S02_ATTACHMENT 5_PROGRAM APPROVAL HANDBOOK.pdf

Program Approval Handbook

Prepared by the NBHWC Program Approval

Updated May 2023

© 2010-2023 NBHWC. All rights reserved. 2

© 2010-2023 NBHWC. All rights reserved. 3

Table of Contents

Introduction to NBHWC Program Approval

Overview of NBHWC Program Approval

Glossary of Essential Terms

NBHWC Program Approval Published Standards

NBHWC Detailed Training and Education Requirements

Summary of Program Approval Process

The Review Process

a. The Virtual Site Visit

b. The Approval Decision

Maintaining NBHWC Approval Status

a. The Practical Skills Recording

b. Falling below the NBHWC Published Standards

c. Audits

d. The Annual Update

e. Three-year Review and Re-Approval

NBHWC Approved Program Code of Conduct

Appendix A: HWC Certifying Examination Content Outline

Appendix B: NBHWC Program Approval Resource Guide &

Instructional Guiding Questions

Appendix C: NBHWC Practical Skills Guidelines

Appendix D: NBHWC Scope of Practice

Appendix E: NBHWC Code of Ethics

Appendix F: Application Guidance

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Thank you for your interest in NBHWC Program Approval!

NBHWC Program Approval is a rigorous process intended for organizations seeking to provide coach training and education in alignment with the NBHWC published standards for health and wellness coach training programs. This handbook outlines the training and education requirements for NBHWC Approved Training Programs as well as provides numerous resources for the application process. You will find the NBHWC Code of Conduct for Approved Training

Programs, a list of the core competencies for health and wellness coaches, as well as many other resources to ensure that your program has all the necessary tools to deliver a coach training and education program to the highest standards. We look forward to having your coach training and education program become part of the NBHWC collaborative network as we build and advance the field of health and wellness coaching together.

Introduction to NBHWC Program Approval

Overview of NBHWC Program Approval

NBHWC Program Approval identifies health and wellness coach training and education programs that have met NBHWC published standards for preparing capable, competent health and wellness coaches. Graduates from NBHWC Approved Programs qualify to apply for the National Board Certification Examination, offered in partnership with the National

Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Graduates who sit for and pass the National Board

Certification Examination earn the designation: National Board Certified Health and Wellness

Coach (NBC-HWC).

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NBHWC Program Approval Designations

NBHWC Program Approval Fees

Approved

Approval Level Application Fee*

• Programs that meet NBHWC published standards.

• Programs that have already graduated a cohort or will begin a first cohort within 6 months of approval (first cohort must graduate within the first 2 years of approval).

• Approval is annually updated.

• Reviews occur every 3 years to sustain approval.

Approved

Approved; has not yet graduated a cohort

Not Approved

$899

$899

$899

$700

$700 $200***

• Programs that do not meet published standards.

• Programs are provided feedback on areas of deficiency and/or need.

• Reapplication is encouraged and support is provided during the reapplication process.

Not Approved

Annual Fee** Administrative Fee

Application Fees are due, in full, at the time of application account creation.

Up to 3 years of Annual Fees may be paid in a lump sum at the time of approval.

Administrative Fees are charged annually until a program graduates the first cohort.

All fees are non-refundable.

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Glossary of Essential Terms

The following table of essential terms should be utilized as a reference while completing the

Program Approval application process.

Faculty

Approval and

Approved Program

Allied Health

Professional

Denotes program personnel, designated by the applicant program or host organization, who are responsible for the development, delivery, and assessment of curricula in content areas 1-4 of the

HWC Certifying Examination Content Outline.

Recognizes an endorsement of a health and wellness coach training program, specifically one that has met the minimum standards as set forth by the NBHWC.

A distinct group of health professionals (other than doctors or registered nurses) with specific training, registration, or licensing to perform services in the care of patients. Many have expertise in disease transmission, prevention, and diagnosing as well as treating and rehabilitating people of all ages. Inclusive of many specialities; typically provides direct patient care to assist with restoring optimal health for patients.

A full 60-minutes of instruction without breaks, either faculty-led or faculty-constructed.

The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching –

An organization dedicated to the credentialing of individual coaches and the approval of programs who train health and wellness coaches.

Asynchronous training is faculty-constructed instruction that occurs outside of live instructional time. Examples include watching recorded lectures or participating in interactive online activities that are not live but are faculty-constructed. (Does not include reading assignments or triad practice without faculty present.)

Synchronous training is faculty-led instruction that occurs under the direct, “live” facilitation of the program faculty, either in-person or remotely.

Instructional Hour

NBHWC

Asynchronous and

Synchronous Training

Term/Phrase Application

JTA The Job Task Analysis – A validated work-product that seeks to delineate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform that which is occupationally necessary.

