There are two primary reasons to pursue your accredited Certified Wellness Coach (CWC) designation: competence and credibility. Regardless of your background, you significantly enhance your competence as a wellness coach through the process of earning your CWC. We incorporate a comprehensive approach to your training that not only includes traditional lecture but also practical application and collaboration with mentor coaches.
In addition, your credibility is also greatly enhanced. You are not required to earn your certification to be a wellness coach, and there are individuals who are attempting to build their business without the certification. However, your certification provides you the additional credibility needed to effectively compete in the industry. It provides your clients and potential clients with an immediate indication that you know your stuff – and that an outside organization has acknowledged and rewarded that competency with an official designation.
Becoming a certified wellness coach involves an investment of both your time and money. You want to take your time in choosing a program that is the best fit for what you are wanting. We recommend that you do your research! Call and talk with a trainer from the programs you are considering. Each program has a style and personality. What is the focus of the training? Who are the instructors – what are their backgrounds? What is the schedule, length of training, flexibility of coursework?
Whether or not you choose to pursue national board certification, a good place to find a list of approved programs is at www.nbhwc.org . All of these programs meet a minimum standard of training and allow you the option to move towards national board certification if desired in the future.
At Catalyst, our focus is on teaching coaching skills from a holistic view of overall health and wellbeing. Each of you brings your own background, expertise and passion to the training. Our goal is to help you learn and practice the guiding style of coaching, so that you may take your new or enhanced coaching skills into any area of practice and come alongside your clients to help them move forward in their thinking and healthy behaviors.
Your instructors are practicing wellness coaches! Our team of instructors and mentors bring years of experience in coaching to the training and enjoy sharing examples from their own coaching sessions. They know what it is like to be a coach and are happy to answer your questions as you interact with them during practice sessions. Our head trainer, Suzanna Cooper, is a National-Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Occupational Therapist and part of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). At Catalyst, we place value in providing you with a learning experience filled with different voices and experiences. You will have the opportunity to learn and train with coaches from various backgrounds and with different personalities and coaching styles.
We keep our class sizes small (max of 24 participants per cohort), so that you have the opportunity to get to know us and to benefit from interacting with others receiving their certification through Catalyst. We also know that you are busy, so we have set up the programs to work well with busy schedules! All training is virtual, so there are no additional costs for travel or lodging.
We know that you have a full schedule and we want the CWC training to work for you. Much of the program is self-paced. Some people finish in as little as 3-4 months, while others prefer to spread the training out over a longer period of time. You will register for a specific 2 day training weekend, but the rest of the program is flexible based on your schedule. Refer to the program details to see the portions of each program that are offered at a set time. Once registered, the online webinar portions of the program are available for access.
In 2017, the first ever National Board Certification exam was conducted by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) in partnership with the National Board for Medical Examiners (NBME). For the first time in the wellness industry, we have some unification in standards of training programs. We are proud to be one of the original programs approved as a provider through the NBHWC!
Currently, the wellness industry is a cash pay industry with little oversight in who calls themselves a “health and wellness coach”. The move towards national board certification is the first step in moving towards a future option of insurance coverage of services, with the potential of some changes projected as early as 2024. We are also finding an increased credibility associated with being a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach by others in the healthcare, corporate and fitness industries.
Refer to www.nbhwc.org for details and timelines. Contact us to talk through this timeline and understand the requirements so that you can make an informed decision of whether or not this is the right choice for you.
There are two parts to completing the training requirements to apply for the national board certification exam:
- Complete the Certified Wellness Coach (CWC) program: ($2323)
- Complete the Master Certified Wellness Coach training (MCWC): ($2122)
If you register for the National Board Package, you will receive a $500 discount. So the total cost of the National Board Package (CWC and MCWC) is $3945. The MCWC training is a series of 8 virtual interactive webinars. We align the MCWC training with the NBHWC application windows. You must be present for 6 of the 8 webinars. You may participate in the MCWC if you are still completing your CWC – we will simply hold your certificate until completion of the full program.
The NBHWC also requires completion of 50 coaching sessions to apply for the national exam and details are listed at www.nbhwc.org . The NBHWC also offers participants the option of applying for an extension to the deadline for the 50 coaching sessions. Please contact Catalyst directly to clarify any questions you have about your planned timeline. We are here to help!
