Health coaching is an evidence-based approach that integrates lifestyle medicine tenets, including nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, mind-body practices, substance reduction, social connection, and social prescribing. When combined with health coaching, behaviour change techniques, and digital health tools, these approaches can support disease prevention, improve clinical outcomes, and promote whole-person well-being.
This course provides an introduction to current evidence on how dietary and lifestyle interventions can support people living with mental health conditions across community and healthcare settings. It also explores the wider preventive benefits of these interventions for both mental and physical health.
The course provides foundational knowledge in health coaching relevant to supporting patients and coaching. Alongside this theory, participants will develop introductory practical skills in health coaching conversations, including the use of diet recall, identifying lifestyle patterns, applying behaviour change techniques, supporting goal setting, and delivering simple, evidence-based lifestyle advice. There will be opportunities to submit a portfolio for feedback.
A key focus of the course is helping practitioners build confidence in having supportive, person-centred conversations that encourage sustainable change. Participants will learn how to explore barriers to change, strengthen motivation, and signpost individuals to relevant services and local lifestyle support pathways.
Designed for a multidisciplinary healthcare workforce with varying levels of clinical expertise, the course offers a broad overview of each topic while introducing practical consultation skills that can be applied in routine care, shared management planning, multidisciplinary discussions, and onward referral into community support services.
This introductory training provides a foundation for further development in applied health coaching, lifestyle assessment, and nutritional support within clinical practice.
For those wishing to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their communication skills, Nutritank offers additional webinars exploring these topics in greater depth through its website. Further advanced courses are also in development.
Target audience: This course is aimed at medical doctors, psychiatrists, nurses, midwives, dietitians, registered nutritionists, psychologists and other allied health professionals.
Modules 1-6
Module 1: Introduction to Mental Health and Lifestyle Medicine
Module 2: Motivational Interviewing
Module 3: How to Take a Dietary History
Module 4: Applied Coaching & MI Skills
Module 5: Self-Care Toolkit & Mental Health Action Planning
Module 6: Coursework & Assessment