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Program Director, Program Lead, Program Manager, Coordinator, or Primary Contact

Program

Practical Skills

Assessment

Denotes the primary contact person within an Approved

Program who has the direct oversight of the program and authority to make or secure the resources necessary to seek and maintain program approval.

A health and wellness coach training and education program that is offered by a host organization, currently falling within one of the following categories: academic credit programs, non-academic credit programs, private sector programs, and private sector internal programs. Programs are considered “Applicant Programs” through the application process and must meet specific criteria to be eligible to be an NBHWC Approved Training Program.

At least one of the required student practice coaching sessions must be assessed by faculty for competency in practical skills; the assessment must result in a pass/fail grade. The coaching session can be presented in a live or recorded format, typically near the end of the program, and a passing grade is required for successful completion of the program.

Denotes an artifact of the program that has been made available to the public, such as a website page/link, a brochure, etc

Identifies the process whereby an NBC-HWC can maintain certification status through the completion of NBHWC approved continuing education opportunities and annual fee payment.

National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach – The landmark credential for health and wellness coaches as established by the NBHWC and offered in partnership with the

NBME.

The National Board of Medical Examiners –

An organization dedicated to the assessment of healthcare professionals. The NBME has partnered with the NBHWC to advance the field of health and wellness coaching on a global scale.

Published

Recertification

NBC-HWC

NBME

Term/Phrase Application

License/Registration A license is a legal designation, with a clear set of requirements, that authorizes individuals to work in a specific profession (typically state regulated); a registration is the least restrictive form of state regulation and denotes a qualified professional that has obtained specific professional qualifications, including registering those qualifications with the state, before practicing in the field of expertise.

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NBHWC Program Approval Published Standards

Outlined below are the 10 NBHWC published standards for coach training and education programs. It is recommended that your program faculty and stakeholders thoroughly review and ensure understanding of the published standards prior to beginning the application process. Your program must attest that it currently meets the NBHWC published standards in order to begin the Program Approval application.

Part 1: Contact Hours

• A program must include a minimum of 75 instructional hours of training and education covering the HWC Certifying Examination Content Outline (60 minutes = 1 instructional hour).

• From the required 75 instructional hours, 60 of them come from content areas 1, 2, and 4, with at least 40 of them being delivered synchronously.

• From the required 75 instructional hours, 15 of them come from content area 3 (through synchronous or asynchronous formats).

Part 2: Practical Skills Development, Feedback, and Assessment

• As part of the required 75 instructional hours, each student demonstrates to appropriate faculty at least 3 complete practice coaching sessions of at least 20 minutes in duration.

• As part of the required 75 instructional hours, appropriate program faculty provide at least

20 minutes of synchronous, post-session feedback for each of at least 3 student practice coaching sessions, totaling a minimum of 60 minutes of synchronous post-session feedback for each student.

• As part of the required 75 instructional hours, a program requires at least 1 practical skills assessment that results in a pass/fail grade and is based upon the NBHWC Practical Skills

Guidelines.

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Part 3: Faculty Standards

• Content Areas 1, 2 & 4: Coaching Structure, Process, and Ethics/Legal Considerations

» A minimum of 48 hours of the required 60 instructional hours are delivered by faculty that have earned the NBC-HWC designation. NBC-HWC must be current and active.

» A minimum of 48 hours of the required 60 instructional hours are delivered by faculty with at least 200 hours of coaching practice.

» A minimum of 15 hours of the required 60 instructional hours are delivered by faculty with a minimum of a master’s degree in a health and wellness related field, or a bachelor’s degree plus a license/registration in a nationally recognized health and wellness–related field.

• Content Area 3: Health and Wellness

» A minimum of 12 hours of the required 15 instructional hours are delivered by faculty with a minimum of a master’s degree in a health and wellness-related field, or a bachelor’s degree plus a license/registration in a nationally recognized health and wellness–related field.

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NBHWC Detailed Training and Education Requirements

Program Establishment

To be eligible to be an NBHWC Approved Program, a program must meet specific establishment requirements in addition to aligning with the NBHWC published standards.

Before beginning the application process, be certain to review the following requirements for program establishment:

• The program includes a curriculum with a distinct program name that has been fully approved by the host organization.

• The program includes a curriculum that meets or exceeds all defined NBHWC published standards.

• The program includes qualified faculty, employed by the applicant program or host organization, that are fully available to design and deliver the curriculum.

• The program has identified a Program Director, Program Lead, Program Manager, Coordinator, or Primary Contact that will be responsible for program administration and oversight.

• The program includes the issuance of a fully executed, official document from the host organization to every successful graduate (certificate, diploma, transcript, etc.).

Instructional Hours

Introduction:

Instructional hours are the backbone of all coach training and education programs, and the number of instructional hours can vary widely based on the philosophy of each program. At a minimum, coach training and education programs should consider the number of instructional hours needed for a student to learn, develop, and practice the skills needed to become a professional health and wellness coach. Additionally, each program must ensure that each and every student completes the minimum number of instructional hours required according to the

NBHWC published standards.

