Before I learned about functional medicine, I had never heard of health coaching — and I’ve found that most people I talk to haven’t either.
But almost everyone I speak with has experienced the problem health coaches solve.
In this guide, I’ll help clarify what health coaching is, what it isn’t, and whether it might be a good fit for you.
You’ll learn:
What is Health Coaching?
Health coaching is a collaborative process that helps people improve their health and well-being through sustainable lifestyle changes.
Health coaches help close the gap between knowing what to do for your health — or being told what to do by your doctor — and actually doing it. We help clients move from “wanting to” or “knowing I should” to “doing it” and “living it.”
What Does a Health Coach Do?
Health coaches typically work in two primary settings.
- Within a medical practice. Health coaches working within medical practices support clients in making specific lifestyle changes as part of a treatment plan for a medical condition. For example, a coach might help clients improve nutrition, sleep, and stress management as part of a care plan for diabetes.
- Private or community-based practice. Community-based health coaches work with clients who want support making lifestyle changes — whether or not those changes are directly tied to a medical condition. For example, a coach might work with someone who wants better sleep but is struggling to adjust their routine.
Health coaches may offer 1:1 individual sessions, group sessions, or both.
- 1:1 sessions provide a fully personalized approach to helping you achieve the changes you want to see.
- Group sessions often focus on a specific topic, such as “nutrition changes to support type 2 diabetes,” and combine coaching guidance with peer support.
How Does Health Coaching Work?
Health coaching is a personalized process, but most coaching follows three iterative phases.
- Discovery & awareness. In early sessions, the coach helps you clarify what you want to work on, why it matters to you, and where to begin. This phase often includes guided questions, vision exploration, and exercises that help identify practical places to start.
- Action & iteration. Once your focus is clear, your coach helps you set structured, realistic goals. During this phase, you experiment with new behaviors, reflect on what works, and adjust when things don’t go as expected.
- Maintenance & growth. After a behavior change is established, this phase focuses on sustaining the change and building on it. Over time, new situations may challenge consistency, and coaching helps you adapt and decide what to focus on next.
This process can take place over different time horizons — from a few days to several years — though most coaching engagements last 2–4 months.
The process is also:
- Client-led. You decide what to focus on. The coach provides structure, guidance, and support, while you bring your experience, goals, and active participation.
- Non-linear. Behavior change rarely follows a straight path. Life circumstances change — family shifts, career transitions, moves — and habits change with them. Coaching remains flexible so you can adjust as needed.
- Repeatable. Once one habit is established, the same process can be applied again to build new habits. A key goal in my practice is helping clients develop the confidence and skills to repeat this process independently.
- Nonjudgmental. Coaches understand that behavior change is difficult. You can expect a safe, supportive environment without criticism or blame.
Benefits of Health Coaching
Health coaching supports long-term health by helping people make sustainable behavior changes and build lasting habits.
I’m planning to write an in-depth series exploring research on health coaching. Here, I’ll provide a high-level overview of what coaching can help with.
What is behavior change?
At its core, health coaching catalyzes sustainable behavior change. In other words, it helps people:
- Start new habits
- Stop unhelpful habits
- Make those changes last over time
What behaviors can Health Coaching help with?
Clinical studies show that health coaching can increase motivation to change, help clients progress through stages of change, and support lasting behavior change over time.
Current research shows that people who participate in coaching are more likely to adopt beneficial behaviors in these areas: [4] [7] [12]
- Exercise
- Eating behaviors, including diet quality and adherence to elimination diets
- Sleep
- Stress management
- Cognitive training
Keep in mind that these are the behaviors studied in formal research, and new studies are published every year. Other types of behavior change likely benefit from coaching but may not be widely studied yet.
Is There Evidence That Health Coaching Works?
In addition to improving behaviors, coaching has been shown to impact measurable health outcomes. There is evidence that coaching can support the management of the following conditions:
- Diabetes and metabolic risk, including type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [1][2][3]
- Weight loss [8]
- Cardiovascular disease, including hypertension and related risk factors [5]
- COPD [6]
- Mental and cognitive health, including depression, dementia, and overall cognitive function [7]
- Coping and stress reduction in caregivers [9]
- Symptom management with chronic pain [10]
- Surgery outcomes with pre-operative coaching [11]
That may feel like a lot to take in, but here’s my overall takeaway: research shows that coaching can support meaningful behavior change across many areas and can improve outcomes related to a variety of conditions.
At the same time, coaching is not a cure-all. It’s one part of a balanced approach to improving health and well-being. Your healthcare provider plays a critical role. Your coach plays a supportive role. And YOU play the most important role — sitting in the driver’s seat and deciding how you want your life to look.
Case Example: What Health Coaching Looks Like in Real Life
- Client context & goal: A new mother wanted to re-establish habits around movement, nutrition, and sleep.
- Barrier: She previously had strong health habits but needed to modify them to fit life with a newborn.
