I graduated in June 2019 from the ADAPT Health Coach Training Program and became an ADAPT-Certified Functional Health Coach. The experience, training, and education were invaluable. Before enrolling in the program, I had considered starting a health coaching business without a certification--I had degrees in psychology and experience with coaching and leadership development in my career. One the surface, it would have been an easy things to do because it turns out that anyone can call themselves a health coach. I'm glad I didn't do this.
Being a health coach is about more than education and communicating the health information that you know to other people. It is a deep skill that helps you support people with behavior change and building habits that last. Think about behaviors that you've tried to change in the past. It was really difficult, wasn't it?
A colleague of mine did some research on his own clients and found that only 1 out of 7 were self starters once they had knowledge of what to do. The other 6 out of 7 needed hands-on support; goals, plans, and a vision; encouragement and accountability; and a space to talk about their health challenges and experiment with new habits with the full freedom to fail and try again without judgment. These are the kinds of skills that I learned in the ADAPT program. Now, my coaching is centered on my clients and what they're ready for, rather than on my own agenda or what the "right" diet or lifestyle is.
For more on my experience in the ADAPT Health Coach Training Program and some of the great things that I got out of it, see my article What Successful Health Coaches Need: The 5 Cs.