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1. A minimum of 75 instructional hours of training and education that cover the Health &

Wellness Coach Certifying Examination Content Outline and are applicable to client/patient concerns related to health and well-being.

a. An Instructional Hour is defined as a full 60 minutes without breaks.

b. All competencies in the Health & Wellness Coach Certifying Examination

Content Outline must be reviewed; students will be held responsible for knowledge in all competencies.

c. Reading is strongly recommended and is not included in the 75 hours.

2. From the minimum 75 instructional hours, 60 instructional hours must address Health

& Wellness Coach Certifying Examination Content Areas 1, 2 & 4 (coaching structure, coaching process, ethics and legal considerations).

a. From the minimum of 60 instructional hours in Content Areas 1, 2 & 4, a minimum of

40 instructional hours are faculty-led and synchronously delivered using a live, fully interactive format.

i. Includes coach skill and strategy demonstrations.

ii. Includes practical skills development (coaching practice) and practical skills assessments conducted during faculty-led synchronous instruction.

iii. May not include practical skills development (coaching practice) that takes place outside of faculty-led synchronous instructional hours.

b. From the minimum of 60 instructional hours in Content Areas 1, 2 & 4, up to 20 instructional hours may be faculty-constructed and asynchronously delivered using formats including, but not limited to:

i. Viewing faculty-narrated PowerPoints

ii. Watching webcasts or prerecorded videos

iii. Listening to or watching recorded coaching demonstrations

c. Asynchronous instructional hours must assess student engagement and response through activities such as *:

i. Providing answers to homework questions

ii. Completing analyses, reviews, reports or summary presentations

iii. Taking quizzes or exams

iv. Posting on discussion boards

* Time spent by students completing these student engagement activities is not counted toward instructional hours.

Instructional Hour Requirements:

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3. From the minimum 75 instructional hours, 15 instructional hours must address Health &

Wellness Coach Certifying Examination Content Areas 3 (health and wellness).

a. May be delivered in synchronous or asynchronous formats.

b. Instruction should be in alignment with the competencies outlined in the most current Health & Wellness Coach Certifying Examination Content Outline.

c. If faculty-constructed and asynchronously delivered, formats including, but not limited to, may be utilized:

i. Viewing faculty-narrated PowerPoints

ii. Watching webcasts or prerecorded videos

iii. Listening to or watching recorded coaching demonstrations

d. Asynchronous instructional hours must assess student engagement and response through activities such as:

i. Providing answers to homework questions

ii. Completing analyses, reviews, reports or summary presentations

iii. Taking quizzes or exams

iv. Posting on discussion boards

Note: Time spent by students completing these student engagement activities is not counted toward instructional hours.

Synchronous Hours Asynchronous Hours

Content Areas 1, 2 & 4

Content Area 3*

* Content Area 3 may be offered either synchronously or asynchronously. Up to 15 instructional hours must be provided in either delivery type or a combination of both.

Minimum 40 hours

Minimum of 15 hours

Up to 20 hours

Minimum of 15 hours

Instructional Hour Summary Instructional Hour Summary:

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Introduction:

The development of practical skills in health and wellness coaching is one of the most critical components provided by coach training and education programs. The approach to practical skills development should be comprehensive and multi-faceted; programs should consider how to best develop practical skills rather than focus exclusively on meeting minimum standards.

Clear expectations should be established for students from the onset of the program, and students must have opportunities to both understand and practice new skills. The Practical

Skills Assessment tool should serve as a guide throughout the program, and formative feedback provided by faculty should refine and enhance student practical skills to prepare them for professional practice.

Practical Skills Development, Assessment, and Feedback Requirements:

1. Practical Skills Development:

a. A student must demonstrate three (3) complete, separate practice coaching sessions.

i. Each practice coaching session must be a minimum of 20 minutes in duration.

ii. A “complete” practice coaching session is defined in the competencies, outlined in Content Area 1 of the Health & Wellness Coach Certifying

Examination Content Outline.

iii. Practice coaching sessions may be presented by the student to a faculty member in a live or recorded format.

iv. Each session must be observed or reviewed by a faculty member in order to be counted as a part of the program’s instructional hours.

2. Practical Skills Feedback:

a. Each of the three (3) complete, separate practice coaching sessions must be followed by faculty-led developmental feedback provided verbally in real time.

i. Each feedback session must be a minimum of 20 minutes in duration per student, per practice coaching session, and counts as a part of the program’s synchronous instructional hours in Content Areas 1, 2 & 4.

ii. Feedback sessions should occur in between practice coaching sessions and must, at a minimum, occur prior to the student’s next practice coaching session.

b. Feedback sessions should be guided by the program’s practical skills rubric utilized to evaluate a student’s competency in practical skills.

