I Found My Community: The 6 Branches of Our Health Coaching Certification Program

What makes our health coaching program the gold standard? 

What does the health coach scope of practice include? What are the various ways coaches can work with clients?

In a recent webinar, our founders Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD and Elyse Wagner, MS, CN, LMHCA explain the 6 branches that make up our Health Coach Certification Program, the health coach’s scope of practice, and then answer questions from attendees! 

The 6 Branches of Our Health Coaching Certification Program

The Functional Medicine Coaching Academy focuses on 6 main components, or branches, in our program:The Principals of Functional Medicine, The Principals of Functional Nutrition, Positive Psychology, Mind-Body Medicine, Art & Science of Coaching, and FCMA Career Navigator. Functional Medicine Health Coaches will dive into each component while learning how to stay within their scope of practice.

The Principals of Functional Medicine 

When becoming a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC), you learn to speak the Functional Medicine “language” and after graduation you will be able to work in a collaborative care team in a medical practice. We are the only Health Coaching Program designed in collaboration with The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), which sets the gold standard for education, training, and clinical practices in the field of Functional Medicine globally. This means that you will use the same Functional Medicine toolkit and resources that they use to educate their doctors and practitioners, in addition to learning from IFM senior faculty! 

The Principals of Functional Nutrition

As an FMCA student, you will learn functional nutrition principles using IFM Food Plans to support various styles of eating such as the Core Food Plan, Cardiometabolic Food Plan, Elimination Diet Food Plan, and Mito Food Plan. As a health coach, you will be able to educate, support, assist, and discuss functional nutrition while staying in the health coach’s scope of practice using IFM’s tools like the Phytonutrient Spectrum Checklist and the Diet, Nutritional, and Lifestyle Journal to guide clients through their food plans. 

Positive Psychology

As a Functional Medicine Health Coach, your role is to maintain a positive regard for your clients and a belief in your clients’ capacity for change. You will learn that each client is an expert in their own life. You will ensure that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental, by supporting and encouraging clients to explore potential contributing factors, and taking an active role to help them reach their physical and health-related goals. The principles of positive psychology focus on a client’s perceptions, attitudes, and expectations and measure their success versus failures by using their VIA Character Strengths.

Mind-Body Medicine

“What is real in the mind, is real in the body.” As health coaches, you will learn about physiological changes and develop mind-body practices that will help clients on their health journey as they cultivate their own self-care practice, such as mindful breathing, and whole self-detox. 

Art & Science of Coaching

Coaching isn’t one-size-fits-all—in fact, there are as many effective coaching styles as there are coaches! Health coaches are there to facilitate change within the client using the coach approach which you will get to apply hands-on and develop during your time in the program through your Live Training Sessions (LTS). 

“We consider (health) coaching the most powerful tool that our practice has.” – Cheng Ruan, MD Founder of The Texas Center for Lifestyle Medicine

FCMA Career Navigator

Our FMCA Career Navigator was designed to take the stress out of launching your health coaching career, by applying proven strategies, tactics, and tools to create a successful health coaching business and/or become a valued member of a collaborative care team. Our renowned business and marketing experts will show you how to get the basics down and then customize everything, so you can create the dream career you envision for yourself after graduation.

FMCA’s Health Coach Certification Program is an award-winning program approved and recognized by many national and global bodies, many of whom also accept our program for continuing education credits. FMCA is also recognized for its powerful community, and our personalized approach to you and your education. 

Are you ready to start on your path to becoming a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, or have any questions? Schedule a call with our Admissions Team to learn more!