Graduate Certificate in Wellness Coaching
2010 Program Underway — Now Enrolling for Spring 2011
Program Highlights
At the forefront of the wellness revolution, Tai Sophia Institute’s Graduate Certificate in Wellness Coaching is setting the standard for one of the decade’s top, cutting-edge careers.
This pioneering program — the nation’s first and only graduate certificate in wellness coaching — will prepare you with the skills and expertise to empower people to take charge of their own health and create sustainable change.
Tai Sophia’s Graduate Certificate in Wellness Coaching is:
- Designed for public health professionals, health educators, human resource and employee assistance specialists, life coaches, fitness instructors, personal trainers, and others with a strong interest in health and wellness
- Taught by nationally recognized leaders and innovators in the fields of health and wellness, transformative leadership, and coaching
- The only Graduate Certificate in Wellness Coaching in the U.S.
- Presented in an executive weekend format to accommodate working professionals
- 12 graduate-level academic credits delivered over 9 months (one weekend a month)
- Approved for continuing education units toward licensure requirements for select professions
- Eligible for federal financial aid
- Easily paired with a Graduate Certificate in Herbal Studies
Course Descriptions
ISci 632: Foundations of Health and Wellness
This course provides a context for a wide variety of studies relating to perspectives on health and wellness by introducing basic health philosophies, history of the current healthcare system, proposed healthcare reform legislation, balance/imbalance in health, and the investigation of how these issues apply to an informed perspective on our current healthcare system. Concepts of wellness and sickness are discussed, including the role that language plays in supporting health and wellness. The foundations of health and wellness are further examined focusing on the current knowledge of the physiologic basis for wellness practices.
COA 601: Becoming a Healing Presence
This course focuses on exploring the implications that the rhythms of nature, life skills, and language have on health and wellness. By observing their own ways of being, doing, and speaking, students begin to embody the practices that guide them in becoming a powerful healing presence and a catalyst for change in others.
COA 610: Fundamentals of Health and Wellness Coaching
Students are introduced to theories and trends in health and wellness coaching. Contemporary coaching models are introduced and students begin to build a repertoire of coaching skills. This experiential course develops observation skills, active listening, the art of evocative questioning, and the ability to motivate change.
COA 611: Principles and Practices of Health and Wellness Coaching
This class delves deeper into the spirit and practice of health and wellness coaching using the theory and skills of Motivational Interviewing, a widely recognized, evidenced based approach to behavioral change. Students receive practical skills for structuring a coaching session, planning, goal setting with clients, and insuring client accountability.
Faculty (2010 Program Faculty. Click name to review bio.)
Program Advisor and Core Faculty
Stephen T. Wegener, Ph.D., ABPP (Program Advisor)
Tom Balles, M.Ac., L.Ac.(UK), Dipl.Ac.(NCCAOM)
Robert M. Duggan, M.A., M.Ac.(UK), Dipl.Ac.(NCCAOM)
Katherine E. Johnson, Ed.D., PCC
Cheryl Walker M.L., MCC
Featured Program Faculty and Guest Lecturers
Karl Ardo, M.F.A.
James S. Gordon, M.D., FACP
Arlene Dalcin, R.D., L.D.
Marta E. Hanson, Ph.D.
Richard Silver, M.D., M.P.H.
Class Dates
ISci 632: Foundations of Health and Wellness
April 8-10, 2011
April 15-17, 2011
COA 601: Becoming a Healing Presence
May 14-15, 2011
June 4-5, 2011
July 9, 2011
COA 610: Fundamentals of Health and Wellness Coaching
July 10, 2011
August 13-14, 2011
September 10-11, 2011
COA 611: Principles and Practices of Health and Wellness Coaching
October 1-2, 2011
November 5-6, 2011
December 3, 2011
All classes are held on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with the exception of the opening course, which is held Friday-Sunday over two consecutive weekends. Class hours on Friday, April 8 and April 15 are 3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Class hours on April 9-10 and April 16-17 are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Why Study at Tai Sophia?
Founded in 1974, Tai Sophia is a premier, accredited educational institution dedicated to the art and science of healing and wellness. For over three decades, Tai Sophia Institute’s pioneering founders, world-class faculty, and exceptional clinicians have redefined health, wellness, relationship, and community, setting the gold standard for relationship-centered care, transformative leadership and social change, and self care.
Each of Tai Sophia’s programs is powerfully rooted in the wisdom of nature, teachings from the world’s great healing and wisdom traditions, contemporary knowledge, and cutting-edge science.
Whether your ultimate goal is to coach your patients and clients toward optimum health and vitality, integrate herbs into your clinical practice or home life, become a master practitioner of acupuncture, or be a more powerful and effective leader on the job or in your community, as a Tai Sophia student you will become a keen observer of your own body-mind-spirit and its innate wisdom, and learn to be a healing and transformative presence through your thoughts, words, and actions.
While you pursue your chosen course of study, in partnership with your classmates and instructors, you will reveal and develop your unique gifts and talents, achieve greater clarity about your passion and purpose, and gain a deeper sense of community and service.
Wellness Coaching at Tai Sophia
Wellness coaching utilizes an evidence-based process that empowers people to tap into their own inner source of motivation to restore and preserve health. A unique and essential component of Tai Sophia’s wellness coaching philosophy and curriculum is teaching people to become conscious of and listen to the body’s innate wisdom.
The curriculum encourages a wider view of the field of health and wellness in contrast to the current diseasefocused model. Among the core competencies of wellness coaching are building rapport; helping people clarify their health goals and then implement and sustain health-generating behaviors and attitudes; guiding people in health-maintenance activities; and managing progress and accountability.
Program Outcomes
- Gain proficiency in designing and implementing personalized health and wellness plans.
- Create a comprehensive set of health generating practices based on the rhythms of nature.
- Understand the science of behavior change and become skilled in the use of language and listening, to motivate clients toward health-generating behaviors.
Admission Requirements
Prospective students must meet the following admission requirements:
- Have a minimum of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited educational institution and submit an official transcript to verify completion.
- Submit official transcript of highest degree earned beyond a baccalaureate.
Financial Aid
Federal financial aid is available for this program. To apply for federal financial aid, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Tai Sophia Institute’s school code for completing the FAFSA is G25784. A limited number of scholarships are also available. For additional funding options, such as private or alternative education loans, please contact Director of Financial Aid John Gay, Jr., at 410-888-9048 ext. 6628 or .
Tuition and Fees
Application Fee: $50
Matriculation Fee (due upon acceptance): $100
Tuition: $525 per credit for a total program cost of $6,300
To learn more about Graduate Certificate in Wellness Coaching, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at admissions@tai.edu or 410-888-9048 ext. 6647.