Practical Skills Development, Assessment, and Feedback

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3. Practical Skills Assessment (PSA):

a. As part of the required 75 instructional hours, the program administers at least one (1) final Practical Skills Assessment (PSA). The following details must be included on/within the PSA:

i. The program’s PSA must minimally assess all areas of the NBHWC Practical

Skills Guidelines.

ii. The program’s PSA must be detailed in rubric format.

iii. The program’s PSA must detail observable behaviors; satisfactory and unsatisfactory categories must be minimally included.

iv. The program’s PSA must detail pass/fail criteria and clearly indicate the result from the PSA administration (pass or fail).

b. The administration of the Practical Skills Assessment (PSA) must be at least one of the required three (3) complete, separate practice coaching sessions and must be assessed by faculty for competency in practical skills.

i. The assessment must reflect a final assessment of a student’s practical skills.

ii. Students must demonstrate satisfactory observable behaviors in all areas of the NBHWC Practical Skills Guidelines in order to receive a passing grade.

iii. The assessment must require a passing grade for successful completion of the program.

iv. The pass date on the final PSA is the first date that can appear on the

NBHWC Coaching Log for exam eligibility.

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Introduction:

The faculty standards have been established to ensure that faculty of health and wellness coach training and education programs have satisfactory education, experience, and credentials to provide quality training to health and wellness coaching students. Programs building a highly qualified faculty for the delivery of coach training and education will want to seek faculty who are both well-educated in health and wellness coaching and well-trained in the interpersonal skills that give the field its unique identity and effectiveness.

A program’s faculty is responsible for meeting the NBHWC published standards in four ways:

1. Training and education in Content Areas 1, 2 & 4 of the Health & Wellness Coach

Certifying Examination Content Outline.

2. Training and education in Content Area 3 (health and wellness knowledge) of the Health

& Wellness Coach Certifying Examination Content Outline.

3. Practical skills development and developmental feedback, including mentoring.

4. Administration of a Practical Skills Assessment for each coaching student who has completed the training and education in the coaching competencies.

Overview of Faculty Requirements:

To meet the faculty standards for NBHWC Program Approval, programs must demonstrate that they have highly qualified faculty that meet the minimum standards for delivery of the program’s instructional hours. The key areas for faculty credentials and education include:

1. Faculty with a current and active NBC-HWC credential, AND,

2. Faculty with a graduate-level health and wellness related degree; OR, alternatively,

3. Faculty with a bachelor’s degree plus an active, nationally-recognized registration or state license as an allied health professional, which is considered equivalent to a graduate degree in a health and wellness related field.

Details Relevant to Faculty Requirements:

Definition of health and wellness related degree:

A degree in a health and wellness related field emphasizes various aspects of health in order to effect and improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. Health and wellness related fields may include education in physical, biological, and social sciences and is inclusive of education in advancing behavior change. Health and wellness related fields often provide education

Faculty

© 2010-2023 NBHWC. All rights reserved. 16 and skill development in areas of health promotion, public health, healthy living, wellness advocacy and support, health and wellness program development, and the advancement of holistic, patient-centered healthcare.

Examples of health and wellness related degrees include, but are not limited to:

Health coaching, integrative health, psychology, health promotion, health education, wellness, clinical social work, counseling, marriage and family therapy, couples therapy, exercise physiology, kinesiology, nursing, physiology, nutrition, dietetics, public health, yoga therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and areas of medicine, including psychiatry, osteopathic medicine, naturopathic medicine, chiropractic medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and dentistry.

Guiding questions for determining if faculty have a health and wellness related degree:

• Has coursework been completed on various aspects of health, such as disease prevention, fitness, nutrition, and mental health?

• Has coursework been completed in health care delivery, health systems management and analysis, professional responsibilities in healthcare, ethics, leadership and management as related to healthcare, global health, or epidemiology?

• Has coursework been completed in fundamental biology, chemistry and/or social sciences?

• Has coursework been completed that examines the health care system

(principles and practices), disease prevention, quality of life, health literacy, needs assessment and evaluation, and critical lifestyle behaviors that impact well-being and mortality?

• Has coursework been completed in evidence-based practices that influence individual to population health?

Parameters of national registration or state licensure (pertaining to faculty with bachelor’s degrees with additional credentials):

1. National registrations require practitioners to provide information about their training and experience to a state consumer protection agency. General requirements for a registration include: graduating from an approved program within the specific field or profession, meeting certification requirements of a national organization, completing a specified amount of training, passing an exam, and participating in continuing education.

a. Examples include, but are not limited to: Registered Nurse (RN); Registered

Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN); Registered Occupational Therapist (ROT);

Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).

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b. Note: The NBC-HWC credential is not a registered practice that is overseen by state consumer protection agencies.

2. State licensure includes that practitioners meet specific education, training, or practice standards for that state, in addition to being licensed to provide a service. In some states, practitioners must have specific credentials before using a professional title.

a. Examples include, but are not limited to: Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN);

Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN); Licensed Social Worker (LSW).

