Wellness Coaching

[jenms83]

I'm trying to get some advice about a possible career change. Currently I am 31 and working as a graphic artist. I have spent years trying to find the right career, and unfortunately when you are a high school student choosing a degree you don't necessarily know enough about yourself or what you really want in order pick something to go to college for. I picked art because I liked to draw, and have been struggling to find the best fit for me within that field, but more and more I'm coming to realize that while I like art and being creative, I HATE doing it as a career. Unfortunately it took me until now to realize this fully, and I've already got a sizeable student loan debt on my belt now from a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Associates degree, and a certification, all of which are within the art field. I'm tired of being in a career field where there is an overly saturated market of "starving artists" and because of this employers severely underpay & undervalue everyone. I've lost most of my passion for art because of the drain these jobs have had on me...

In the last couple of years I have gone through a major transformation in my life in regards to my health and my relationship with food. I've come to realize that I have a passion for this, and I love to help other people achieve success as well. I've read some information on Wellness Coaching & am really interested in it, but what I want to know is, am I going to have to go back to school & go through to get a Masters in something before I can do anything in this career path, or is there a route to go where I could get some certifications and be successful? I'd rather avoid the Masters route if possible, though I'd consider a Bachelors degree. I was looking at WellCoaches.com, and they do have a Certified Personal Coach option that doesn't require a previous health-related degree, but could I actually get a job with that?

Any input would be appreciated. I'm having trouble finding the right information on my own.

Thanks!

~ Jen

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[IowaGirl19]

It's an exciting thing to find your true calling! Wellness coaching is a unique and growing field. I currently train health coaches and my company does not require our coaches to have a certification, however most of them have an undergraduate degree in areas such as nutrition, psychology, exercise science, etc. Our coaches undergo a 4-5 week intensive training program after hire. Wellcoaches is a good certification company, as well as Realbalance (I am certified through this, but also had prior years of coaching experience). After undergoing a training program you can determine if the field is right for you, but any supplemental education should help get your foot in the door. Be aware of some companies that advertise a very short training and simply give you a certificate to be called a "coach". Best of luck!

 

[jenms83]

Thanks for the response! Hopefully you won't mind if I pick your brain a bit. What kind of challenges are common for getting into wellness coaching? Is it something that most people pursue as entrepreneurs, or is there a good possibility of finding a job within a practice? I believe I would prefer to be a part of an overall team or practice rather than be on my own, especially getting started. Is there a particular background that seems to be preferred by employers, or is it so new that specifics like that haven't been established yet? My formal background is, as I stated, in the art field, so really far away from anything health related - my learning in that vein has come from a lot of research I've done on my own - reading LOTS of books, as well as finding information online. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I'm excited to continue discovering more.

 

[IowaGirl19]

Thanks for the response! Hopefully you won't mind if I pick your brain a bit. What kind of challenges are common for getting into wellness coaching? Is it something that most people pursue as entrepreneurs, or is there a good possibility of finding a job within a practice? I believe I would prefer to be a part of an overall team or practice rather than be on my own, especially getting started. Is there a particular background that seems to be preferred by employers, or is it so new that specifics like that haven't been established yet? My formal background is, as I stated, in the art field, so really far away from anything health related - my learning in that vein has come from a lot of research I've done on my own - reading LOTS of books, as well as finding information online. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I'm excited to continue discovering more.

There are several companies that hire coaches and do their own training but due to the field being so new it can be hard to locate them. I had to do a ton of research on my own to locate a job in the field and was very persistent. They typically go for health related degrees, but if you were to get your certification I think it would definitely boost your resume and chances of getting hired. As for working in an actual practice, again the field is so new those positions can be hard to find and look for experienced/certified coaches. I would weigh the pros and cons of going back to school to major in something health related (nutrition, exercise science, health coaching-yes some schools have that major) vs getting a certificate as they can both be pricy. I'm not sure what area you are from but I would dig around online to see what's located near you and be persistent.

 

[jenms83]

I live in central Indiana. Do you know anything about the International Association of Wellness Professionals? I've been looking through their website (http://www.iawpconnect.com/) and it sounds like a well-rounded program.

I'm kind of tired of traditional college programs (having gone through a couple already) and think maybe a more intense certification program would be better suited for me, but I want to make sure that it's the best decision for success.

 

[IowaGirl19]

I am not sure about that program, I've never heard of them.

 

[Mike Adams]

My suggestion is to go with career coach they can best advise you in many ways. The career coach will help you to reach your potential within the period of time. He normally works with you with different learning tools. Some of the things that career coach can offer you are listed below

• Career Coach helps to discover your career.
• He can only understand your strength and weakness
• Creates your career vision
• Improve and develop your self-confidence
• He provides job searching support.
• Supports you in the workplace.
• Make sure that your goals are complete
• Offers you with great self-awareness

 

[deleted343839]

Also consider health coaching. Certification programs are a dime a dozen and many are low quality, so make sure to do your homework before investing your time and money. This is an example of a program that looks reasonable: http://ece.emory.edu/health_coach/index.html

 

[HelenaMitchell]

Its sounds great. Want to know more these coachings in detail.

 

[igivethebestadvice]

If anybody happens to be interested in coaching, PM me. I'm in the process of researching (there doesn't seem to be a standardized path to achieving this career, which probably is the appeal for many interested in it). Let's collaborate in researching?

For better or worse, I think the critical component is marketing yourself as an expert in whatever you are coaching clients about. But I don't think this is necessarily a bad concept. Some clients might benefit more from "coaching" from someone who happens to be more of the creative or entrepreneurial type than from someone with a certain degree.

 

[PikminOC]

Also consider health coaching. Certification programs are a dime a dozen and many are low quality, so make sure to do your homework before investing your time and money. This is an example of a program that looks reasonable: Emory Health Coach Certificate- Home

I feel like this is happening with the pop up diploma mill psyd schools already..

 

[smalltownpsych]

I feel like this is happening with the pop up diploma mill psyd schools already..

True, that anyone can call them self a life coach get an online doctorate in psychology and misrepresent. They typically can't bill insurance though as you still need to be able to obtain a license and there are still barriers for that. if you are referring to expensive for-profit schools such as Argosy and Alliant, that is a different issue and I would not classify them as diploma mills. They are more like lower tier yet legit schools and some graduates can do quite well coming from them if they are in the upper part of their cohorts.

 

[deleted343839]

if you are referring to expensive for-profit schools such as Argosy and Alliant, that is a different issue and I would not classify them as diploma mills. They are more like lower tier yet legit schools and some graduates can do quite well coming from them if they are in the upper part of their cohorts.

Right. They're more like the offshore medical schools of psychology. Very expensive and everyone who matriculates thinks they'll beat the odds. But some do.

 

[Lanekane88]

Sounds is interesting. I would like to try for it. lol

 

[oliver_hill]

Good, I have found this topic!! My friend have been studying philosophy, but after some life changes she decided to change career and startet psychotherapy training courses.