.png)
Level 5 Health Coaching Qualification | Health Coach Training UK
Professional Health Coach Training in the UK
Level 5 Health Coaching Qualification – Whole-Health & Root-Cause Focused
The Level 5 Coaching for Health and Wellbeing qualification from Active Health Group is designed for those who want to work professionally as Health Coaches within a modern, evidence-based, whole-health framework.
This advanced qualification goes beyond surface-level behaviour change. It trains coaches to support clients in exploring the root causes of health challenges, empowering sustainable lifestyle change through skilled coaching, systems thinking, and person-centred practice.
Our Level 5 training is aligned with the UK & International Health Coaching Association (UKIHCA) Professional Standards for Education and Training in Whole-Health & Wellbeing Coaching (2024), preparing graduates for safe, ethical, and effective professional practice.
A Whole-Health Approach to Health Coaching
Health is not the absence of symptoms. It is shaped by the complex interaction of lifestyle, environment, physiology, mindset, relationships, and purpose.
This course is grounded in a whole-health model, recognising the interconnected nature of physical, emotional, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Learners are trained to work with the full context of a client’s life, rather than focusing narrowly on behaviours in isolation.
Health Coaches trained at Level 5 learn how to help clients connect patterns across nutrition, stress, sleep, movement, relationships, and life pressures, supporting change that is meaningful, realistic, and sustainable.
Functional-Medicine-Informed Health Coach Training
While this is not a Functional Medicine practitioner training, the programme is strongly informed by functional and systems-based thinking.
Learners are introduced to the principles that underpin functional medicine, including:
Root-cause exploration rather than symptom chasing
Understanding patterns, triggers, and contributors to health challenges
Recognising the role of lifestyle, environment, and stress physiology
Appreciating biological individuality and complexity
Health Coaches do not diagnose or prescribe. Instead, they are trained to use this root-cause perspective to ask better questions, support health literacy, and help clients make informed, self-directed lifestyle changes, often alongside other healthcare or wellbeing professionals.
What This Level 5 Health Coaching Qualification Prepares You For
The Level 5 Coaching for Health and Wellbeing qualification prepares you to work as a professional Health Coach in a range of settings, including private practice, community health, corporate wellbeing, integrative health clinics, and multidisciplinary teams.
Graduates develop the confidence to:
Deliver one-to-one and group health coaching sessions
Support behaviour change using evidence-based coaching models
Work ethically within a defined professional scope of practice
Recognise red flags and refer appropriately
Integrate lifestyle and health knowledge using a coaching approach
Maintain professional standards, supervision, and CPD
Course Structure – Level 5 Health Coach Training UK
The programme comprises 670 hours of guided learning, with a maximum completion period of 18 months.
This includes:
120 hours of live, interactive teaching, delivered online (see FAQ below for teaching times)
50 hours of coaching practice, live and experiential
Independent study, reflective work, and assessed coursework
Live sessions are scheduled across afternoons, evenings, and selected weekends, allowing flexibility for working professionals.
We offer two enrolment intakes per year: March and September.
Interim Ofqual-Regulated Level 5 Qualifications
A key benefit of training with Active Health Group is the opportunity to gain two interim Ofqual-regulated Level 5 qualifications while completing the full programme.
Partway through the course, learners can achieve:
Level 5 Certificate in Coaching for Health and Wellbeing
Level 5 Certificate in Gut Microbiome and Nutrition
These nationally recognised qualifications allow learners to begin practising sooner, supporting an earn-while-you-learn pathway and reducing the financial pressure often associated with long professional training programmes.
By gaining regulated Level 5 certification along the way, learners can start building professional credibility, working with clients, and generating income while continuing their studies toward full programme completion. This staged qualification structure offers exceptional value for money, faster return on investment, and a smoother transition into professional practice.
Active Health Group is one of the few UK training providers to offer this integrated, step-by-step qualification pathway, combining academic depth with real-world employability.
Entry Requirements
To enrol, you must have completed the Level 3 Certificate in the Foundations of Health Coaching (Access Course) with Active Health Group. This ensures all learners enter Level 5 with shared foundational knowledge, coaching skills, and ethical awareness.
Professional Recognition and Career Credibility
One of the defining strengths of this programme is the breadth and depth of recognised qualifications achieved within a single training pathway. Graduates do not leave with just one certificate, but with a portfolio of qualifications that demonstrates both academic rigour and professional competence.