Details for Mentors:

NBHWC recognizes that many programs utilize mentors to provide support, observation, and feedback opportunities to coaching students. If your program uses or plans to use mentors to support coaching students, you will want to be certain to consult the following detailed information regarding the definition and required qualifications of mentors providing instructional support in NBHWC Approved Programs.

Definition of Mentor:

A Mentor Coach is an experienced and trusted health and wellness coach who provides support, feedback, and guidance to individuals working to master the practice of health and wellness coaching through the development of the efficacy of the health coach-client relationship, and the growth of skills and competencies for successful coaching.

Mentor Coaches at NBHWC Approved Programs:

Mentor Coaches who specifically provide support, feedback, and guidance to coaching students in NBHWC Approved Training Programs, including the administration of Practical Skills Assessments and required coachee feedback sessions, are considered faculty of the NBHWC Approved Training Program.

NBHWC Approved Training Programs who hire or contract Mentor Coaches to provide support, feedback, and guidance to coaching students, including the administration of Practical Skills Assessments and required coachee feedback sessions, must ensure that the Mentor Coaches meet the minimum requirements for faculty, per the NBHWC published standards, and are included on the NBHWC

Approved Program’s Faculty Table.

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Mentor Qualifications for Mentors serving as faculty in NBHWC Approved Programs:

a. Current and active NBC-HWC credential, and

b. A minimum of 200 hours of coaching experience, and

c. Must meet the requirements of faculty for the NBHWC Approved Program as it applies.

Meeting the Faculty Standards:

Meeting the published standards for NBHWC Program Approval requires establishing a highly qualified, skilled team of faculty members who deliver the minimum required instructional hours in Content Areas 1 - 4 of the Health & Wellness Coach Certifying Examination Content

Outline. There is no minimum number of faculty required to provide instruction, and there is no minimum faculty:student ratio. To be effective in meeting the faculty standards, programs should consider how the instructional hour requirements are met by the program’s faculty in accordance with each standard. Any and all faculty, including mentors, involved in the program’s design and delivery must be reported in the application process.

Meeting the published standards for faculty includes ensuring that:

1. A minimum of 48 hours of the 60 instructional hours in Content Areas 1, 2 & 4 is delivered by faculty that have earned the designation of National Board Certified

Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).

2. A minimum of 48 hours of the 60 instructional hours in Content Areas 1, 2 & 4 is delivered by faculty that have completed 200 hours of live, professional coaching sessions which meet the following criteria:

a. Individual or group health and wellness coaching sessions

b. Live formats including face-to-face, telephonic or virtual/video coaching (text, message and other digital formats do not count as live formats)

c. A minimum of 20 minutes in duration, 75% of which must be coaching process and not instructional, educational or directional

d. Volunteer or for pay, but may not be delivered to friends or family or in services exchange with other coaches

3. A minimum of 15 hours of the 60 instructional hours in Content Areas 1, 2 & 4 is delivered by faculty that have a minimum of a master’s degree in a health and wellness-related field, or a bachelor’s degree plus an active, nationally-recognized registration or state license.

4. A minimum of 12 hours of the 15 instructional hours in Content Area 3 is delivered by faculty that have a minimum of a master’s degree in a health and wellness-related field, or a bachelor’s degree plus an active, nationally-recognized registration or state license.

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Summary of Program Approval Process

*These steps only apply if program approval has been granted.

Note that completion of the program approval process does not imply nor guarantee program approval.

Create a program approval application account

Confirm eligibility

Submit payment to open the application

Complete the application;

reference Appendix E

Submit the application

Enter the review process (30-60 days to complete)

Participate in a Virtual Site Visit as part of the review

Submit Approved Program payment*

Receive Approval decision at conclusion of the review

Join the network of NBHWC Approved Programs*

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The Review Process

Upon submission of a completed application, the review process begins. At this time, your program will be assigned an NBHWC Program Reviewer, who will be responsible for conducting a systematic review of your program in alignment with the NBHWC published standards. The review process is as follows:

The review process begins with your NBHWC Program Reviewer spending the first 10-14 days completing an initial review of your application materials. Once complete, you will be contacted to schedule your program’s Virtual Site Visit, the next step in the review process. The Virtual

Site Visit is an opportunity to share directly with the NBHWC Program Reviewer details about your program, program philosophy, and your program’s training of student coaches. Conducted virtually via live video conference, the Virtual Site Visit typically takes place within 15-30 days of application submission.

The primary parties participating in the Virtual Site Visit will be the NBHWC Program Reviewer and your Program Director; we encourage you to include other internal stakeholders as appropriate, such as program faculty and administrators. During the 60-90 minutes of your

Virtual Site Visit, you can expect that your Program Reviewer will share some reflective observations and ask a series of questions based upon your application and accompanying documentation. The visit will take the form of an interview with spirited, supportive, program-focused dialogue.