In addition to the training, we are here to help you study and pass the national exam! At no charge, we offer a series of 7 recorded webinars that review the Study Guide. We also provide tips and training on how to take a scenario-based exam by offering 3 interactive webinars led by our mentor coaches who are trained in exam writing. They will walk you through sample exam questions and discuss why you might consider one answer over another. We get great participation in these group sessions and it is really nice to feel supported as you prepare for the exam.
The cost of the Certified Wellness Coach program is $2323. In addition, there is an option to set up a “6 Months No Interest” payment option at registration that will spread this amount out on your end if that’s beneficial.
No. The Catalyst certification testing (both Written and Practical Skills Assessment (PSA) are included in the total investment for the CWC wellness coach certification.
As part of your training, you will each complete 3 practice coaching sessions with a mentor coach present to provide feedback and support. These sessions are “real plays”, so you have the opportunity to be coached on something real in your own life. We offer sessions with a mentor coach at a variety of times each week so that you may choose a time that works for you. We know that you are learning! These sessions are set up to gradually move you towards meeting the required standards for your Practical Skills Assessment.
What if you don’t pass the first time – is there an additional charge to test again? No. Our goal is for you to leave the program feeling confident in your coaching abilities. We all learn at a different pace and we are committed to your own learning process. If you do not pass the PSA the first time, we will talk with you to set up a plan of how to move forward that might include additional practice sessions or review of material.
For those of you who learn by listening, we also allow unlimited options to listen to other practice coaching sessions!
Catalyst Coaching Institute is pleased to announce the Catalyst Ambassador Scholarship, available to individuals fluent in both English and Spanish who desire to pursue a career as an NBHWC board-certified health & wellness coach. There is a significant – and growing- need in both corporate and community programs to provide quality coaching to individuals in Spanish and it is our hope the Catalyst Ambassador Scholarship helps to bridge that current gap. Requirements: The scholarship is in the amount of $1622 towards the purchase of the Master Certified Wellness Coach National Board Package program. So the individual will be responsible for payment in the amount of $2323. Scholarship consideration is based on an essay submission and a brief interview that will focus on your experience/training in Spanish language and culture, along with your plans to coach with the Spanish speaking population. Please contact us at Suzanna@catalystcoaching360.com for more details!
For all students, there is a 6 month no interest payment option upon purchase through the paypal system.
Yes! We are an approved program through Redefine Health Education for 40 contact hours for PT’s and PTA’s. RHE is approved in over 40 states! See their website for the most updated information at www.redefinehealthed.com/ceuinfo .
With the owners of Catalyst being a Physical Therapist and an Occupational Therapist, we have had a number of clinicians come through our program! We are also happy to brainstorm ideas with you of how you might use the certification to enhance your current practice or to build on your foundational skills to start your own wellness coaching business.
Yes! The Catalyst Coaching Institute is an approved provider through the AOTA. The CWC program is approved for 4 CE’s. Currently, the AOTA approval is officially recognized in many states. Please refer to the AOTA website to check if your state is listed. Other states might accept the program due to it being approved by the AOTA.
With the owners of Catalyst being an occupational therapist and a physical therapist, we have many clinicians go through the program! We are also happy to talk with you about how you might incorporate these skills into your current role or into a new role.
We value building connections and building community! Because we choose to have smaller class sizes, you will get to know us and we will get to know you! Catalyst also offers multiple opportunities for you to connect with your fellow coaches during the training. We have a lot to learn from each other! We have a Facebook group to stay connected. The Catalyst 360 Health, Wellness & Performance Podcast is a great way to stay current on the latest research in the wellness world. And of course, the Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium is a yearly in person get together for all coaches (regardless of training program) in Estes Park Colorado!
Absolutely. This is a common area of interest for many of our students so we’ve created both readily available resources and included an optional bonus (as it’s not important to everyone) into the training. The resources include a full playlist of videos on the business of coaching on our YouTube Coaching Channel as well as a series of business-related interviews and discussions on the popular Catalyst 360 podcast. In addition, we’ve blocked out significant time (both days) into the initial CWC training weekend to allow you to ask any and all questions related to finding clients, pricing services, setting up initial structure and anything else that may be on your mind related to the business of coaching. Lastly, we also offer a student discount on our Coaching C-MBA for our Catalyst students. This is an on-demand set of modules you can work through to help you create a clear vision, determine your business structure and move forward more effectively.
