in stage 2 may benefit as well.
Occasionally you might need to submit the nature of your side gig to HR for review to ensure there's no conflict of interest. As long as your business is not in direct competition, you should be fine.
Though there's tremendous competition to secure clients and establish yourself as a health expert, the rewards of helping others (and making a living while doing it) are well worth it for many professional health coaches. There's a good reason to consider joining the wellness industry.