Once the Virtual Site Visit has been completed, your Program Reviewer will prepare a final report with verification of evidence assembled from the application review and the Virtual

Site Visit. This report will then be presented to the NBHWC Program Approval Department for final review and confirmation; this process can take up to 30 days after the completion of the

Virtual Site Visit. Once the final review and confirmation of evidence has been completed, you will receive notification of the final decision regarding approval status and any other relevant information.

The Virtual Site Visit

The Approval Decision

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Once an NBHWC Approved Program, maintenance of Approval status comes with responsibilities for your coach training and education program. Your NBHWC Approved

Program must, at a minimum, maintain compliance with the NBHWC published standards and the NBHWC Approved Training Program Code of Conduct. The Approved Program must also be administered as approved. As you begin and pursue NBHWC Program Approval, make certain to review all the requirements and responsibilities to maintain Approval status.

At the one-year anniversary of receiving Approval, or when your program completes its first official cohort, your program is required to submit a recording of the final, graded assessment session of a student coaching for at least 20 minutes. Accompanying this recording, you will also submit the Practical Skills Assessment rubric used for the final assessment of practical coaching skills. Recordings are used to understand the nature and scope of Practical Skills

Assessments, feedback provided by faculty, and outcomes. Notices will be provided 60-days prior to the deadline for submission; programs completing the first cohort will receive upload links once NBHWC has been notified of the cohort’s completion.

Faculty Updates

Changes in faculty are a natural and normal part of the operation and delivery of an Approved

Program. While you may have faculty that stay with your Approved Program for a significant length of time, you may also experience faculty turnover or growth as your program develops and matures. When such changes occur, it is important that NBHWC has a record of your

Approved Program faculty changes in order to protect the integrity of your Graduate Letter of

Eligibility for the NBHWC Board Exam. Updated Faculty Tables are available in your Approved

Program’s profile and must be submitted any time there is a change to your faculty.

Falling Below the NBHWC Published Standards

The Practical Skills Recording

Maintaining NBHWC Approval Status

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Falling Below the NBHWC Published Standards

Sometimes there are program changes that are unanticipated and impact your program’s ability to be delivered as approved. While most changes are easily rectified through delivery adjustments and minor modifications, there are times where the changes are significant and require action. When a change in your program’s delivery causes your program to fall below the minimum NBHWC published standards, immediate action is required. Approved Programs have 30 days from the date of the known change to provide notification to NBHWC. Once

NBHWC is notified, the following remediation process, also outlined in the the NBHWC ATP

Code of Conduct, will be followed to address necessary adjustments:

• The Approved Program develops and implements a remediation plan within 90 days of falling below any published standard. If the Approved Program is able to complete the remediation plan within 90 days, no further action will be taken; the Approved Program may continue operations as normal.

• If the Approved Program is unable to remediate any standard(s) non-compliance within

90 days, the Approved Program will have up to 180 days to implement and complete the remediation plan. However, during this period the Approved Program will be considered to be in “probationary status,” which will include removal of the Approved Program from the NBHWC website and current students of the program must be notified.

• If the Approved Program fails to return to the minimum published standards within the

180 day rectification period, NBHWC will revoke approval status. The program will need to reapply in order to be reinstated as an NBHWC Approved Program.

Changes can be challenging and overwhelming. Make certain to stay in touch with NBHWC whenever your program undergoes a significant change that could impact Approval status.

Audits

Audits of NBHWC Approved Programs are done periodically to review and verify program operations are in alignment with the NBHWC published standards. By agreeing to operate as an

NBHWC Approved Program, your program agrees to comply with and participate in any audit deemed necessary or relevant by NBHWC. Audits, conducted formally or informally, may and can be conducted to provide insight into NBHWC Approved Program policies and procedures as well as to assure compliance with the NBHWC published standards and the NBHWC Code of Conduct. Please consult the NBHWC Code of Conduct with more information on audit participation and compliance.

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The Annual Updates

NBHWC Approved Programs are required to complete Annual Updates. Completed on the anniversary of your Approval, Updates consist of an attestation that your program continues to meet the minimum standards for approval and provide space to share program updates, modifications, and enhancements. Additionally, programs are required to upload a current faculty table with the qualifications for all faculty involved in the design and delivery of the

Approved Program. Notices are sent out 30-days prior to the due date of the Annual Update.

Failure to fully complete Annual Updates may result in the loss of NBHWC Program Approval status.

Sample Annual Update Questions:

• Please describe significant activities for the organization and program over the past year.

• Please describe in detail your program’s growth over the past year (include any expanded outreach and marketing, increased number of students, adding/expanding faculty, etc.)

• Please describe in detail any program changes over the past year (include any general program changes, content delivery changes, changing content delivery [such as moving synchronous to asynchronous or vice versa], modifications to instructional hours, etc).

• Please describe any content modifications over the past year (this includes any and all modifications in content itself and include if additional content has been added).

