UK & International Health Coaching Association

Scope of Practice for UKIHCA-Approved & UKIHCA Registered Health Coaches

As a leading global professional body for health coaching, the UK & International Health Coaching Association (UKIHCA) provides an international framework to set, guide and uphold:

• Professional standards in health coaching

• Progression and professional development within health coaching

• Access to education, training and CPD to support standards and progression

• An environment within the health space where the profession of health and wellness coaching is recognised and UKIHCA Approved and UKIHCA Registered Health Coaches are highly valued and sought after in the private and public health sectors, in education and in business and communities.

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Overview and application

The following provides a scope of practice framework for UKIHCA-Approved and UKIHCA Registered Health Coaches, their clients and prospective employers.

UKIHCA-Approved and UKIHCA Registered Health Coaches adhere to a scope of practice specific to professional health coaching. A professional health coach practices within a recognised framework of competency, has the relevant professional qualifications, insurance and professional body membership.

Where a member practices additional wellness modalities or has dual or multiple professional health care qualifications, which they use alongside their health coaching services, there will be a separate scope of practice pertaining to each such additional services for which the UKIHCA holds no affiliation or responsibility. 

The role of the UKIHCA and the duty of its members is to uphold practices that ensure professional health coaches’ practice responsible and legitimate to protect practising health coaches, their clients, and the profession.

‘Scope of practice’ refers to the boundaries of the process of professional health coaching and the rules that must be followed when engaging in related professional activity. 

The boundaries of this Scope of Practice for UKIHCA-Approved Health Coaches and UKIHCA Registered Health Coaches are applicable to, but not limited to, the following professional activities:

• coaching an individual

• coaching a group

• writing a blog or articles

• holding or participating in webinars, speaking and educational events

• communicating in online forums, meetings, with colleagues, peers, or other health care professionals.

The exception to this boundary is where a professional health coach holds active qualifications and related insurance in other related modalities and has clearly contracted accordingly with the client.

The Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC)

The Health and Care Professionals Council for the UK Scope of Practice states:

“Your scope of practice is the limit of your knowledge, skills and experience. It is made up of the activities you carry out within your professional role, provided that you have the knowledge, skills and experience to do them lawfully, safely and effectively.”

Scope of Practice of UKIHCA-Approved & UKIHCA Registered Health Coaches

Each professional health coach’s scope of practice is specifically prescribed by their qualification/s and it is imperative that each professional health coach takes responsibility to confirm and act within their defined scope of practice. For further information regarding how to determine your scope of practice please review our member resource – How to determine you scope of practice.

With this imperative first and foremost, the following framework sets out the UKIHCA scope of practice for UKIHCA-Approved and UKIHCA Registered Health Coaches, referred to below as ‘UKIHCA professional health coaches’.

What UKIHCA professional health coaches do: 

• Professional health coaches work with individuals and groups in a client-centred process to facilitate and empower the client to develop and achieve self-determined goals related to health and wellbeing. 

• Professional health coaches support clients in mobilising internal strengths and external resources, and in developing self-management strategies for making sustainable behaviour changes.

• As partners and facilitators, professional health coaches support their clients in setting and achieving their own health goals and desired behavioural changes. 

• Professional health coaches support clients in implementing expert recommendations as prescribed by their professional health care providers.

• Professional health coaches assist clients to use their own insight to gain new self-awareness and perspectives on their situation that enable personal change to occur.  

• Professional health coaches offer accountability for clients to enable them to move toward and maintain healthy lifestyle change. 

• Professional health coaches may signpost a client, with permission towards supporting health and wellbeing information and resources from nationally and internationally recognised authorities, such as current government and public health guidelines and peer-reviewed robust, quality sources of evidence-based information. The purpose of the information sharing and manner in which it is shared must be aligned with the intention of facilitating discussion and exploration of new information from which clients can draw their own conclusions, gain confidence and a sense of empowerment. 

• Professional health coaches may engage in coaching conversations with clients regarding an extremely broad range of health-related topics such as food, sleep, movement, client health conditions and impact of diagnoses, laboratory test results, biometrics and other measurements, relationship, and social support, meaning and purpose and what's important to the client.

• A professional health coach working with clients has a responsibility to make their scope/s of practice clear in their terms of agreement and when contracting with clients. 

Unless otherwise qualified and covered by an appropriate scope of practice, the following processes are NOT within the scope of practice of the UKIHCA professional health coach: 

• analysing/assessing client symptoms

• diagnosing conditions

• interpreting laboratory test results or other medical data

• giving specific dietary or nutritional advice to the individual or a group

(including removing food groups)

• recommending supplements

• prescribing meal plans

• prescribing or de-prescribing medicines, treatments, or therapeutic interventions (including nutritional therapy, psychotherapy, physical activity programmes etc)

• making claims to prevent or cure any condition

UKIHCA professional health coaches must, unless otherwise qualified and able to do so legitimately, avoid giving specific personal health advice. 

Doing no harm

In common with all health professionals, UKIHCA professional health coaches must follow a ‘do no harm’ mandate by refraining from or carrying out any actions that could potentially: 

• harm a client or patient

• lead to legal lawsuit

• invalidate insurance cover

• bring UKIHCA and the professional of health coaching into disrepute.

Holding multiple credentials

UKIHCA professional health coaches do not per se assess symptoms, diagnose conditions, interpret lab results, give specific dietary advice, remove food groups, prescribe treatments or therapeutic interventions (including nutritional) or make claims to prevent or cure any condition.

However, if they also hold active, nationally recognised professional qualification and insurance (for example as a nutritionist, dietary educator, nutritional therapist, dietician, nurse, doctor, pharmacist, psychologist, physiotherapist, mental health specialist, osteopath, chiropractor) they may provide expert guidance related to that topic, but must act within the scope of practice of that or those profession(s) and must only do so with prior client agreement

See the separate guidance about wearing multiple hats here.

Getting informed consent

It is the UKIHCA professional health coach’s responsibility to communicate with the client and ensure the client understands the nature of health coaching and the boundaries of practice. A UKIHCA professional health coach must confirm in writing the scope of practice for any and each service agreed with a client.

Seeking collaboration

UKIHCA professional health coaches should actively seek collaborations with other health care practitioners such as doctors, dietitians, nutritionists and other practitioners and therapists to be the anchor of a truly whole-health creating endeavour.

Insurance

UKIHCA-Approved and UKIHCA Registered Health Coaches must hold a valid insurance schedule that covers them to practice as a health coach and any associated scope/s of practice. 

UKIHCA Registered Health Coaches must complete a mandatory annual CPD requirement of 25 hours or more and engage in regular coaching practice.

Supervision and mentoring is highly recommended for all professional health coaches in active practice

UKIHCA-Approved Student Members must also obtain insurance; however the student insurance is extremely limited, so it is essential that Student Members read and understand the following statement: https://www.ukihca.com/student-insurance

UK & International Health Coaching Association

June 2024