Lifestyle Therapeutics in Obesity Medicine Certificate Program

Coaching skills like motivational interviewing are vital to drive true behavior change. In obesity medicine, lifestyle therapeutics is pivotal for patients to have lasting outcomes. By leveraging coaching skills and taking a whole person approach, obesity medicine providers can improve communication, collaboration, care innovation, or most importantly, care by having deeper and more meaningful conversations with patients. The courses in this certificate program will guide learners through evidence-based coaching methods such as motivational interviewing, transtheoretical change models, goal setting, and more that are proven to increase patient engagement, care satisfaction, and ultimately support long-lasting weight loss and management. The skills learned in this certificate program can be used immediately with patients. 

Module 1: Introduction to Lifestyle Therapeutics Coaching Emphasis on Obesity Management (Enhancing patient engagement through Lifestyle Therapeutics Coaching)

• Understand the impact of lifestyle therapeutics and its application to obesity medicine 
• Recognize evidence-based outcomes that highlight how integrating coaching skills in medical visits increases patient outcomes
• Summarize how the coaching process supports behavior change, maximizes time, and creates a continuum of care for patients

Module 2: Lifestyle Therapeutics Pillars of Wellness and Whole Person Approach (Transforming lifestyle into medicine using the whole person approach)

• Define wellness and show its’ relationship to treatments in obesity medicine  
• Illustrate the impact of using the 7 pillars of wellness approach in treating obesity as a disease to demonstrate positive patient health outcomes 
• Apply social determinants of health to patients with obesity 

Module 3: Engaging Conversations Leads to Behavior and Lifestyle Change Part 1

• Define MI and its’ application to medical visits. 
• Understand the MI process, MI Key Skills, MI Techniques, and Tools and how to implement them 
• Discuss the four principles of MI: Open Ended Questions, Affirmations, Reflections and Summaries and how to integrate them into the medical setting 
• Define the importance of open-ended questions and affirmations in the clinical setting 
• Analyze open-ended questions and affirmations that increase patient engagement during medical visits

Module 4: Engaging Conversations Leads to Behavior and Lifestyle Change Part 2

• Define the importance of reflections and summaries in the clinical setting 
• Understand why and how reflections and affirmations develop autonomy and drive patient engagement 
• Analyze reflections and affirmations during medical visits
• Examine case studies using MI, OARS skills within a medical visit 

Module 5: From Resistant to Participant: Guiding Patients through the Stages of Behavior Change Part 1

• Define the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change 
• Discuss the components of Transtheoretical model 
• Applying the transtheoretical model of behavior change to increase patient outcomes 
• Examine case scenarios to drive behavior change 

Module 6: From Resistant to Participant: Guiding Patients through the Stages of Behavior Change Part 2: Addressing Ambivalence and Resistance

• Define ambivalence in the context of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change
• Discuss the Processes of Behavior Change
• Apply techniques using Motivational Interviewing and the Behavior change model to address ambivalence and resistance during medical visits and lifestyle behavior change discussions
• Examine case scenarios to drive behavior change while addressing ambivalence and resistance. 

Module 7: Goal Setting to Drive Adherence and Outcomes

• Define evidence-based elements of goal setting theory 
• Understand goal setting in medical visits 
• Apply SMART goal setting in medical visits 
• Analyze the key components of the GROW model 
• Evaluate goal setting within medical visits 

Module 8: Implementing Coaching Skills to Empower Patients to Change

• Applying motivational interviewing, reflections, affirmations, habit stacking, and SMART goal setting techniques to support patients
• Evaluate case scenarios to demonstrate how to apply behavioral change coaching skills within a medical visit
• Demonstrate a ‘complete’ visit  

Module 9: Creating a Patient-Centered Whole Health Care Team

• Identify roles of support staff that can be trained to implement coaching skills  
• Compare models that use coaches within your facility and/or outsourced remote/telehealth coaching
• Implement protocols and procedures for coaching visits that create a continuum of care for your facility and patients.