• Please describe feedback you have received in your program evaluations in the past year.

• How many students have fully completed your program in the last 12 months? How many students are projected to fully complete your program in the next 12 months?

• What changes, if any, have occurred in your faculty in the last 12 months? Please describe how your faculty meets the current NBHWC published standards.

• What feedback do you hear from your graduates about the national board exam?

• How can NBHWC help encourage your graduates to sit for the board exam?

• What type of support would you be interested in receiving from NBHWC in the ongoing maintenance of your program’s approval?

© 2010-2023 NBHWC. All rights reserved. 24

Three-year Reviews

The third year of your Approval status is a landmark for renewal and as such, your program is due for a review. These reviews, conducted virtually, are an opportunity to review the ongoing development of your program as well as discuss continued alignment with NBHWC standards, instructional enhancements, score reports, and any required updates. Reviews are scheduled

30-60 days in advance of the renewal date and the review itself is an estimated 60-minutes for discussion. Programs are provided a list of review questions in advance to prepare for the discussion, and any stakeholders involved in the management, development, and delivery of the program are welcome to attend.

Sample 3-year Review Questions:

• Please describe your program’s general development since becoming NBHWC

Approved.

• Please describe the philosophy of your coach training and education program. How has it changed and/or evolved since becoming NBHWC Approved?

• What do you think are the strengths of coaches who complete your program? What do you believe makes your coaches unique from other programs?

• How do you feel the NBHWC Approved status has impacted your program and its training of coaches? What is your NBHWC Approved Program’s vision for the future?

• Your Annual Update for this year attests that your program continues to meet the published standards. What does this look like now that you are in your third year of

Approval?

» How many instructional hours does your program provide currently?

» How many instructional hours are in Content Areas 1, 2 & 4? How many are synchronous and how many asynchronous?

» How many instructional hours are in Content Area 3? What is the format for delivery?

» How many coaching sessions do students participate in under faculty supervision?

What is the setting for those sessions? Are there other opportunities for students to practice coaching?

» How often do students receive faculty feedback? How is feedback delivered?

» Has your program’s PSA developed since your initial Program Approval application?

In what way? How aligned do you feel your PSA is with the NBHWC published guidelines?

» How is instruction divided among faculty? How many have the NBC-HWC credential?

In what ways can you envision your faculty growing in the next 3 years?

© 2010-2023 NBHWC. All rights reserved. 25

Introduction

Purpose

NBHWC Program Approval identifies health and wellness coach training and education programs that have met the NBHWC published standards for preparing capable, competent health and wellness coaches.

The purpose of this document is to outline the policies and agreements established as coach training and education programs apply for and become NBHWC Approved

Programs. The policies and agreements outlined in this document ensure that

NBHWC Approved Programs operate with consistency and integrity to benefit the development and professionalization of health and wellness coaching.

Scope

Coach training and education programs that are seeking initial NBHWC Approval or renewal of Program Approval status are responsible for understanding and complying with all of the policies and agreements outlined in this document. The scope of these policies and agreements shall be understood as applicable both during the

Program Approval application process and once Approval is received. These policies and agreements shall be understood as binding guidelines and responsibilities to ensure appropriate conduct and integrity is maintained; attestation to the adherence of these policies and agreements is completed as a part of the NBHWC Program Approval application and renewal processes.

Program Promise

When seeking or renewing NBHWC

Program Approval, it is the expectation of NBHWC that all coach training and education programs commit, in good faith, to be accurate and truthful in all information presented through the NBHWC

Program Approval process, and through the acquisition and maintenance of Program

Approval status. Falsification and/or fraud, in any format, will not be tolerated and may result in refusal or removal of NBHWC

Approval status.

Falsification shall include, but is not limited to, the following: fabrication of information; false or misleading program information and details; false or misleading information regarding program operations; false or misleading information and/ or data; false or misleading advertising and marketing; false or misleading use of NBHWC

Approved Program language, logos or other

NBHWC materials; false or misleading information regarding the program’s Approval status.

Fraud shall include, but is not limited to, the following: the false representation of facts, intentionally withholding information and/or providing false statements.

NBHWC Approved Training Program Code of Conduct

© 2010-2023 NBHWC. All rights reserved. 26

NBHWC Approved Training Program Code of Conduct

1. Organization and Program Conduct

a. Organizations seeking NBHWC Approval status for a coach training and education program must ensure compliance with the NBHWC Code of Conduct from the date of application through the program review process. Organizations that have and/or provide an NBHWC Approved Program are obligated, by virtue of the receipt of approval status, to be in full compliance with the NBHWC Code of Conduct.

b. Organizations seeking NBHWC Approval status for a coach training and education program must attest (in the application process) the first enrollment date for the program presented in the NBHWC application for program approval;

this date shall be reflective of the date from which the program first met the requirements of the NBHWC published standards and is not modifiable.

