Transform your practice with our Health Coaching Course
Q&A with Health Psychologist Sarah Lukeis
Q: Can you tell us about your background and what led you to specialise in health psychology and behaviour change?
When I was completing my Masters in Clinical Psychology, I was offered the opportunity to complete a placement focused on supporting adolescents to achieve healthier lifestyle behaviours. I enjoyed applying psychological behaviour change techniques to general lifestyle habits and watching people improve their quality of life. I have worked in this area ever since, expanding to children and families, adults and health professional training.
Q: What inspired Better Health Company to develop an Accredited Health Coaching Course?
Given our extensive experience in facilitating health behaviour change across diverse population groups, we saw a natural synergy between the HCANZA accredited course and our expertise at Better Health Company. We are thrilled to offer this course to aspiring health coaches!
Q: What are some unique features of Better Health Company’s Accredited Health Coaching Course, in your opinion?
Unlike many other courses available, our course is aligned to the newest Health Coaches Australia and New Zealand Association (HCANZA) health coaching standards, released in 2023. This means our course is up-to-date and highly relevant to health coaches.
We also offer a combination of self-paced online learning as well as engaging learning labs, delivered live in interactive webinars. This allows participants to practice and discuss their skills with the course facilitators and like-minded peers.
Q: In your opinion, who do you think would benefit from completing this course?
In healthcare, we often focus solely on treating symptoms. Health coaching takes a different approach. It’s all about seeing the bigger picture, understanding the whole person, not just their health issues. Whether you’re a healthcare professional or want to get into the health industry, learning health coaching can help you empower people to make lasting changes. This course gives you practical tools to connect with clients and understand their strengths. Eventually guiding them towards real, long-term improvements in their health. It’s a smart move for anyone who wants to make a real impact on people’s lives.
Q: How does the course incorporate behaviour change principles?
The course provides an overview of some relevant psychological theories, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI). We extracted some of the common ‘tools’ from these theories and provided participants with an overview of how these tools can be used in a health coaching setting.
Q: What are some common challenges people face when trying to change their health behaviours, and how does the course address these challenges?
People often know what they need to do, but they struggle to get started or to translate their knowledge into action. Health coaching supports people to identify their priorities and work toward their goals in a systematic and supported way. Health coaches are with people every step of the way to support, encourage and overcome challenges.
Q: Can you explain the accreditation process and what it means for the credibility of the course?
The Health Coaches Australian and New Zealand Association (HCANZA) accredits this course, ensuring the highest standards of education and training in health coaching. This means upon successful completion of this course, you are eligible to join HCANZA’s professional membership program and receive the title ‘Accredited Health Coach’.
Q: How can potential students learn more about the course and enrol?
Visit the course on the Better Health Hub here and sign up online today.
If you have any questions about the course, give our team a call on (03) 9429 4789.
