How to Become a Holistic Wellness Coach

Overview

Anything in the field of holistic study is a challenge to obtain. Holistic studies are the natural methods in which your body can control the overall health and style of your life. The field of holistic work has always been there, however, it seems as though it is recently resurfacing and drawing in more interest from potential workers.

A holistic wellness coach does the difficult task of not only making over a client’s diet into a holistic way, but also guiding a client’s life and steering it into a more holistic type of way. These holistic life coaches have a wide range of clients who struggle with different types of issues (such as addiction, eating problems, and etc.) and they have to have the ability to completely and effectively strip the client of his or her ways and start from zero to build up and entirely new and holistic style of living, which is absolutely no easy task.

Holistic wellness coaching is all about awakening the self-awareness of your clients and giving them a complete transformation, which, as previously stated, is no easy job.

Related Reading: How to Become a Wellness Counselor

Work Environment

Holistic wellness coaches fall in between the fields of psychology and nutrition. Similar to that of your average wellness and life coach, work opportunities can be presented to a holistic wellness coach in a counseling center, in a school, in a private psychological practice, or most commonly, through freelance work. Building up a clientele is the most important thing that will determine your work environment for this profession. There really isn’t a work environment that is any better than the others; it is all about what is most comfortable and preferable for you and your profession.

Requirements

Education

As previously stated, the field of holistic wellness often falls between psychology and nutrition. Therefore, in order to begin your profession in the line of holistic wellness coaching, a double major is often required in holistic studies and psychology. If a holistic studies program is unavailable to you, then you can obtain your undergraduate degree in psychology and then pursue holistic studies with a master’s degree after. Master’s degrees are not always required, yet they are often preferred from most potential places of work.

Training

The majority of your training will occur during your master’s degree, where you will focus on psychology and the specifics of holistic psychology. These programs are not often to come by (the programs that tackle both within them), therefore you have to do some serious research to find out where you can study.

In your training, you will be practicing working with clients as well as learning all about how to bridge the gap between holistic studies and the study of psychology and assisting and effectively guiding others.

Certification/Licensure

Certification is not required to be a wellness counselor, but in some cases, an employer may prefer to hire those who are certified health education specialists. The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing offers certification to those who pass a written or computerized exam on the basic duties associated with wellness counseling.

Necessary Skills

Because you are working closely with all different types of clients, your ability to convey proper comprehension and understanding of your materials upon different types of clients is absolutely crucial. You will also need to be able to connect with other people and you will certainly need to have a great deal of patience.

With anything in the holistic field come a lot of moments where clients will question your decisions and information. You have to have the skills to appropriately defend your decisions and statements, while still being communicable.

Salary

According to Payscale.com, average salary of most wellness coaches in 2012 was $10-$39 per hour, or about $25,000-$66,000 per year. You ultimately control your salary in this field. All you have to do is decide what your ultimate goals for this career are. The higher you climb in the profession of work, the greater your benefits can be.

Job Outlook

Overall, this job takes a lot of training and dedication. If this is something that interests you, then it is worth it. However, this requires full commitment, so think long and hard about it before beginning your training. Never quit or settle in this field; always strive for the top in this profession and you will never be sorry.

Related Reading

• Holistic Health Counselor Career Guide
• How to Become a Holistic Health Practitioner
• How to Become a Holistic Nutritionist

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