Principles and Professional Practice of Health and Wellness Coaching

Analyze the scope, ethical obligations, and appropriate referral pathways of a board-certified health and wellness coach relative to adjacent healthcare, mental-health, and behavioral-health professions, using established coaching scope-of-practice and code-of-ethics standards as decision criteria.

Apply Motivational Interviewing, the Transtheoretical Model, Self-Determination Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, growth mindset, positive psychology, and appreciative inquiry in observed coaching interactions to engage clients, focus on client-selected agendas, evoke change talk, and support autonomous action planning.

Analyze client presentations across the dimensions of whole-person wellness, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, stress, mind-body connection, chronic-condition risk, and social and structural determinants of health to distinguish modifiable behavioral factors within the coaching scope from clinical red flags that require referral.

Evaluate complex ethical dilemmas involving confidentiality, conflicts of interest, dual relationships, cultural humility, HIPAA-aligned information handling, and the responsible use of digital and generative artificial-intelligence tools, and defend professional decisions with direct citation to established coaching codes of ethics and professional practice.

Create culturally responsive, health-literacy-adapted coaching plans, including vision statements, long-term goals, SMART behavioral goals, self-tracking systems, and referral and support networks that account for the client’s individual context and the social and structural determinants of health shaping that context.

Evaluate personal coaching performance against an established coaching competency rubric across three Practice Coaching Sessions and a Performance Assessment, and create a personal continuing-development plan integrating reflective practice, mentorship, supervision, and wellbeing monitoring.