During the course, learners achieve:
Ofqual-regulated Level 5 Certificate in Coaching for Health and Wellbeing
Ofqual-regulated Level 5 Certificate in Gut Microbiome and Nutrition
and the final certification upon successful achievement:
Level 5 Diploma in Coaching for Health, Wellness and Lifestyle
Active Health Group Level 5 Advanced Diploma in Integrative Health and Nutrition Coaching (UKIHCA-approved)
This layered qualification structure significantly enhances professional credibility, allowing graduates to evidence their training to employers, insurers, clients, and professional bodies.
Achieving multiple Level 5 qualifications within one programme demonstrates not only subject knowledge, but consistency, depth, and commitment to professional standards. It provides clear reassurance that the graduate has met both regulated academic benchmarks and industry-led professional competencies.
The UKIHCA-approved Advanced Diploma represents the gold standard in health and nutrition coaching training in the UK, confirming that the graduate has been trained in line with national professional standards for whole-health coaching, ethical practice, and lifestyle-based behaviour change.
Together, these qualifications support greater recognition across private practice, corporate wellbeing, integrative health settings, and multidisciplinary environments, positioning graduates as well-trained, credible, and professionally accountable Health Coaches.
A Snapshot of What You’ll Learn
Integrative Health & Nutrition Topics:
-
Gut health, autoimmunity, food intolerances
-
Stress management, weight issues, hormone balance
-
Psychoneuroimmunology, mind-body medicine
-
Nutrition across life stages, specialist diets, sports nutrition
Coaching & Mentoring:
-
Behaviour change, motivational interviewing, NLP
-
Goal setting, trauma-informed coaching, positive psychology
-
Professional boundaries, red flags, ethics
-
Workplace wellness and group coaching
Business & Marketing:
-
Business planning, branding, digital marketing
-
Social media strategy, niche development
-
Creating and delivering your own signature programme
HOLISTIC HEALTH
-
Anatomy & Physiology
-
Pathology
-
Health Solutions
-
Chronic Health Conditions
-
Psychoneuroimmunology
-
Mind-Body Link
-
Autoimmune Issues
-
Gut Health
-
Food Intolerances
-
Weight Management
-
Mens Health
-
Womens Health
-
Environmental Toxins
-
Breathwork
-
Mindfulness
-
Meditation
-
Stress Management
-
Lifestyle Management
-
Physical Activity for Health
-
Polyvagal Theory
NUTRITION
-
Nutrition Science
-
Modern Nutrition Protocols
-
Advanced Nutrition Protocols
-
Specific Needs Nutrition
-
Sports Nutrition
-
Food Knowledge
-
Evidence Based Supplements
-
Specialist Diets
-
Nutrition for Physical Activity
-
Nutrition through the Life Stages
-
Nutrition for Health Issues
COACHING
-
Professional Practice
-
Red Flags
-
Principles and Concepts of Health Coaching
-
Effective Communication
-
Coaching Theories and Practice
-
NLP Techniques
-
Coaching with NLP
-
Group Coaching
-
Behaviour Change Techniques
-
Goal Setting
-
Stress Management
-
Mental Health Awareness
-
Trauma Informed Practice
-
Emotional Intelligence
-
Positive Psychology
-
Motivational Interviewing
-
Workplace Wellness Coaching
Investment and Enrollment
The Level 5 Advanced Health & Nutrition Coaching course costs £3,599, with a 10% discount available if you pay in full.
This course runs on a cohort basis, with set start dates during the year. This means that access to Level 5 course materials begins from the official course start date, not from the date you enrol or make payment.
If you pay in full - You will receive access to all Level 5 course lessons on the course start date.
If you pay by monthly instalments - Your lessons will be released monthly over 12 months, starting from the course start date, as part of our pay-as-you-learn scheme (terms apply, see FAQ below). You will pay £299.91 per month for 12 months on continuous credit/debit card payment.
This structured approach allows us to provide better tutor support, clearer progression, and a high-quality learning experience for everyone on the course.
We keep our fees as low as possible as we operate as a non-profit training provider.
Please note: We do not accept Advanced Learner Loans.
If you are ready to enrol and have not yet spoken with one of our tutors, we kindly ask that you book a short guidance call first. This ensures the course is the right fit for you and that you receive clear, personalised advice before proceeding.
If a booking is made before speaking with a tutor, a guidance call will be arranged as part of the registration process before enrolment is confirmed.
Course Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average duration of this course? This course has been accredited at 670 hours. We recommend studying a minimum of 7 hours per week. You have up to 18 months to complete. Learners take on average 12 months to complete, studying at their own pace.
