My Story
What is a Health Coach?
A health coach is a trained professional
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who partners with you
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who support you to make permanent lifestyle changes in a sustainable manner
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who will guide you to tap into your inner wisdom about your health and body
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who can provide you with relevant guidance and sign post to you useful information
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who will put you at the centre of the process
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who will co-create, with you, your health and wellbeing journey
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who will develop with you, the plans that work for your body and your life circumstance to implement the changes and integrate them into your life in a sustainable way.
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​What should I look for in a coach?
1. Qualifications
Health coaching is currently not highly regulated, so it is important to ensure that your coach has training that is recognised by a medical body such as, but not limited to, the NHS. Training from reputable colleges and organisations is also important as unfortunately there are many organisations offering "quick" training which will lack the depth and rigour of that from a recognised institute. They should be able to produce certificates to validate their qualifications. Additional courses, diplomas and degrees, are also evidence of a well rounded education and training. I have a CNM Health Coaching Diploma which is recognised by the NHS. I have two university degrees as well as a range of other courses.
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2. Skills and Experience
Ideally a health coach brings a range of experience to the table, as well as coaching experience, transferrable skills around implementing and managing change in different contexts, project management, team leadership and communication, to name a few. My experience is all detailed on this website.
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3. Lived Experience
Lived experience is also very important, as your coach then has a range of personal experiences around health and wellbeing to draw on. Life experiences such as understanding the pressures of a demanding job, the difficulty of balancing work and home life, pregnancy, raising children and menopause can all add to the rich fabric of lived experience.
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4. Membership of a regulatory body
Health Coaching is currently not a highly regulated profession, so it is important that your Health Coach belongs to an optional regulatory body. The ANP and UKIHCA are two organisations in the UK.
I belong to the ANP (Association of Naturopathic Practitioners) which is a regulatory body. This is optional but I choose to do this as I believe regulation is important. Also important is Continued Professional Development (CPD) and your coach should regularly attend webinars, courses, read the latest literature and ensure their knowledge is kept up to date.
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5. Data Protection​
As your coach will have personal data on their records/system, it is important that they have an understanding of data protection and a Privacy Policy. (I completed a Data Protection course and have a Privacy Policy on my website).
6. Government registrations
6.1. Health Coaches should be registered with the UK government Information Commissioner. I am registered (Organisation name: Ms Melissa Anne de Vere-Loots)
6.2. Health Coaches should be a registered sole trader or a registered business (such as a limited company) or work for one of these to ensure they are above board in terms of payment of taxes. I am registered as a sole trader.
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7. Indemnity Insurance.
Health Coaches should have indemnity insurance. I am insured with Balens.
