Diploma Outcomes
The complex nature of weight management places a need within the industry to provide highly skilled practitioners for those clients who present with more complex needs.
This course is designed for individuals who wish to develop the skills, knowledge and experience in planning, conducting and evaluating advanced weight management programs. Advanced practitioners/health coaches have the ability to apply specialised skills and knowledge above the level possessed by practitioners/coaches. This enables them to recognise interrelated contributing factors to weight gain to identify program needs and to develop research-based programs, underpinned by an educative approach in the concept of the human body as a non-linear and complex adaptive system.
Advanced practitioners/coaches may work in supervisory roles, applying their skills and knowledge to assist team members with the identification of interrelated contributing factors and the development of advanced weight management programs. They may work as individuals in their own business or they may work in organisations alongside other weight management specialists and staff, either as a member of the team or in a supervisory role overseeing the work of others.
To that end, this course is intended to provide participants with a range of knowledge, and skills to perform the following functions associated with the role:
- consulting with clients to provide appropriate services in a weight management setting
- analysing and assessing lifestyle factors that may influence client obesity and obesity promoting behaviours
- recognising and responding to the range of complex factors that may contribute to client body weight regulation
- applying principles of psychology, nutrition and exercise science to weight management programming
- recognising differing levels of client health literacy and interpreting medical and health terminology appropriately
- conducting advanced client health screening consultations and risk assessments to inform the development of personalised weight management programs
- developing and delivering advanced client weight management programs, including amending programs in response to individual client progress, referral parameters and providing support tools and resources to support clients
- recognising the presence of high-risk conditions requiring client referral to medical or allied health practitioners for medical clearance or recommendations
- working with others in a team or in a supervisory role in performing functions associated with the development, delivery and monitoring of advanced weight management programs.