Scope of practice
This page provides guidance on the Scope of Practice to College of Naturopathic Medicine Health Coach diploma course students and graduates and helps to ensure that they take responsibility to confirm and act within this defined Scope of Practice.
This guidance helps to ensure that our students and graduates conduct their work in any capacity as a Health Coach within appropriate professional boundaries – including conducting a one-on-one consultation, a group session, holding a seminar or publishing information – by empowering the client to develop and achieve self-determined goals related to their health and wellbeing.
| OUT OF SCOPE | WITHIN SCOPE |
|---|---|
| Diagnosing a health condition |
- Support the client to fully understand their own health and the root causes of any health condition(s) diagnosed by a qualified health professional.
- Empowering the client to become an expert in their own health and any diagnosed health condition(s), and in them developing self management strategies for making sustainable, healthy lifestyle behaviour changes. |
| Treating a health condition or claiming to cure a health condition |
- Setting health and wellness goals and behavioural change together with the client, and supporting the client to achieve these
– based on the clients’ own goals, and consistent with treatment plans as prescribed by individual clients’ professional healthcare providers. - Helping the client to self-manage their symptoms through healthy lifestyle. - Co-creating a health improvement plan as partners and facilitators with the client. |
| Giving detailed dietary advice or writing detailed meal-plans |
- Assist the client use their personal insight and resources in setting goals and action steps towards healthy lifestyle changes. For example, by suggesting basic guidance on nutrition and lifestyle, in line with the level and content taught on the course, such as ways to reduce the intake of refined sugars.
- Offering supporting resources from recognised authorities such as current government and public health guidelines and peer-reviewed sources. - Actively seek collaborations with other health professionals and referring to such health professionals where relevant |
| Prescribing therapeutic protocols/treatments or nutritional supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs or other nutraceuticals | - Avoid giving specific personal health advice, but instead offer a client direction to recognised, robust evidence-based and peer reviewed authorities, so that the client can draw their own conclusions, gain confidence and a sense of empowerment. |
| Ordering or interpreting diagnostic tests such as blood, urine or saliva tests |
- Providing appropriate educational resources related to the client’s health challenge(s), including research on diagnostic testing related to their health condition(s).
- Partnering with other health professionals qualified in diagnostic testing, where relevant |
Doing no harm
In common with all health professionals, Health Coaches must follow a ‘do no harm’ mandate by refraining from or carrying out any actions that would harm clients. These actions include: ∙ assessing symptoms
- diagnosing conditions
- interpreting laboratory results
- giving specific dietary advice
- removing food groups
- prescribing treatments or therapeutic interventions (including nutritional)
- ∙ making claims to prevent or cure any condition
or from engaging in any other activities that could ultimately:
- harm a client
- lead to a legal lawsuit
- invalidate your professional indemnity insurance cover
- bring the Health Coaching profession into disrepute
The boundaries of this Scope of Practice may include, but is not limited to:
- coaching an individual, or a group
- writing a blog or articles
- holding or participating in webinars, speaking and educational events
- communicating in online forums, meetings with colleagues, peers HCPs
The exception being where a coach holds an active nationally recognised professional qualification and insurance in another profession (for example as a nutritional therapist, pharmacist, doctor, nurse) in which case they may provide expert guidance related to that topic, but must act within the Scope of Practice of that, or those profession(s). In such a case, it is the health coach’s responsibility to confirm in writing the Scope of Practice for any and each service agreed with a client.
