We offer several free guides and ebooks to help educate and prepare you for whatever your functional medicine health coaching path may be.
FMCA Info Packet
Our info packet is the ultimate guide to all things FMCA. Download the Info Packet for more information about our FMCA Health Coach Certification Program, including tuition pricing, and explore our other program offerings. Not sure which course is right for you? Start here!
How to Become a Health Coach: The Career That Can Bring You Joy
Written by Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum, FMCA Founder and CEO, this guide covers everything you need to know about a career as a health coach. Topics covered include: Why health coaching is such a powerful process, what the scope of practice for health coaches is, how to get paid as a health coach, the keys to health coach training, and more.
Functional Medicine Coaching: How to Be Part of the Movement That’s Transforming Healthcare
Written by Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum and Elyse Wagner, FMCA founders, this ebook provides an in depth look at functional medicine health coaching. If you want to know how health coaches change lives, or want to be inspired by stories of change, then you’ll enjoy this quick and easy read. There’s even a bonus forward by Dr. Mark Hyman!
The Doctor’s Guide To Health Coaching
If you’re a practitioner curious about how health coaching can help your patients, this guide offers a fantastic primer. Written by Dr. Sandra Scheinbaum, FMCA Founder and CEO, this guide gives an overview of health coaching, how doctors and coaches work together, what to look for when hiring a health coach, health coach scope of practice, and much more.
The World Needs Health Coaches
Our mission is to make personalized wellness a reality for the world. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about our program and functional medicine health coaching.
If you have more questions, or would like to discuss our program, or a career as a health coach, please feel free to contact us.
What Is a health & wellness coach?
Health and wellness coaches are part wellness authority, part supportive mentor, and part behavior change specialist. They partner with clients who are seeking to enhance their well-being through self-directed, lasting changes in alignment with their values. Health coaches often work with clients to implement individualized food and lifestyle changes that meet the client’s unique needs and health goals. In the course of their work, health and wellness coaches display unconditional positive regard for their clients and a belief in clients’ capacity for change. They honor that each client is an expert on their own life, ensuring that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental.
Health Coaches provide their services in a few ways. They may provide one-on-one or group sessions offered through their own private coaching business or in collaboration with doctors and other wellness providers. Their role includes but is not limited to:
- Providing a positive relationship that empowers the client to make lasting changes for better health and well-being
- Offering clients support, accountability, collaboration, education, and resources
- Translating a practitioner’s plan of care into a plan of action
- Assisting with dietary changes, food plans, and physical activity protocols
- To learn more about FMCA’s Functional Medicine Health Coach Certification Program, download our Info Packet.
How can I become a functional medicine certified health coach?
In order to become a certified health coach, you must successfully complete a Health and Wellness Coach Training & Education program that has been approved by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). FMCA offers a year-long in-depth program to prepare you to become a board-certified health coach.
What are my employment options after completing a health coach certification program? Where are health coach jobs?
Your job options will depend on your background, interests, and what’s accessible to you locally and online. Common health coaching jobs include:
- Private health coaching businesses
- Traditional medical hospitals or clinics
- Functional Medicine practices
- Corporate wellness firms
- Health insurance companies
- Leading corporate wellness programs within larger organizations
- Specialty healthcare companies
- Care coordinators
- Fitness industry (gyms, wellness centers, etc)
- Schools
- Weight loss centers
- Writer/blogger/speaker/health advocate
Many health coaches are drawn to the field because of the flexibility and variety it offers for those who want to wear a few “hats.”