Wellcoaches School of Coaching

Two main audiences: (1) healthcare and wellness professionals, including nurses, physicians, dietitians, and fitness and mental-health professionals, who want to add evidence-based behavior-change coaching to their practice, and (2) anyone with an Associate Degree or 4,000 hours of work experience who wants a professional pathway into the coaching field itself.

No. The prerequisite is an Associate Degree (or equivalent) OR 4,000 hours of work experience in any field. Many students come from healthcare, but Wellcoaches deliberately opens the field to career-changers from other backgrounds.

Completing the three-module core program earns Certified Wellcoach® status and NBHWC exam eligibility (Wellcoaches is an NBHWC Approved Training Program). Continuing into the Advanced Coach Training & Certification opens the ICF credential pathway (ACC/PCC). CE credits are also recognized by AAFP, ACSM, ACE, ANCC, ANPA, CDR, ICF, NASM, NBHWC, and NCHEC.

It is the most thoroughly researched coaching protocol in healthcare and well-being. Twenty-two peer-reviewed studies, 30,984 coaching clients, statistically significant outcomes in every trial. The protocol is also the basis of the ACSM-endorsed Coaching Psychology Manual, used in university programs including Harvard.

The core three-module certification is typically completed in 6–18 months, with rolling cohorts and self-paced options within each module. The advanced ICF pathway adds approximately 100 further hours.

Yes. The Advanced Coach Training & Certification is the ICF credential pathway. It requires current Wellcoaches Certification (or NBC-HWC / PCC / MCC) as a prerequisite and leads to ICF ACC/PCC eligibility upon completion.

Margaret Moore (Coach Meg) founded Wellcoaches in 2000 and is one of the most credentialed figures in the health coaching field. She holds Harvard Medical School faculty appointments, co-founded the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, and received a Thinkers50 recognition in 2025. She authored the Coaching Psychology Manual, the ACSM-endorsed textbook used in university programs including Harvard, and has co-authored five additional books on mind, behavior, and leadership. Her scientific and academic standing is part of what distinguishes Wellcoaches from less evidence-grounded alternatives in the health coaching market.

Beyond the core Certified Wellcoach® pathway, Wellcoaches offers a growing library of premium specialty courses for certified coaches: Nature-Based Coaching, Lifestyle Medicine, Youth & Family Coaching, and GLP-1 & Coaching (addressing the specific behavioral and psychological dimensions of weight-management medication). These allow coaches to deepen their practice in areas aligned with their client population and the evolving health field.

The Certified Wellcoach® (CWC) credential confirms the coach completed a program that has trained 16,000+ coaches across 50+ countries since 2000 and is an NBHWC Approved Training Program, meaning it meets the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching's standards for content, hours, and supervised practice. It is also the most rigorously studied health coaching protocol in the field, validated across 22 peer-reviewed studies with 30,984 clients. What it does not confirm: the coach is not a licensed clinician. Health and wellness coaching is a distinct profession from clinical medicine, therapy, nursing, or nutrition counseling. A Certified Wellcoach® can support behavior change, motivation, and lifestyle habits. They cannot diagnose conditions, prescribe interventions, or replace the care of a licensed healthcare provider. For clients managing medical conditions, chronic illness, or mental health concerns, coaching should complement, not substitute for, clinical care.

Ask whether they hold the core Certified Wellcoach® credential, the NBC-HWC (National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching) certification, or both. The combination signals the highest professional standard in the field. Ask how many client hours they have accumulated since certification and what health areas they specialize in; Wellcoaches trains coaches across a wide range of wellness contexts, from fitness and weight management to chronic disease prevention and mental well-being. Ask how they work in relation to your existing healthcare team. A good health coach should function collaboratively within your care ecosystem, not as a replacement for it. If your goals involve a diagnosed condition, a complex medication regimen, or mental health concerns, ask explicitly whether health coaching is the right primary support for your situation, or whether it should supplement clinical care. The NBHWC scope of practice makes clear that health coaching is not medical advice; a competent Wellcoach knows and respects that line.