- Coaching approach:
- Discovery (1–2 sessions): Identify strengths, past successes, and the highest-impact behaviors to focus on.
- Action (3–4 sessions): Build new routines and experiment with approaches that fit the realities of life with a newborn.
- Maintenance (1–2 sessions): Reinforce repeatable patterns and address longer-term challenges.
- Outcome: Established consistent routines supporting movement and nutrition, and gained confidence in adapting habits to fit her new lifestyle.
Is Health Coaching a Fit for Me?
When Health coaching can help
Health coaching may be especially helpful if you…
- Feel overwhelmed by health advice.
- Struggle to take action on health goals.
- Have tried diets or exercise routines but struggle to sustain them.
- Are navigating a major life transition — such as parenthood, caregiving, or a new job — and need to build routines that fit your new reality.
- Have a health goal but don’t know where to start.
- Want accountability without judgment.
When Health coaching may not be the right fit
It’s important to recognize that health coaching isn’t a fit for every situation. Health coaching is NOT these things:
- Therapy
- Medical treatment or a replacement for medical care
- Personal training
- Nutrition prescribing
- Quick-fix programs, such as detox or cleanse protocols
Health coaching might NOT be a good fit if you…
- Need medical diagnosis or treatment
- Are seeking immediate crisis intervention
- Want rigid instruction, such as fixed meal plans or prescribed exercise programs
What Qualification Should a Health Coach Have?
When I was deciding to train as a health coach, this was a key question in my mind. With a rigorous education in biomedical engineering, I knew I wanted to commit to a comprehensive training program & adhere to the highest professional standards. And while I had found many helpful resources in the wellness space, I also had a notion that there was a lack of regulation that could make it difficult to know who was trustworthy.
Luckily, in the past 10 years health coaching has made significant strides in establishing strong professional standards. Since establishing these standards, coaching has grown rapidly in it’s use alongside medical care, within corporate wellness programs, and for individual lifestyle support.
To help clarify this, I want to walk through three areas to consider when evaluating a health coach:
- Training
- Board certification and other third-party certifications
- What to watch out for when choosing a coach
Training
Today, there are many health coaching certification programs across the country. The strongest programs last 12 months part-time and include in-depth education in behavior change theory along with hands-on coaching practice.
Many reputable coaching programs are developed in collaboration with medical institutions. For example, the program where I trained — Functional Medicine Coaching Academy — is affiliated with the Institute for Functional Medicine. Other well-known programs include Duke University’s Integrative Health Coach Program and Mayo Clinic’s Wellness Coach Training Program.
Training programs can also be evaluated and approved by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaches (described below). This is a key signal of training quality that demonstrates graduates meet specific education requirements and are eligible to pursue board certification.
Board Certification and Other Professional Certifications
The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaches (NBHWC) was established in 2017 in partnership with the National Board of Medical Examiners — the same organization that sets board certification standards for physicians in the United States. The Board defines rigorous professional standards for coaches and coordinates the certification process. Board-certified coaches must meet education requirements, complete minimum coaching hours, and pass written and practical exams to demonstrate competency.
Outside of the NBHWC you may encounter coaches with other professional certifications. The most common additional certification is through the International Coach Federation (ICF).
The ICF is a global credentialing organization for multiple coaching disciplines. It requires coaches to meet experience standards, complete supervised coaching hours, and pass a written exam.
Coaches who hold — or are actively pursuing — these certifications demonstrate both professional competency and commitment to ethical standards. As someone who values working at the highest professional level, I chose training aligned with these standards and am currently pursuing both NBHWC and ICF certification.
What to watch out for when looking for a coach
Like any profession, there can be variation in training quality. Since national standards for health coaching were only established in recent years, not all coaches follow them yet.
On the positive side, look for coaches who:
- Completed an NBHWC-approved training program
- Hold or are pursuing NBHWC or ICF certification
- Clearly explain their scope of practice
On the caution side, be aware that health coaches should never diagnose or treat medical conditions. They should not:
- Interpret lab results or give diagnoses
- Prescribe supplements or medications
- Sell “reset” or “cleanse” programs as medical solutions
These activities fall outside the professional scope of health coaching.
You may also encounter licensed healthcare providers — such as physicians, nurses, or dietitians — who are also trained as health coaches. These professionals may offer both medical care and coaching services. If so, it’s helpful to understand which service you are seeking: expert medical advice on what to do, or coaching support focused on how to make change happen.
Frequently Asked Questions About Health Coaching
The cost of health coaching can vary depending on the coach’s training, experience, and the structure of their services.
In general, individual sessions may range from about $50 to $200 per session, with package pricing often reducing the per-session cost. Some coaches also offer group programs, which will vary based on program length & size.
If you’re considering coaching, it’s always appropriate to ask about pricing, package options, and what’s included so you can choose something that fits your needs and budget.
