Are Noom coaches certified? What a health-coach credential means

What Noom says about its coaches

Noom describes its coaching in two places on its own website.

On its training page, Noom says it created its own health and wellness coach training program called Noomiversity. According to Noom, "All of Noom's coaches enroll in Noomiversity at the start of their tenure, where they receive more than 75 hours of new hire onboarding training and acquire over 200 hours of active coaching experience with real users."

The same page says all Noom coaches are given the option to enroll in Noom's Health Coach Certification Program (HCCP), which Noom describes as "an approved transition program with the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaches," and to sit for the board exam to become an NBC-HWC.

In a February blog post on its approach, Noom adds that "All of Noom's coaches have an educational background in health and wellness and are required to complete an intensive, 12-week in-house training program called Noomiversity upon hire," and that "Some of our coaches are also certified by the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching." Noom says its coaching is chat-based and that coaches use techniques such as motivational interviewing.

In short: all Noom coaches are trained by Noom. Some, not all, are board certified. Noom's pages don't say what share of coaches hold the NBC-HWC credential.

Training vs. certification vs. board certification

These words get used loosely, so it helps to separate them.

• Company training. A program an employer runs for its own staff, such as Noomiversity. It prepares coaches for that company's method. It isn't a credential you can look up with an outside body.
• A training-program certificate. Many schools issue a certificate when you finish their course. What it means depends on the program.
• Board certification (NBC-HWC). A credential from the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching, an independent body, earned by passing its board exam after meeting its eligibility rules.

Our guide to certification vs. board certification explains the difference in more detail.

What it takes to become an NBC-HWC

According to the NBHWC, to be eligible for its board exam you must:

• complete an NBHWC Approved Training Program
• complete 50 documented coaching sessions
• meet the education requirement: an associate's degree or higher in any field, or 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience in any field

The NBHWC says completing an approved training program "is required for every exam candidate," including licensed healthcare professionals and experienced coaches. Its exam is a computerized, 150-question multiple-choice test.

The NBHWC describes its standard as including a minimum of 75 hours of instruction, practical skill development with face-to-face training and feedback, and faculty who hold the NBC-HWC credential. You can see which programs qualify in our list of NBHWC-approved programs.

The NBHWC also notes that "the term health coach is unregulated." In other words, anyone can call themselves a health coach. Only people who pass the board exam can use the NBC-HWC credential.

What a health coach does and doesn't do

The NBHWC's scope of practice describes coaches as partners who help clients set and reach their own health and wellness goals. It calls the coach's role "one of accountability partner, not director."

The same scope says that, on their own, coaches don't:

• diagnose or interpret medical data
• prescribe or de-prescribe
• recommend supplements
• provide nutrition consultation or create meal plans
• provide exercise prescription or instruction
• provide psychological therapy or treatment

A coach who also holds another active credential, such as a dietitian or nurse license, may give expert guidance within that credential's scope. The NBHWC says that dual role should be disclosed and discussed with the client from the start.

For a fuller picture, read what a health coach does.

Does board certification matter for you?

It depends on what you want from coaching. The NBHWC says board-certified coaches work in many settings: some on healthcare teams alongside physicians and other health professionals, others in digital health, community programs or employee wellness, and some on their own. It says board certification signals that a coach has met set standards in knowledge, skill and ethical conduct.

If you want a coach who has passed an independent exam, ask for an NBC-HWC. If you mainly want daily accountability inside an app, a company-trained coach may be enough, as long as you know what they can and can't help with. Either way, a coach works best alongside your clinician, not in place of one.

How to check your coach's credentials

1. Ask directly. "Are you a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach? Do you hold any other license, such as dietitian or nurse?" A coach should be able to answer clearly.
2. Look for the letters. NBC-HWC after a name means board certification. A company title such as "Noom Coach" doesn't tell you which credential the person holds.
3. Verify the credential. The NBHWC offers a way to verify an NBC-HWC credential and a directory of board-certified coaches on its website.
4. Know who handles medical questions. Questions about medicines, lab results or a diagnosis belong with a licensed clinician, not a coach.

If what you mainly want is daily check-ins and help sticking to habits, a health companion app may fit too. Olive checks in with you every day, looks at what you eat, and helps you build small habits that hold. It doesn't diagnose or treat anything, and members who want clinical help can add the Olive Protocol, which includes a licensed-clinician consult.

Use cases: what to do in common situations

• "I want a coach with a board credential." Ask your Noom coach whether they're an NBC-HWC, and check the NBHWC's verification tool.
• "My coach gave me a meal plan." Under the NBHWC scope, creating meal plans is outside a coach's role unless they hold another credential, such as dietitian. Ask which credential they're working under.
• "I'm on a GLP-1 and have questions about side effects." Take those to the clinician who prescribes your medicine. A coach can help with habits around it.
• "I'm comparing Noom with other apps." Our Noom alternatives hub compares options, and why Noom isn't working covers common reasons people switch.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your clinician about your own situation.

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