ADAPT Health Coach Code of Conduct

The ADAPT Training Programs are designed as a safe space where all students feel welcome and valued. This Code of Conduct is designed to provide guidelines for you when interacting with other students, Kresser Institute faculty and staff, and your coaching clients. This code applies to our graduates and certified coaches as well. Please read this document carefully.

Table of Contents

  1. ADAPT Community Standards
  2. ADAPT Code of Professionalism and Coaching Etiquette
  3. NBHWC Code of Ethics
  4. Discussion Forum Posting Guidelines
  5. Violations of the Code of Conduct
  6. Additional Policies

Section 1: ADAPT Community Standards

To ensure the ADAPT Community remains a welcoming space for all students, graduates, and faculty, members must adhere to the following guidelines:

  1. Support and Encourage
    1. We will not condone negative or unprofessional comments toward other Community members.
    2. Offer constructive criticism or voice a dissenting opinion, but don’t be rude. Tone of voice doesn’t always translate well online, so err on the side of caution and kindness. Please consider the impact your comments may have on others, and keep them supportive and respectful.
    3. Always assume positive intent when reading/hearing feedback from others.
  2. Protect Privacy
    1. During the course, students often reveal personal information about themselves. Students are required to keep this information confidential and should treat the privacy of other students as they would any outside client.
  3. Treat Others with Respect
    1. The following are prohibited:
      1. Graphic, obscene, or explicit language or images
      2. Discrimination or harassment based on an individual’s sex, race, color, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, marital status, medical condition, veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected classification
      3. Sexual harassment or stalking
      4. Bullying or intimidation
  4. Seek Appropriate Support
    1. The Kresser Institute has a robust support system in place for students. We have an extensive online Help Center, we offer email and phone support, and students can ask questions in the Discussion Forum and during live sessions. However, Kresser Institute’s resources are not infinite and we are unable to accommodate the following:
      1. Training in basic computer skills: If you do not have strong computer skills before you start the course, please line up a friend or relative to teach you things like managing passwords, filling out forms, downloading handouts, playing audio and video files, etc.
      2. Excessive requests for email/phone contact: While we are happy to help you solve a specific issue, we are unable to offer continuous emotional or academic support. Please seek support from family, friends, other students, or outside tutors, if you are in need of ongoing personalized support.
    2. Should you have a personal grievance or frustration, please direct your concerns to the Kresser Institute support team. We are here to help. We ask that you refrain from airing grievances during live sessions or in the Discussion Forum, as this detracts from other students’ experiences and misappropriates valuable class time.
  5. Respect Intellectual Property
    1. We encourage the discussion of ADAPT course content, but students are not allowed to share course materials such as handouts, transcripts, recordings, etc. with anyone who is not enrolled in the course.
      1. The one exception to this is client handouts provided in the Handout Generator, which may be shared privately with your coaching clients but not with the general public.
    2. Students are also restricted from sharing intellectual property that belongs to any other organization, without permission from that organization.
  6. Self-Promotion Guidelines
    1. Our Kresser community is filled with a variety of students with years of experience in other creative fields of work and we understand the desire to share that work. However, no third-party solicitations, ads, or self-promotion, are allowed in the forum. Please don’t link or mention any business, product, or service that you have a financial relationship with. And please do not offer any services, even pro bono, to other students. This includes health coach-related businesses. If moderators determine your posts are self-promotion, they will be subject to removal.

Section 2: ADAPT Health Coach Code of Professionalism and Coaching Etiquette

As ADAPT Health Coach Training Program students, graduates, and certified coaches, we continue to work on and develop the life skill of awareness—an awareness of ourselves and our surroundings, and an awareness of our intentions and impact on others. Emotional intelligence, or EQ, as it is sometimes called, describes emotionally aware individuals as those with: 

  • Self-awareness
  • Self-management
  • Other awareness
  • Relationship management (our ability to stay emotionally engaged and respectful of another peer’s experience)

Forest Fein defines awareness for us as “… almost like a light bulb with a dimmer switch.” What do we see, what do others see, and with what wattage are we (and they) seeing? He reminds us that a regular meditation practice can help brighten our awareness of ourselves, our surroundings, and others.

We’re asking each of you to call on this intention and practice of awareness, both self and other, as you participate in our live Instructor, Mentor Coaching (MC), and Teaching Assistant (TA) sessions.  

Below we’ve provided you with important ideas and actions on which we encourage ongoing consideration, reflection, and practice as you participate with your fellow classmates online in the HCTP. These guidelines also apply to interactions with your clients and within the program, including all live sessions, peer partner practice, and practice with clients.

Please be cognizant that these are critical considerations as you move into your student and professional coach roles. In addition, be aware that what might be acceptable behavior in a classroom situation may NOT be acceptable behavior as a student or professional coach interacting with a client or even a practice peer. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss these further in the Forum, with your Student Advisor, and in MC and TA sessions.

