The UK & International Health Coaching Association (UKIHCA) is an independent, non-profit organisation, operating in the third sector, free from commercial influence, control or ties that could compromise our independence.
Founded as the world’s first professional body for health coaching, we have two complementary roles.
Our two roles
As the professional body for health and wellbeing coaching, we set, maintain and promote professional standards, uphold a clear scope of practice, mandate a minimum requirement for continuing professional development (CPD) and maintain a Register of Professional Health Coaches for whole-person health and wellbeing coaching across healthcare, workplace, education and community settings, supporting quality, safety and public trust in the profession.
As a professional membership organisation, we support and connect an international health and wellbeing coaching community, offering professional recognition, encouraging engagement with continuing professional development to support all members’ professional maturity and provide a strong, collective voice for the profession.
Setting out these two roles clearly helps our members, employers, commissioners, healthcare providers and the public understand what UKIHCA does, and what membership and registration mean. Decisions on professional standards, programme approval and registration are made through the UKIHCA Professional Standards and Ethics Formal Advisory Group, independently of our membership services.
What we believe
- Everyone has the capacity for change, and that places true health and wellbeing within everybody’s reach. People deserve the time, consideration and space to unlock that capacity, and to become self-empowered, confident and active participants in their own health and wellbeing journey.
- A whole-person approach is fundamental to sustaining lifestyle and health behaviour change. It considers the bio-psycho-emotional-social-environmental and commercial determinants of health, as well as the existential and spiritual dimensions of purpose and meaning in a human life.
- Collaboration, partnership, trust, respect and an absence of judgement lie at the heart of all relationships and of good governance.
As the professional body, we:
- Set and maintain robust standards for whole-person health and wellbeing coaching education, training and course delivery, and approve programmes that meet them as UKIHCA-Approved Education and Training Programmes
- Uphold a clearly defined Scope of Practice and maintain the UKIHCA Register of Professional Health Coaches
- Advance professional maturity from trained to trusted in whole-person health and wellbeing coaching and the development of high-quality education and training
- Raise awareness across society of whole-person health and wellbeing coaching as an evidence-informed approach to preventing and supporting the self-management of long-term and lifestyle-related conditions, alongside clinical care
As a professional membership organisation, we:
- Actively support the continuing professional development and career progression of health and wellbeing coaches (mandated for UKIHCA-Registered Health Coaches)
- Connect our members through an international community, networking and shared learning
- Welcome Student, Practitioner, Full and Affiliate Members who share our purpose, vision and mission
- Support professionals in related health and care disciplines to develop health and wellbeing coaching knowledge and skills, in every sector where health and wellbeing coaching happens
Our members
Student Members
Our Student Members are training on UKIHCA-Approved Education and Training Programmes. We support them as they begin their professional journey and connect them with the wider health and wellbeing coaching community.
Practitioner Members
Practitioner Members are practising health and wellbeing coaches who hold a foundation-level health and wellbeing coaching qualification accredited by a recognised organisation, such as the Personalised Care Institute, the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, the International Coaching Federation or the Association for Coaching. Practitioner Membership offers professional recognition, access to a supportive professional community and member benefits, and a work-based pathway towards Full Membership and UKIHCA-RHC status.
Full Members
UKIHCA Full Members are professionally qualified, credentialled and insured health and wellbeing coaches, practising within a clear Scope of Practice. Most join after completing a UKIHCA-Approved Education and Training Programme; experienced, credentialled practitioners may also join through the UKIHCA Portfolio Route. Some are also doctors, other clinicians or allied health and care professionals. All are specifically trained to support and empower people to make sustainable lifestyle and health behaviour changes that improve their health and wellbeing.
UKIHCA-Registered Health Coaches
Full Members who meet our additional professional requirements, including the minimum evidenced and recorded health coaching supervision, are recognised as UKIHCA-Registered Health Coaches (UKIHCA-RHC) and listed on the UKIHCA Register of Professional Health Coaches. Registration offers an additional level of professional assurance for employers, commissioners, healthcare providers and the public, demonstrating an enhanced commitment to professional maturity, standards and accountability.
Affiliate Members
Our Affiliate Members are health and care professionals from a wide range of disciplines who share our purpose, vision and mission, and who bring health and wellbeing coaching knowledge and skills into their own practice.
Advanced practice pathways
We are currently developing a framework for health and wellbeing coaching advanced practice pathways, which recognise deeper learning while remaining within the health and wellbeing coaching Scope of Practice.
What this means for you
| Full Member | For Employers and Commissioners | For the Public |
| Registration is included in your Full Membership subscription, at no additional fee. | UKIHCA Full Members are qualified, insured and practise within a defined Scope of Practice. UKIHCA-Registered Health Coaches* offer an additional level of assurance through their commitment to continuing professional development, coaching practice and health coaching supervision. Check the Register | Choosing a UKIHCA Full Member or a UKIHCA-Registered Health Coach means working with a qualified professional who practises to clear, published professional standards. Find a Health & Wellbeing Coach |
A note on regulation
* Health and wellbeing coaching is not a statutorily regulated profession in the UK. The UKIHCA Register of Professional Health Coaches is a voluntary register maintained by UKIHCA to provide professional assurance to employers, commissioners and the public.
Together, we are building a trusted, professionally qualified health and wellbeing coaching workforce.
“No one changes the world who isn’t obsessed.”
– Billie Jean King
Together, we will change the world.