c. NBHWC Approved Programs, and overseeing organizations, shall maintain the integrity of the program, as approved, and to comply with any provisions of approval identified by the NBHWC Program Approval Department.

d. NBHWC Approved Programs, and overseeing organizations, only implement curriculum and utilize materials that are proprietary to the program and the program has explicit permission to use.

e. NBHWC Approved Programs, and overseeing organizations, abide by the policy that an NBHWC Approved Program operates under singular approval and may not share approval status with any other programs that maintain independent leadership structures from the Approved Program. This holds true regardless of authorization granted by the Approved Program to carry out other specific activities and/or use the Approved Program’s expertise, ideas and processes.

i. NBHWC Approved Program may be offered within or for an outside organization provided that the following conditions are met:

1. The NBHWC Approved Program is not misrepresented as an affiliate of or in partnership with the outside organization. The use of the NBHWC

Approved Program logo is exclusive to the Approved Program only;

outside organizations are prohibited from using the NBHWC Approved

Program logo.

2. The NBHWC Approved Program is administered completely intact as

Approved (as it was presented in the original application and updated through Annual Updates).

© 2010-2023 NBHWC. All rights reserved. 27

3. The NBHWC Approved Program maintains the integrity of the program as Approved, regardless of the structure or influence of the outside organization.

4. The NBHWC Approved Program is provided only by the faculty

(designers, instructors, mentors, evaluators, etc) that were presented in the original application and updated through Annual Updates. Should the faculty be altered (i.e. reduced faculty size) in the provision of the NBHWC Approved Program within or for an outside organization, the faculty involved must be able to meet all the requirements of the

NBHWC published standards for each complete cycle of the NBHWC

Approved Program.

5. Marketing of the NBHWC Approved Program within or for an outside organization shall be transparent and clearly conveyed.

6. Responsibility for the provision of certificates of completion to graduates of the NBHWC Approved Program is exclusive to the NBHWC Approved

Program in accordance with the policy for graduates (see 5). There may be no alteration to the NBHWC Approved Program certificate of completion, regardless of the provision of the Approved Program within or for an outside organization.

7. If the above policy is not being adhered to in the administration of the NBHWC Approved Program, the NBHWC Approved Program and overseeing organization will be held responsible. NBHWC reserves the right to suspend or revoke Approval status.

f. NBHWC Approved Programs, and overseeing organizations, will provide notification within 30 days to NBHWC of any drop below NBHWC published standards. If/when this occurs, the NBHWC Approved Program will comply with the following remediation process:

i. Approved Programs must develop and have a remediation plan in place within 90 days of falling below any published standard. If the Approved

Program is able to complete the remediation plan within 90 days, no further action will be taken, and the Approved Program may continue operations as normal.

ii. If an Approved Program is unable to remediate any standard(s) non-compliance within 90 days, the Approved Program will have 180 days to implement and complete the remediation plan. During this period, the

Approved Program will be considered to be in “probationary status.” If

© 2010-2023 NBHWC. All rights reserved. 28 moved to probationary status, the Approved Program will be removed from the NBHWC website and will be required to notify students of the current probationary status with NBHWC.

iii. If an Approved Program fails to return to the minimum published standards within the 180 day rectification period, NBHWC will revoke approval status.

The program will need to reapply in order to be reinstated as an NBHWC

Approved Program.

g. In the acceptance of and operation under NBHWC Program Approval and the

NBHWC Approved Training Program Code of Conduct, all NBHWC Approved

Programs are subject to review should a formal Program Complaint be made against the program. All Program Complaints will be reviewed and measured against the Approved Training Program Code of Conduct.

2. Faculty Conduct

a. Definition:

i. Faculty members of an NBHWC Approved Program shall be designated as all of those individuals directly involved in the design, development, instruction, mentoring, and assessment of student coaches enrolled in an

NBHWC Approved Program. Faculty member designation, as determined by the policies of NBHWC, is regardless of an individual’s operation as employee, contractor and/or licensee of an NBHWC Approved Program.

b. Training and Education:

i. Faculty of an NBHWC Approved Program who need to complete an NBHWC

Approved Program in order to earn a NBC-HWC may select from any current

NBHWC Approved Programs.

» It is permitted for Faculty to attend the NBHWC Approved Program through which he/she is employed, contracted and/or licensed, however, if faculty is attending their own NBHWC Approved Program, they will be unable to teach while enrolled as a student in the program.

c. Code of Ethics:

i. NBHWC Approved Programs, and overseeing organizations, ensure that all faculty members maintain compliance with the NBHWC Code of Ethics.

ii. All faculty members of an NBHWC Approved Program, regardless of credential and the individual’s operation as employee, contractor and/or licensee with the overseeing organization, will conduct student training and mentoring in accord with the NBHWC Code of Ethics.

https://nbhwc.org/code-of-ethics/

© 2010-2023 NBHWC.