  1. Begin practicing your professional skills and how you will show up for your upcoming client sessions now, as a student in the program during the live MC, TA, and practice partner sessions. Commit to showing up fully present and professional.
  2. Whereas connection is fundamental to the coaching relationship and coaching efficacy, disconnection can have a negative effect on the impact of our effectiveness as coaches. Therefore, make every effort to minimize disconnection.
  3. Be in a quiet, private location where you will not be disturbed, you can give your full attention to your client/partner, and your client/partner’s privacy and confidentiality is ensured.
  4. Be mindfully aware of your own surroundings and what may be distracting to others. Reduce avoidable distractions (e.g., loud noise in the background, moving backgrounds [in a car, out for a walk], cats, dogs) and seek to create a solid learning environment for all.
  5. For confidentiality and privacy considerations, please do not coach your fellow classmate or a client in a public space where others can overhear (e.g., cafés, gyms, restaurants).
  6. Commit to using your peer practice sessions as they are intended. View them as you would an appointment with a client. Show up prepared and ready to engage in the assigned practice exercises, which are intended to grow your coaching skills and professional practice. 
  7. Other considerations:
    1. Your video background is clean and professional and your face is well-lit.
    2. No service calls are scheduled to be made to the home that will require your attention.
    3. You have eaten and have water at hand.
    4. You have an uncluttered workspace with the ability to take notes.
    5. Your mobile phone is silent, out of sight, and out of reach.
    6. You are logged out of social media and email accounts.
    7. You have disabled potentially distracting chimes, pop-ups, and other notifications.
    8. The volume on your computer is adjusted so that your client is able to hear and be heard clearly.
    9. You have a strong, stable internet connection to facilitate uninterrupted communication.
    10. You are not in a moving vehicle or any other place where your connection is not stable or reliable.

Section 3: NBHWC Code of Ethics

The ADAPT Health Coach Training Program adheres to the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) Code of Ethics. We require all students, graduates, and A-CFHC certified coaches to read and follow these guidelines set by the NBHWC for professional conduct, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, and privacy.

Section 4: Discussion Forum Posting Guidelines

1. Keep It Tidy
We know that conversations can be expansive, but if you post commentary unrelated to the original thread topic (“off-topic”), it may be removed in order to keep the discussion on track. Please follow these posting guidelines:

  • Don’t start a topic in the wrong category.
  • Don’t cross-post the same thing in multiple threads.
  • Don’t post no-content replies. Rather than posting “+1” or “Agreed,” use the Like (heart) button.
  • Don’t divert a topic by changing it midstream. Rather than taking an existing topic in a radically different direction, use “Reply as a Linked Topic.”
  • Don’t sign your posts—every post has your profile information attached to it.

2. Search Before You Post
Your topic or question may have been covered already. Instead of starting a new thread with duplicate content, please join the existing conversation. Searching the forum is easy—simply hover your mouse over the magnifying glass at the top right of the navigation menu.

3. Take Ownership
We want this community to serve as a welcoming space. As such, we ask our members to help us achieve this by notifying moderators of potential problems and encouraging each other to keep conversations inviting and appropriate. If you spot something problematic in our community, please flag or report it. We require that everyone use their real names in the forum, to encourage connection and accountability.

4. Guidance and Support
Please do not post technical issues or customer support questions in the forum threads. Instead, utilize our extensive Help Center or contact our support team support@kresserinstitute.com

5. Course Suggestions and Feedback
We value the opinions of our students and would love to hear your comments, ideas, and suggestions. However, please do not post content suggestions in the forum. Please use the student suggestion box to give feedback about the course or faculty, suggestions regarding improving course content, or to flag minor content errors. We look into all of these suggestions and requests individually and will do our best to make adjustments where we can.

6. Keep It Professional, not Personal
The ADAPT Community is a place for learning and professional discussion, not for seeking personal medical advice. Please refrain from posting specific treatment or diagnostic questions for yourself or family members.

7. Keep It Evidence-Based
Any medical information and/or resources posted in the student Forum needs to be in alignment with and meet scientific evidence guidelines set forth in the “Guide to Scientific Evidence” course handout.

Section 5: Violations of the Code of Conduct

How can I report an issue regarding the Code of Conduct?

If you have a student, graduate, A-CFHC coach, faculty member, or staff member that you feel is violating the code of conduct, you may take the following actions:

What happens if a violation of the ADAPT Code of Conduct is reported?

Kresser Institute takes all violations of the Code of Conduct seriously. The Health Coach Training Program Director will review all reports. If a violation has occurred, Kresser Institute will send a written warning, and may take any of the following actions, depending on the nature and severity of the violation:

  • Remove posts from the Discussion Forum.
  • Mute or remove a student during a live session.
  • Require the student to meet with the Student Advisor.
  • Temporarily or permanently remove the student’s privilege to practice with a peer practice partner.
  • Temporarily or permanently remove the student’s privilege to post in the Discussion Forum.
  • Expel the student from the course without a refund.
  • Revoke the student’s A-CFHC certification.

Section 6: Additional Policies

In addition to the standards set forth above, our organizational policies also include the HCTP Terms & Conditions, Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.