Published: March 19, 2021
We recognize that there are many options when it comes to choosing the health coaching certification that feels right for you. While there are many factors in deciding what program works for you, we want to break down why The Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA) should be your first choice!
1- Program Recognition
At FMCA, we are proud to deliver the gold standard in health coaching certification. We are the only program designed in collaboration with The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and approved by The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). Graduates earn the designation “Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach,” or FMCHC, and receive a health coaching certificate. Because we are approved by NBHWC, our graduates may also sit for NBHWC’s Health & Wellness Coach Certifying Exam to earn the credential of “National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach,” or NBC-HWC. So there’s no need to do another program to take the exam—just one stop, one program.
And it doesn’t end there! Our award-winning program is approved and recognized by many national and global bodies, many of whom also accept our program for continuing education credits.
2- Our Community and Connection to IFM Practitioners and Health Industry Experts
To be a top quality health coaching program, you have to learn from the industry experts! That is why we have educators such as Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Terry Wahls, B.J. Fogg, and Jim Kwik—big names not just in the Functional Medicine world, but in the broader health and wellness field too.
3- Positive Psychology
Positive psychology is a big part of health coaching, and fundamental to our core curriculum. Positive psychology is a movement or an orientation within psychology that focuses on what works well in people’s lives. It studies the factors that allows individuals and communities to live life to the fullest. So where does the intersection between positive psychology and coaching happen?
Positive psychology shifts the focus from what is “wrong” with a person, to what is “right” with them.
There are many things about people that work well, that are aligned with their highest values, and that are strengths. When used correctly in health coaching, this can lead to a powerful, transformational change that is applied not only to your client’s mindset but also to the rest of their lives.
4- Functional Medicine
Functional Medicine is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach to healthcare that looks beyond symptom resolution to identify why illness occurs, and addresses those root causes to restore health. While conventional medicine focuses on using medication to reduce symptoms, Functional Medicine empowers patients and practitioners to work together to resolve the complex underlying causes of disease, and promote optimal wellness through diet and lifestyle change. As a health coaching student, you will learn to speak the Functional Medicine language, and you will learn how to collaborate with practitioners in a Collaborative Care Model setting.
5- Functional Nutrition
When talking about Functional Nutrition in health coaching, it is important to understand scope of practice and the role of a health coach. Whether you are working independently as a health coach or in a medical practice, it is important to engage the coach approach, asking exploratory, open-ended questions that put your client in the driver’s seat of their health goals. If a client makes the decision that they are going to try a particular way of eating, then as a health coach, you can support and educate to help them make those changes. FMCA prepares you to be able to coach on all levels of nutrition while understanding just what that your scope of practice is.
6- Live Training Sessions
As a student, you will learn how to apply these Functional Medicine principles by working in small groups, or Live Training Sessions (LTS). These sessions prepare you to be able to speak the Functional Medicine language with IFM practitioners, starting with you. YOU are your first client. In our Live Training Sessions, you will have a chance to both coach and be coached—that’s where the transformation truly happens.
You will learn things about yourself that you might have never known or acknowledged before, and open the door to a possibility of growth and renewal, all while building your skills and working toward your health coaching certification.
7- Business-Building Track
We know that when you decide to become a health coach, you are also starting your own business. This is why we designed Building A Heart-Centered Business Outside the Box, a business-building track that’s part of our core Health Coach Certification Training Program. You will learn how to market yourself as a coach and how to approach coaching as a business from renowned business leaders such as J.J. Virgin, Andre Norman, Dean Jackson, Brian Kurtz, Chris Smith, and more. So while you are in the program, you’ll focus on building a foundation in Functional Medicine and positive psychology coaching first, and then add in the business component as you get closer to graduation.
8- Alumni Program and Mentoring
When you graduate from FMCA, you become a part of the Alumni community. As part of the community you will receive support, guidance, and resources to help you on your path to providing the best coaching possible. You will also be able to create your own personalized profile in our Find A Coach database, and have the opportunity to join our Alumni Program to get access to extended training, reference resources, business and coaching mentorship, and special continuing education opportunities.
Still have questions about our award-winning health coaching certification program? Speak to our Admissions Team at a time that fits your schedule by scheduling a call!
