Master Wellness Coach Certification
Become the coach who helps clients create change from within. Build a complete coaching model grounded in behavior change science, holistic health and effective communication, with motivational interviewing, appreciative inquiry and active listening at its core.
- 2-year certification
- 100% online and self-paced
- Open-book online exam
- AADP accredited
Or 6 monthly payments of $102 with our in-house plan, no credit check. Everything you need to study and certify.
Enroll now- Video lessons, manual and Notes Pack
- Client intake forms and session checklist
- Interactive coaching exercises
- Digital and printed certificate
- Coaching Business Builder included free
Secure checkout through NESTA, the parent company of the Spencer Institute.
More than a trend, a growing profession
Wellness coaching is a rapidly evolving profession grounded in behavior change science, holistic health principles and effective communication. As the wellness industry grows, so does the need for skilled professionals who can guide clients toward meaningful, sustainable change.
As a Certified Master Wellness Coach, you'll learn to coach in a way that empowers clients to generate change from within, rather than relying on advice, persuasion or information alone, and you'll build a complete coaching model you can use one-on-one, in groups or in corporate settings.
Built for new and experienced coaches
Open to all levels, with no prerequisites. Each lesson builds on the one before, so you finish with a complete coaching model.
New wellness coaches
People starting a coaching career who want a complete, structured foundation.
Fitness professionals
Trainers and fitness pros moving into coaching who want stronger communication and behavior change skills.
Health professionals
Professionals in other health fields who want to add wellness coaching to their work.
Experienced coaches
Coaches who want formal credentials to strengthen their experience and professional credibility.
What you'll learn
- What wellness means, the integration of body, mind and spirit, and the history, evolution and types of coaching
- How to work as a wellness coach in private, group and corporate settings, assess your own knowledge, skills and abilities, and market your services
- How to coach emotional wellness and physical wellness, including exercise, physical activity and healthy weight
- Lifestyle risk factor coaching and how to facilitate client growth and change
- Behavior change models, including the Transtheoretical Model (stages of change) and Appreciative Inquiry
- The core coaching skills of mindful listening, open-ended inquiry and reflections, and how they build trust and rapport
- Active listening: minimal encouragers, reflection of content and feeling, and summarizing
- How to ask powerful questions, and the pitfalls that can derail a coaching relationship
- Motivational interviewing and its five principles, including working with ambivalence and resistance to change
- How to create client awareness, design action and help clients set SMART goals
- Coaching presence, the co-active approach, coaching for confidence, empathy and effective feedback
- Master-level ethics, boundaries, referral, cultural competence and ongoing professional development
Inside the course: 16 lessons
- 1Introduction and Overview of Wellness Coaching
The history, evolution and types of coaching, with your Notes Pack, client forms and a non-graded quiz.
- 2Being a Wellness Coach
Working in private, group and corporate settings, coaching styles, assessing your skills, and marketing your services.
- 3Fundamental Coaching Skills
Core coaching skills, with an interactive Decisional Balance exercise to explore both sides of a change.
- 4Emotional Wellness
Coaching the emotional side of wellness, with a non-graded quiz.
- 5Coaching Physical Wellness (2 parts)
Sedentary behavior, exercise and physical activity, and healthy weight, with a lesson quiz.
- 6Facilitating Client Growth and Change
Helping clients grow and change, with a video lesson on coaching skills.
- 7Lifestyle Risk Factor Coaching
Coaching lifestyle risk factors, with a supplemental manual on motivational interviewing.
- 8The Application of Coaching Guidelines
The wholeness of holistic health, coaching for confidence, the co-active approach, coaching presence and feedback, with a questionnaire, a Structured Intake Session checklist and two optional intake forms.
- 9Coaching Cores: Communications
Trust and rapport, mindful listening, open-ended inquiry, reflections, boundaries, the do's and don'ts of coaching, and common coaching myths.
- 10Stages of Change and Coaching Foundations
Setting the foundation for coaching interactions, with an interactive exercise on the six types of reflections.
- 11Client Communications: Listening
The phases of active listening, reflective listening, clarifying and summarizing.
- 12Client Communications: Powerful Questions
The structures and effects of questions and their pitfalls, with an interactive Appreciative Inquiry exercise and a non-graded quiz.
- 13Client Communications: Fostering Client Awareness
Creating awareness and designing action to help clients reach agreed-upon results.
- 14Motivational Interviewing
The five principles of motivational interviewing and how to support clients through ambivalence about change.
- 15Master-Level Practice
Insight in coaching sessions, ethical mastery, professional development, cultural competence and developing your own coaching philosophy.
- 16Exam Preparation
The complete course manual, your open-book reference for an exam organized by manual chapter.
Whole-person wellness
The areas of wellness you'll coach:
- Body, mind and spirit
- Emotional wellness
- Physical activity
- Healthy weight
- Lifestyle risk factors
- Confidence
- Stages of change
Coaches educate and support. They don't diagnose, treat or prescribe, and they refer clients to appropriate professionals when needed.
Coaching skills that create change
Evidence-informed tools for every session:
- Motivational interviewing
- Appreciative inquiry
- Active listening
- Six types of reflections
- Powerful questions
- Decisional balance
- SMART goals
- Structured intake session
- ICF guidelines
Build your coaching career
The Spencer Institute has introduced the Coaching Business Builder, included free with your certification to help you launch and grow your practice.