Are there assignments, exams and case studies? How is the course assessed? At the end of most of the modules there will be some type of assignment, usually short essay style, Q&A or self-reflection. There is also an end of course knowledge review. All learners have to undertake 50 coaching sessions, which constitutes your case studies. We give ample training prior to this, and help our learners to access people looking to volunteer. Learners must attend 120 hours of live teaching sessions, to achieve the final UKIHCA approved qualification. Learners will also attend a Professional Discussion at the end of the course.
Do you provide client forms and programmes? We provide you with a wide range of client forms, covering both coaching and nutrition. Whilst you are free to use these, we always encourage you to create your own when you know how you best work. We also provide some generic programmes for you, and again, we provide these to use, but more importantly to show you how to create your own that are unique to you, and what you offer. Working generically is not the best way when it comes to working with clients, and we teach you how to tailor the programmes to suit your clients. We also teach how to work with companies that will provide you with blood testing and diagnostic services, so that you can offer an even fuller service to your clients.
What support do you offer? We pride ourselves in offering the best support around. As well as regular supervised online peer support groups, we offer monthly supervision, and pastoral support. We also have a thriving online peer support platform, where our students, mentors and graduates offer each other support. We have a student support team to help you with the day-to-day questions, and tutors are available for anything technical.
Do I need to attend live sessions and when are they? Yes - you need to attend 120 hours of live interactive Zoom lessons over the duration of your course. We run a weekly session each Thursday from 7pm until 8:30/9pm, plus additional workshops, peer support groups, mentoring groups, and supervision groups, at various times, to allow as many opportunities to attend. Our schedule is published in advance. We record most of our live sessions so that you can catch up if you miss a session - however, these do not count as live attendance hours. If you do not meet the requirement for 120 hours of live sessions, you will not achieve the final Level 5 Diplomas (AHG Advanced Diploma and Focus Diploma)
Why is your course considerably less than others with similar accreditations? We are quite unique in that we are a not-for-profit training company. Because we do not have to pay out dividends to shareholders, we can keep our course fees low. We also do not employ sales people to sell our courses. If you book a call to discuss a course, you will speak to one of our actual course tutors, who are best placed to give you the most accurate advice about the course and the industry, and don't follow a script.
Which organisations can I join? Upon successful completion of the course, if you have attended 120 hours of live sessions, you will be eligible to join the UKIHCA as a FULL member. If you have not met the 120 hours criteria, you can join them as an affiliate. You can also join IICT, IPHM, FNTP, and we also recommend you join the Nutrition Society.
Why do you offer so many qualifications within your course? We offer multiple qualifications within one programme to ensure our graduates leave with maximum credibility, recognition, and career opportunity. By combining Ofqual-regulated qualifications, a Level 5 Diploma, and a UKIHCA-approved Advanced Diploma, learners can evidence both academic rigour and professional competence. This approach reflects our commitment to preparing Health Coaches for the widest possible range of roles, including NHS-aligned services, private practice, corporate wellbeing, and integrative health settings. Multiple recognised qualifications help graduates meet employer expectations, secure insurance, gain professional registration, and demonstrate that they have trained to the highest standards available in UK health coaching. Our goal is simple: to ensure Active Health Group graduates are well-qualified, trusted, and well-positioned to access the best opportunities the profession has to offer.
Does your course include Trauma, Mental Health, and Neurodivergence Awareness? Yes. Our training includes dedicated coverage of trauma awareness, mental health awareness, and neurodivergence awareness as essential components of safe, ethical health coaching practice. Learners are trained to recognise how trauma and neurodivergent experiences can influence behaviour, health, communication, and change processes. This awareness supports inclusive, person-centred coaching, appropriate boundary-setting, and timely referral, ensuring graduates work safely, compassionately, and within scope of practice across NHS-aligned services, private practice, and corporate wellbeing settings.
What are the terms of your pay-as-you-learn subscription? Our pay-as-you-learn option is a 12-month payment plan, paid by continuous credit or debit card payments with your consent. Monthly payments are taken automatically and cannot extend beyond 12 months. Access to course materials, learning platforms, and live sessions is conditional on payments being up to date. If a payment is missed: After 7 days, access to the course, learning materials, and live sessions will be temporarily suspended. After 14 days, the learner may be administratively withdrawn from the programme due to non-payment, and access will be removed. Payments already made relate to access and services already provided and are therefore non-refundable. Where a learner has been withdrawn due to non-payment, access may only be reinstated if the remaining course balance is paid in full within 28 days of the missed payment. If the outstanding balance is not settled within this period, enrolment will be permanently closed, and no further access will be available.
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
 |