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Yoga by the Pool

My Scope of Practice

Nutritional Health Coaching Scope of Practice

From the Institute for Integrative Nutrition

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Conditions

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do:

Work with people who are generally healthy with mild health concerns such as:

  • Headache

  • Fatigue

  • Sugar cravings

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do not:

Claim to cure disease or work with people with complex, advanced diseases such as:

  • Cancer

  • Kidney failure

  • Serious eating disorders

 

Age

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do:

  • Work with adults

  • Get written authorisation from a legal guardian to work with children

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do not: 

  • Work with minors without written authorisation from their legal guardian.

 

Medical

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do:

Suggest that a client:

  • Ask their doctor about alternatives to medication

  • Get a second doctor’s opinion if they are unsure

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do Not:

Suggest a client:

  • Stop or change prescription medication or stop seeing their doctor

 

Diet

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do:

  • Suggest ways to “crowd out” the following: caffeine, sugar, alcohol, tobacco, junk food, and dairy

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do not:

  • Suggest a client exclude major food groups or recommend extreme detox programs

 

Supplements

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do:

Recommend:

  • Fruits, vegetables, and water

  • Superfoods

  • Speaking to their doctor about supplements

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do Not:

Recommend:

  • Controversial supplements or very high doses

 

Relationships

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do:

  • Give people time to talk about the important relationships in their lives.

  • Promote participation in social events to meet new people.

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do Not:

  • Promote major changes like divorce or support passive aggressive behavior with friends and/or family

 

Career

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do:

  • Recommend that clients explore new hobbies and interests

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do Not:

  • Recommend that your client quit their job

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Spirituality

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do: 

  • Advise clients to engage in self-reflection and experience nature

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do Not:

  • Advise your client to change religious affiliation

 

Liability

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do:

  • Get liability insurance

  • Use a programme agreement when working with clients.

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do Not:

  • Call themselves a registered dietitian or nutritionist

 

General

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Nutritional Health Coaches Do:

  • Partner to inspire and co-create transformative growth

  • Help strategise from the side-lines

 

Nutritional Health Coaches Do Not:

  • Diagnose, treat, or prescribe

  • “Play the game” for their clients

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Ethical Declaration

 

As a Nutritional Health Coach I will:

 

  • Ask powerful and illuminating questions

  • Provide clients with a safe, non-judgmental space to discuss their celebrations, concerns, and obstacles

  • Respect personal and physical boundaries

  • Create sustainable accountability

  • Define and manage the health coaching relationship with clear agreements

  • Promote confidentiality, security, and privacy

  • Be clear and upfront with regards to payments

  • Let my clients know what they can expect from me as a coach

  • Discuss conflicts of interest

  • Always be professional

  • Give good client service by returning phone calls and emails in a timely fashion

  • Be on time for sessions

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