In most cases, health coaching is not currently covered by traditional health insurance. However, this is gradually changing as coaching becomes more integrated into healthcare systems.
Some employers offer health coaching through workplace wellness programs, and some Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) may allow reimbursement, depending on the situation.
If cost is a concern, it may be worth checking with your employer or insurance provider to see whether any coaching-related benefits are available.
Health coaching and therapy both provide supportive, one-on-one conversations, but they focus on different areas.
Therapy is designed to support mental health and emotional healing. Therapists are licensed professionals who diagnose and treat mental health conditions, explore past experiences, and help individuals process emotions and trauma.
Health coaching focuses on behavior change related to health and lifestyle habits. Coaches help clients set goals, build routines, and create sustainable changes in areas such as sleep, nutrition, stress management, and movement. Coaching is generally forward-focused and action-oriented.
Some people work with both a therapist and a health coach at the same time, as the two roles can complement one another.
Personal trainers and health coaches both support behavior change, but their focus areas are different.
Personal trainers specialize in prescribing exercise programming for physical fitness. They design workouts, teach exercise technique, and help clients improve strength, endurance, or athletic performance.
Health coaches focus more broadly on lifestyle habits and behavior change. This often include exercise related habits, but can also span across nutrition habits, sleep routines, stress management, daily structure, and long-term habit formation.
In many cases, coaching and personal training work well together. A personal trainer may provide the exercise plan, while a health coach helps build the routines and habits that make it easier to follow through consistently.
The length of health coaching varies depending on your goals and the type of change you’re working toward. Some people benefit from just a few sessions focused on a specific challenge, while others choose to work with a coach over several months to build and sustain new habits.
Most coaching engagements last about 2–4 months, which allows enough time to identify priorities, experiment with new routines, and begin building consistency. This timeframe aligns with how long meaningful behavior change typically takes.
It’s also common for clients to return to coaching later when new challenges arise, such as starting a new job, becoming a parent, or managing a health condition.
Key Takeaways
I hope this article provided you clarity on what health coaching is, what it can help with, and what to look for when choosing a coach. Some key takeaways covered in this article:
- Health coaching helps bridge the gap between knowing and doing.
- It focuses on sustainable behavior change.
- Research supports its role in improving habits and health outcomes.
- Choosing a qualified coach is important.
Wondering if Health Coaching is Right for You?
Schedule a free discovery call with me to learn more. I’d be happy to answer your questions and explore whether coaching fits your needs.
Thanks for reading!
Best,
Kelsey Hirsch (FMCHC, NBHWC-candidate)
Citations
[1] Sherifali, Diana, et al. “Effect of diabetes health coaching on glycemic control and quality of life in adults living with type 2 diabetes: a community-based, randomized, controlled trial.” Canadian journal of diabetes 45.7 (2021): 594-600.
[2] Fernando, Malindu E., et al. “Effectiveness of remotely delivered interventions to simultaneously optimize management of hypertension, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in people with diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Frontiers in Endocrinology 13 (2022): 848695.
[3] Björnsdottir, Sigridur, et al. “User engagement, acceptability, and clinical markers in a digital health program for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: prospective, single-arm feasibility study.” JMIR cardio 8 (2024): e52576.
[4] An, Seonuk, and Rhayun Song. “Effects of health coaching on behavioral modification among adults with cardiovascular risk factors: Systematic review and meta-analysis.” Patient Education and Counseling 103.10 (2020): 2029-2038.
[5] Krishnamurthi, Rita V., et al. “Health and wellness coaching for 5-year projected cardiovascular health: A randomized controlled trial.” Neurology: Clinical Practice 14.1 (2024): e200220.
[6] Long, Hannah, et al. “Does health coaching improve health‐related quality of life and reduce hospital admissions in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? A systematic review and meta‐analysis.” British Journal of Health Psychology 24.3 (2019): 515-546.
[7] Baker, Laura D., et al. “Structured vs self-guided multidomain lifestyle interventions for global cognitive function: the US POINTER randomized clinical trial.” Jama 334.8 (2025): 681-691.
[8] Halliday, Tanya M., et al. “Lifestyle strategies after intentional weight loss: results from the MAINTAIN-pc randomized trial.” Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine 8.2 (2023): e000220.
[9] Riegel, Barbara, et al. “Health coaching improves outcomes of informal caregivers of adults with chronic heart failure: a randomized controlled trial.” Circulation: Heart Failure 17.7 (2024): e011475.
[10] Grewal, Harminder, et al. “Integrative approach for women with fibromyalgia in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center: An observational study.” Medicine 102.50 (2023): e36285.
[11] Cambriel, Amélie, et al. “Immune Modulation by Personalized vs Standard Prehabilitation Before Major Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA surgery 161.1 (2026): 20-30.
[12] Gorovoy, Suzanne B., et al. “App-supported sleep coaching: implications for sleep duration and sleep quality.” Frontiers in Sleep 2 (2023): 1156844.