- 90-Day Career Starter Workbook
- Comprehensive Coach Pricing Guide
- Marketing strategies to attract clients
- Additional growth tools and ongoing updates
Everything you need to know
| Format | 100% online training and exam. Study on any device, at your own pace. |
|---|---|
| Study time | About 20 hours, self-paced. Most students finish in 3–4 weeks. We recommend finishing within a year, but it's not required. |
| Prerequisites | None. Open to all levels. |
| Course materials | Course manual (by chapter and as one complete file), Notes Pack, video lessons, a supplemental manual on motivational interviewing, client forms (questionnaire, Structured Intake Session checklist and two optional intake forms), ICF guidelines, interactive exercises on decisional balance, reflections and appreciative inquiry, plus non-graded quizzes. |
| Exam | 75 multiple-choice questions, taken online and non-proctored. Open book: the exam is organized by chapter to match your manual, so you can search it as you go. You need 70% or higher to pass. Three attempts included, with instant results. A $95 retest fee applies if all three attempts are used. |
| Certificate | Digital certificate as soon as you pass. A printed certificate with an official seal is mailed free within North America in 2–4 weeks. International students are welcome; additional shipping fees apply. |
| Certification term | 2 years. Renew by completing 2.0 CEUs (20 hours) of continuing education. |
| Course access | Lifetime access to your training materials. |
| Continuing education | Approved for Spencer Institute 2.0 CEUs, NESTA 2.0 CEUs, MMACA 2.0 CEUs and ITCA 2.0 CEUs. |
| Accreditation | Accredited by The Certification and Accreditation Board of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). See our accreditations. |
Become a Certified Master Wellness Coach
Everything is included: online training, exam, digital certificate, printed certificate and the Coaching Business Builder.
- Pay once, start today
- 2-year certification
- Digital certificate as soon as you pass
- 6 payments of $102
- Payments are 30 days apart
- Includes a one-time $30 processing fee ($612 total)
- No credit check
3-day money-back guarantee. If the course isn't right for you, let us know within 3 days, subject to our policy guidelines.
Secure checkout through NESTA. NESTA is the parent company of the Spencer Institute, so your order is processed on NESTA's secure online store.
Results we've helped create
Really enjoyed the content of the Master Health and Wellness Coach course, thank you for adding to my skillset and knowledge base. I'll definitely be taking a few more courses with NESTA & Spencer Institute soon.
An excellent program for building a strong foundation and beginning your career in the wellness industry.
If you are looking to add to your credentials, the Spencer Institute is the place to go! The ease of the self-paced study fit perfectly with my professional and family life. The material is very educational, and the exam is appropriately challenging. Also, the customer service is AMAZING! Someone was always there to address any concerns that I had.
Questions about the Master Wellness Coach Certification
Is this program accredited?
Yes. All Spencer Institute courses are accredited by The Certification and Accreditation Board of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). The course is also approved for continuing education by NESTA, MMACA and ITCA. See our accreditations.
What does a master wellness coach do?
A master wellness coach helps clients create lasting behavior change across body, mind and spirit. Using tools like motivational interviewing, appreciative inquiry, active listening and powerful questions, you help clients find their own motivation and solutions, then set goals and take action, one-on-one, in groups or in corporate settings.
Can I give medical advice?
No. Coaches don't diagnose, treat or prescribe. The course teaches you the difference between coaching and therapy, and how to refer clients to appropriate professionals when needed.
Do I need any experience or prerequisites?
No. The course is open to all levels, whether you're new to wellness coaching, moving from another health or fitness profession, or looking for formal credentials to strengthen your experience.
How long does it take?
About 20 hours of study, at your own pace. Most students finish in 3–4 weeks. We recommend finishing within a year, but it's not required, and you keep lifetime access to your training materials.
How does the exam work?
The exam is 75 multiple-choice questions, taken online. It's open book and organized by chapter to match your manual, so keep it handy to search during the exam. You need 70% to pass, you get three attempts, and you see your results instantly. If all three attempts are used, a $95 retest fee applies.
Does the certification expire?
The Master Wellness Coach Certification is valid for 2 years. To renew, complete 2.0 CEUs (20 hours) of continuing education. You keep lifetime access to your training materials either way.
Can I pay monthly?
Yes. Choose our in-house 6-month payment plan at $102/mo (6 payments, including a one-time $30 processing fee, for $612 total) with no credit check, or pay over time with Affirm at checkout. All payments must be complete before you take the exam.
Can international students enroll?
Yes. The course and exam are 100% online. Your digital certificate is issued as soon as you pass, and your printed certificate is mailed free within North America. International students are welcome; additional shipping fees apply.
Why does checkout say NESTA?
NESTA is the parent company of the Spencer Institute. All Spencer Institute courses are sold through NESTA's secure online store, so you'll see the NESTA name at checkout. Your training, exam and certification all come from the Spencer Institute.
What if the course isn't right for me?
Every course comes with a 3-day money-back guarantee, subject to our policy guidelines.
Ready to become the coach who makes a difference?
Start today and study at your own pace, with lifetime access to your training materials.
Questions? Call 1-877-348-6692 or send us a message.