Solution-focused coaching course for fitness professionals
Become a transformative health, fitness and wellbeing coach with solution-focused coaching approaches and techniques
The active leisure industry's first solution-focused coaching course
Unlock your potential as a transformative person-centred coach with industry-leading solution-focused coaching course.
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Course type:
Online
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Time to complete:
2-4 weeks
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Entry-requirements:
None
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Accreditations:
CIMSPA, YMCA Awards (endorsed)
Course overview: Solution-focused coaching
Our solution-focused coaching for fitness professionals course is an innovative behaviour change programme that has been expertly designed to support qualified fitness professionals to pivot to a more person-centred coaching mindset. If you are a fitness professional that is serious about supporting effective change in others, then this solution-focused coaching course is for you.
This programme is delivered entirely online via a combination of interactive eLearning, video lectures and practical demonstrations of coaching sessions in action. You’ll also complete a range of knowledge checks and extension activities along the way, which are deigned to consolidate your learning and show you where you may need to spend more time learning.
This solution focused coaching course will help you to support your clients more effectively with the way that they ‘view’ their problems, using techniques like sensitisation, amplification, scaling, miracle questions, highlighting existing resources, reframing and much more.
You’ll also be able to help clients to become more practical and forward-thinking (solution-focused) with regards to what they can ‘do’ to improve their circumstances, again using skilled ‘how’ questioning techniques, behavioural analysis, and action planning. The techniques you’ll learn will help you to accentuate your clients existing strengths and resources, rather than highlighting their deficits.
This is the first and only solution-focused coaching course for exercise professionals. If you want to become a more effective behaviour change coach, this programme is for you.
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Entry requirements
There are no formal entry-requirements for our solution-focused coaching course because this is not a regulated qualification – it’s a CPD course designed to upskill existing fitness professionals. Without a fitness industry qualification (e.g., personal training), it’s unlikely you’d be able to practice as a professional coach.
We do however recognise that some people may want to complete this programme for their own knowledge, learning and development. The techniques presented in this course can be used for personal development, or to become a more skilled and effective communicator, whether this is with friends, family, or colleagues. -
Who is this course for?
Our solution-focused coaching course is designed for any health and fitness professionals who want to develop their ability to support effective behaviour change. Whether they are personal trainers, nutrition coaches, exercise referral instructors, or health and wellbeing coaches, this programme will improve the quality of coaching conversations around change and will help them to become a more skilled, solution-focused, behaviour change practitioner.
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Accreditations
Our solution-focused coaching course for health and fitness professionals is fully endorsed by CIMSPA. On completion of this programme, you will receive 10 CIMSPA CPD points.
This course is also fully endorsed by YMCA Awards, the original and most widely recognised health and fitness industry awarding organisation. -
Progression routes
For behaviour change practitioners, professional development is a continuous and career-long commitment and there are no shortage of other professional development opportunities available. Whether you want to expand upon your coaching skills by completing a course in motivational interviewing, or maybe you would like to take things even further, and become a qualified health and wellbeing coach, there are plenty of progression opportunities available.
Most of our courses and qualifications are focused on supporting clients on their health and wellbeing journey. That said, many of the approaches and techniques used originate from more traditional therapy-based coaching or counselling, where these techniques are used to treat trauma and mental health conditions*.
Once you have completed these programmes, you may decide you want to undertake further training to work with clients in more of a counselling and trauma capacity (e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT).
*Working in a therapeutic capacity is beyond the scope of this programme.
What you'll learn
This is a comprehensive solution-focused coaching course that is designed to upskill health and fitness professionals to become more confident and competent person-centred coaches using the solution-focused techniques.
The course covers a range of theory and practical subjects exploring the solution-focused coaching techniques. Key content includes:
- History of solution-focused coaching
- Core characteristics of solution-focused coaching
- Core assumptions (client, problems, change, practice)
- Establishing the client’s best hopes and preferred future
- Extensive questioning techniques and skills
- Constructive listening skills
- Different solution-focused coaching models
- Solution-focused coaching language
- Stages of solution-focused coaching work
- Engaging clients in solution-focused coaching
- Applied solution-focused coaching skills
This course is delivered exclusively online with a combination of eLearning, video lectures, practical coaching sessions, knowledge checks and extension activities. The eLearning and online lectures present the technical information, then the practical coaching sessions show you how to use the techniques authentically in a way that will maximise the effect on the client. These demonstrations are also coded, highlighting when specific techniques you have learned are being used.
