FAQs

Coaching is an art of facilitating another person’s exploration of a goal they want to achieve and supporting them in that achievement.  Coaching: 

• is present and future-orientated 
• helps the client understand and move past their emotional and mental barriers (where possible and appropriate) to achieve personal or professional outcomes 
• isn’t counselling – or therapy – guidance – or advice 

There is a multitude of environments where coaches are found such as the corporate sector, long-term condition management, community and family environments, education establishments, young people’s issues, beauty and appearance, retirement age market, weight management, lifestyle, elder-care, healthcare organizations, and the fitness industry or even as an extra string to a therapist’s bow.  You can take your coaching skills and knowledge back into your PAYE job or a better one.  You can be an evening (coaching) entrepreneur and keep your day job.  Or you might start up or enhance your own business. 

You can deliver 1:1 coaching/group coaching on or off-line, create passive income products, enhance a consultancy or deliver training.  The list is endless. 

When you enroll in a distance learning course with Wellness Professionals, we email across to you your Welcome Pack and the first module.  With each module, you complete the guided reading and your chosen assignment and send your work to me as a Word attachment.  We mark and return it to you together with the next module.  You can ask questions at any time to your tutor, and our support is there for you when you need it. 

For students on the coaching Diploma courses, there are two hours of business coaching  with one of our tutors, and a 30-minute marketing session with Karan of Kameleon Marketing provided as part of your course fee.  Following qualification, ongoing business coaching is offered at a reduced rate. 

When you enroll in a coaching Diploma course, you have the option of taking the entire course online.  This means not only the modules but also your supervised skills development. For example, on the Diploma in Resilience Coaching Skills, you would need to complete 40 hours of supervised skills development with us before you moved onto your case studies.  These skills development sessions are facilitated online via Zoom. During monthly online Saturday master classes where you would be working with fellow students in a small group of four facilitated by myself.  You will be trained to deliver remote coaching to a fellow student and be coached yourself. 

To give a sense of student community and extra skills development, you are welcome to attend the face-to-face group master classes in London at no extra cost. 

Coaching Certificates are delivered via supported distance learning and provide underpinning theory only.  Coaching Diplomas provide the underpinning theory, plus supervised skills development, case study work, and reflective learning. 

What’s the difference between certificates and diplomas? 

“The certificates we offer are all delivered through supported distance-learning. This means that you receive all your learning material from Word attachments. We correspond by email, by phone if necessary or video call if necessary. So work is sent back and forth between you and your tutor by email. 

With the diplomas, you receive the same underpinning knowledge via the modules – the extra with the diplomas is the supervised-skills development; also your 50 hours of case study work and the reflective learning journal.

A life coach will work with clients in specific areas such as work, communication skills, relationships, study skills, returning to work, health, and family.  A holistic life coach takes an integrated approach and will encompass mind, body and spiritual needs. 

This depends on your discipline and lifestyle, but in general, I would say 5 – 10 hours a week. 

Wellness Professionals at Work engages with three lead bodies to provide you with credible and independently scrutinized learning experiences: 

• National Council of Integrated Psychotherapists (NCIP) – as well as being an approved training provider offering qualifications, we are an accredited CPD provider with the NCIP. 
• Association for Coaching (AC) – we are an approved training provider and are proud to have two of our courses accredited with the AC (Diploma in Life Coaching Skills and Diploma in Wellness Coaching Skills). 
• Complementary Medical Association – we are an approved training provider and offer CPD courses. Watch our interview with them here.
• UK Health Coaches Association has approved us as a coach training provider, and graduates from four of our courses (Advanced or Fast Track Diploma in Wellness Coaching Skills, Diploma in Resilience Coaching Skills and the Integrated Diploma in Resilience and Wellness Coaching Skills) will be considered for membership by this organization. 

All of the coaching Diplomas encompass practical skills development which are supervised by Laurel and Jo. 

Both the Certificates and Diploma courses involve distance learning modules.  Each module has one 1000-word assignment to complete. There is no grade for marked work.  Assessment entails making an informed and considered judgment about the quality of your performance on a given assignment is covering: 

• how effectively you have practiced the critical and analytical techniques 
• your degree of mastery of skills involved in communicating thoughts, ideas and evidence clearly and cogently 
• understanding of how the subject matter is grasped 

If an assignment doesn’t meet the above three points sufficiently, you will be asked to either submit the entire assignment again or for a further 500 words. 

The skills development for the coaching diplomas involves direct observation and feedback from myself and your peers.  Self-assessment from is each student is also encouraged.  The case studies are not directly observed; however, there is a paper trail assessment process. 

Of course you can.  Please contact Jo. 

Please see Meet the Team. 

Yes, you can.  If you would like to complete a Diploma completely online/by distance learning, you would choose the remote learning option. 

Yes, you can.  

Diploma fees include: accreditation, student membership of accrediting bodies (where appropriate), CPD certification (where appropriate), access to apply for full membership of accrediting bodies (upon criteria fulfilment), access to Wellness Professionals at Work Learning Hub on Facebook, study-buddies, learning materials, over 200 hours of distance learning tutor support, 90 hours of supervised skills development, two hour of business start-up coaching and 30 minutes of marketing consultation.  Books are not included. 

Certificate fees include: student membership of accrediting bodies (where appropriate), CPD certification (where appropriate), access to apply for full membership of accrediting bodies (upon criteria fulfilment), access to Wellness Professionals at Work Learning Hub on Facebook, study-buddies, course learning materials, tutor support by email, phone or online 

Yes, you can.  If you need to, you can also apply for an extension. 

Yes, you can.  If you need to, you can also apply for an extension. 

You can start the courses any time you choose. 

The Certificate in Life Coaching is suitable as a continuing professional development course as it presents underpinning theory only without any supervised skills development. You could also take the certificate if you’re considering a career change into coaching, but want to toe-dip before upgrading to the Advanced Diploma in Life Coaching Skills. 

The Fast-Track Diploma can be completed in a year or less (depending on your lifestyle and discipline) and is an accredited coaching qualification by the Association for Coaching (AC). The Advanced Diploma has extra modules and more intensive skills development and is accredited with the AC at a higher level than the Fast-Track. 

Life coaching is an approach to working with individuals who want to make changes in their life. Coaching is about helping a client identify their goals, explore options for reaching those goals and support them as they take action for success. Life coaching is not about telling clients what to do. Life coaching is about encouraging client ownership so they can reach their potential. 

You may already be working PAYE and looking for a side-hustle of a life coaching business. You may be working PAYE and looking to add new skills to your current job or the next job. Or you may be self-employed and looking to add on life coaching. Or you may be looking for a career change. There are a huge number of pathways open to life coaching e.g. new parents, exam stress, confidence building, increasing resilience, preparing for retirement and lots more options. The other advice I would give is to create an integrated practice embracing coaching, courses and information products. 

As you move through your life coaching training with me and approach the end of your course, you can have two hours of business coaching with us, a 30-minute session with a marketing consultant and access to a self-study business start-up programme. There is also the option of reduced rate business coaching/mentoring post qualification.