UNT Health Science Center Introduces One-of-a-Kind Graduate Program

Living with the COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of the importance of developing and maintaining healthy patterns to counteract mental and physical illness. Hypertension, obesity, and diabetes are a few lifestyle-based diseases negatively impacting millions of people, increasing suffering unnecessarily, and costing society significantly. To proactively confront these issues, consumer-facing outlets have sprouted up throughout the market, assisting customers as they navigate healthcare products and solutions.

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth has developed a Master of Science in Lifestyle Health Sciences and Coaching.

It is the first program of its kind in the nation. The platform educates wellness coaches in a multi-discipline approach, including psychology, behavioral sciences, emotional intelligence, health literacy, and leadership.

The program is open to anyone with a bachelor’s degree interested in learning how to help others take positive steps towards a healthier future. They are currently accepting applications through April 1st for the one-year degree plan ideal for those seeking professional development that utilizes transtheoretical approaches to behavior change.

Graduates of the MS in Lifestyle Health Sciences and Coaching will be prepared to transform lives and motivate real change in various applications, from human resources to future physical therapists and physician’s assistants.

The curriculum has evolved from a primary certification that UNTHSC offered for five years, representing a jumping-off point for this more robust set of courses. As students move through the coursework, they will engage with a range of wellness imperatives like exercise, nutrition, corporate wellness, and a solid foundation of coaching courses.

Physicians can tell patients they need to exercise or alter their diet. Still, without appropriate experience and background, those recommendations will not ultimately benefit them. Real change is difficult and requires someone who knows how to establish a plan and effectively guide someone according to that plan.

While we often think of coaches as personal trainers, a wellness coach is an evolution in healthcare. These positions represent a key to improving outcomes for those living with chronic disease.

Once limited to the insurance field, many companies are adding corporate wellness specialists to their staff with growing digital support. The role has evolved to a critical part of interprofessional teams dedicated to building healthier overall health patterns, including addiction treatment centers.

UNTHSC has partnered with Wellcoaches, the national certifying body for health and wellness coaches. They incorporate evidence-based tools that bring science into practice. Coaching courses offer tools to evaluate a client’s readiness for change and shape mindset by using the psychology of behavior change.

These professionals walk alongside clients who are on a path to make significant changes. The MS in Lifestyle Health Sciences and Coaching builds skills that fortify intentions, acting as crucial support for fulfilling goals. While expertise shapes the process, clients remain the experts in their health and wellness. The priority for these coaches is to serve those goals.

Health and Wellness coaches make a physician’s directives concrete for a patient. If, for example, they want to get heart disease or diabetes under control, coaches instruct them on necessary nutritional changes and help navigate how those changes become part of daily life. Graduates benefit from a range of crucial knowledge like cultural competency, emotional intelligence, communication, and teamwork, preparing them for successful careers in the field.

Also, the Capstone course is a designed thinking project that develops real-world interventions in community partnership with those who will most benefit. This year they are working with older members through the City of Fort Worth Community Center. Students collect information, define needs, and develop targeted, functional interactions based on the program’s foundational elements.

Classes start June 1st; learn more about UNTHSC’s Lifestyle Health Sciences and Coaching program.

An Austin native, Lyle Brooks relocated to Fort Worth in order to immerse himself in the burgeoning music scene and the city’s rich cultural history, which has allowed him to cover everything from Free Jazz to folk singers. He’s collaborated as a ghostwriter on projects focusing on Health Optimization, Roman Lawyers, and an assortment of intriguing subjects requiring his research.