How you'll be assessed
Initially, as you work through the eLearning lessons and you watch the online training videos, you’ll be required to complete a range of revision-style questions and quizzes which will assess your knowledge and understanding in much more of an informal style. These questions essentially serve to ensure you are progressing appropriately.
On completion of the eLearning, online videos, and practical coaching demonstrations, you’ll then complete an open book online theory exam. This exam contains a range of video, audio, multiple choice and practical coaching and scenario-based questions to assess your ability to apply what you have learned to a more realistic coaching situation.
Finally, you’ll also be required to complete a reflective journal, illustrating how you have applied these techniques in either personal or professional situations. The goal of this assessment is to assess your ability to reflect and evaluate your own coaching skills, including how you might develop these in the future.
25%
Quizzes
- Multi-choice
- Quiz style
- Unlimited re-sits
50%
Workbooks:
- Online
- Scenario-based
- Unlimited resits
25%
Reflective journal:
- Applied focus
- Personal reflection
- Complete online
Why complete this solution focused practitioner course?
Whether you’re a fitness instructor, personal trainer, Pilates teacher or health and wellbeing practitioner, supporting clients to make effective changes to their diet, exercise and other aspects of their lifestyle is an integral part of your role. If you are serious about improving the quality of your coaching conversations, then our solution-focused coaching course is definitely for you.
Effective coaching is about being able to connect with people on a level that makes them feel comfortable to talk about anything without fear of being judged. This necessitates that the coach to let’s go of the expert position, placing themselves as an equal in the coach-client relationship. This isn’t how most coaches approach their interactions and change consultations with clients, which probably goes some way to explain the short-term and transient nature of their results.
On completion of this solution-focused coaching course, you’ll be able to:
- better connect with clients individually
- communicate more effectively with clients about change
- demonstrate greater levels of compassion and empathy with clients
- create a positive coaching environment in which change can flourish
- help clients to resolve and overcome their own resistance to change
- use a range of solution-focused techniques to empower people to change
- evoke from clients new solutions that they are willing to commit to
- reduce the likelihood of future relapse
- positively affect long-term behaviour change for clients
If you want to become powerful behaviour change coach that is able to do much more than create accountability, then this course is for you.
One coaching course. Unlimited opportunities.
Where will your solution-focused coaching course take you? Join the thousands of HFE graduates now working with some of the worlds leading health, fitness and wellbeing brands. Many of our former students are also working in the health and wellbeing sector also, in exercise referral and other health and wellbeing-type organisations, including the NHS.
Frequently asked solution focused questions
Featured below are a range of questions that we are frequently asked about our solution-focused course for health and fitness professionals. If you do have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate contact our Careers Team on 0800 612 4067.
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What is solution-focused coaching?
Solution-focused coaching is a person-centred coaching approach that is similar to motivational interviewing, in which the coaching conversation focuses on the client’s best hopes for the future, rather than dwelling on the problems of the past. The techniques used in solution-focused coaching seek to highlight to the client their existing strengths and capabilities (as opposed to highlighting where they need to improve), and drawing on those strengths to find practical and workable solutions for the future. Sessions are brief, and early iterations of this approach were actually called solution focused ‘brief’ therapy. Each coaching session is constructed in a way that there is an assumption that it will be the last. Most coaching sessions focus on a different part of the client’s life they want to address (e.g., physical activity), and coaches work with the client to evoke from them what they can and will do to move forward towards their preferred future. Solution-focused coaching is a great technique for any exercise professional to master.
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What is person-centred coaching?
Person-centred coaching is a coaching approach which recognises and values the client as an individual, including their right to autonomy in their own life. In the person-centred coaching dynamic, the coach accepts the client just as they are without any judgement or expectation from them. They also embrace the notion that the client is the expert in their own life and not the coach.
Solution-focused coaching is similar to other person-centred approaches (e.g., motivational interviewing, health coaching) in that it really emphasises empathy, active listening, and unconditional positive regard for the client, creating an environment in which the client feels like they are being fully supported and are not being judged.
Effective person-centred coaches listen carefully to their client’s language, not just to the words that are spoken, but the meaning behind those words. The goal here is to really try and understand the client’s position and where they are at, so the coach can meet them there. They use high-level communication techniques in a caring and compassionate way, to help them on their change journey.
Stay in touch
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Thank you for signing up. If you want career advice or to learn more about the courses we offer, reach out to our friendly careers team.