Dr. Sears Health Coaching Program Review
I completed the Dr. Sears Health Coaching Program in 2013 so I wanted to share my honest thoughts and reviews about the program.
Why I Wanted to Be a Health Coach
I had been thinking about it for a couple of years and I wanted to learn more about health and wellness, as I expanded the topics on my blog.
How I Picked a Coaching Certification
I considered Dr. Sears Wellness Institute, the Integrative Nutrition Institute, and the Duke Integrative Medicine Program. Â Dr. Sears’ program was one of the more affordable options and the program was entirely online and fairly quick. I still wasn’t exactly sure how I wanted to use my certification, so it seemed like the right place to start.
What exactly is a health coach?
Truthfully, this is still being defined. Generally, it’s someone who can help you create healthy habits that fit into your lifestyle. Health coaches are not medical professionals and they can’t give medical advice. Health coaches typically aren’t covered by insurance although I think this is started to change.
A Review of the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute
The program I completed was a three part series that focused on health coaching for families.Â
- Part 1 focused on basic nutrition and lifestyle changes
- Part 2 was all about coaching methods
- Part 3 focused on marketing yourself as a coach
I found the curriculum to be pretty basic and the nutrition portion was very high level. The coaching methods were helpful as I thought about what it would look like to work with clients, but it was a very cookie-cutter approach.
In terms of marketing myself as a coach, I wasn’t as interested in that section, since I already had my blog up and running. They don’t give you a lot of specific information around pricing, packages, etc. So you still have to figure out a lot of it on your own.
Would I recommend Dr. Sears’ program?
It depends. For me, I wasn’t sure I really wanted to do 1 on 1 coaching. I just wanted to get a better understanding of health and nutrition for my blog. In that regard, I think it was the right fit for me. But I don’t feel equipped to do anything beyond very basic coaching tasks. (For example, I’d be comfortable walking someone through a grocery store and helping them find healthy food options. But I wouldn’t be making someone a meal plan.)
If you have an interest in health and wellness and want to get a basic understanding of nutrition principles, I think it can be a good investment. If I was interested in full-time coaching, I think I’d consider a dietetics program or one of the more advanced health coaching programs as I don’t think this course is comprehensive enough. To be fair, I took this program in 2013 and I’m sure it’s evolved over the years. I can only speak to the course when I took it.
I hope this helps as you evaluate the right health coaching program!
Yay to the health coaching how exciting, good luck : )
Congrats on health coaching, Liz! You’re going to be such a good coach! I’ve never done Tracy Anderson but I’ve heard that she’s a fitness trainer to the stars before 🙂
Congrats on the Health Coaching Liz! You will be awesome at it! I’ve toyed with the idea myself a few times so I can’t wait to hear how your journey goes and how you like the program.
I haven’t tried a Tracy Anderson workout yet but have heard great things!
Congrats on the health coaching! I actually started the blog a year ago when my plan was to do that, and then I went more in the freelance writing direction.
I’m actually way behind the ball and haven’t tried Tracy Anderson yet. I’m going to look into those video links!
Wow, that is awesome!!! Congrats on starting coaching school! I am wondering why did you choose Dr. Sears vs other schools like IIN for example?
Congrats on starting you program that is soexciting! Good luck with it you will do awesome!
Thanks so much, Rana! 🙂
Congrats on the health coaching program! That is exciting! And thanks for sharing that workout segment. I will have to give it a try. I am a sucker for a good ab workout.
That is so awesome that you’re studying health coaching! Sounds like you’re quite the busy lady, but I know all the hard work will pay off! 🙂
Hi Liz. The Wellness Coaching sounds interesting! Dr Sears use to be my sons pediatrician 20 yrs ago. 😉
I know Dr Sears is a spokesperson for the line I represent, JUICE PLUS+ 😉
So I’m sure he will incorporate the facts of JP+ into his training. Enjoy the journey!!
I appreciate your recipes & share them often! Thanks!!
Oh that is so cool! I’m really excited to learn more about the program 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I think you’ll be great at health coaching! In your blogging, you’re so positive and unintrusive about living a healthy lifestyle. It’s something I really appreciate, and I know your clients will too 🙂
I’ll have to give those workouts a try. I’ve been enjoying the Blogilates workouts recently. Have you ever tried hers? I think I’m a little late on the bandwagon, but a friend recently suggested I check them out.
You are so sweet, Katie! Thank you! 🙂 I’ve love the workouts that Blogilates does for pop songs! (I’ve been jamming out to Blurred Lines, trying to do her workout!)