BECOME A CERTIFIED WELLNESS COACH EMPLOYER
Are you a part of a school, health care program, or community-based organization? Then you understand the importance of supporting the well-being of children and youth. By hiring a Certified Wellness Coach, you can give them access to high-quality support that helps them thrive. Ready to become an employer?
Benefits of Hiring a Wellness Coach
Hiring a Certified Wellness Coach is a great choice for your organization. Certified Wellness Coaches give important behavioral health support to children and youth up to age 25. They work with school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and other staff in schools, health care programs, and community-based organizations.
Coaches don't provide clinical treatment. Instead, they help fill gaps in youth services in California to help promote mental health and overall well-being. This can make a big difference to both your clients and your organization.
Increased Capacity
Certified Wellness Coaches supplement the efforts of existing professionals, allowing them to focus on clients with more complex needs. This increases your organization’s capacity to provide increased access to care where it’s needed most.
Stronger Community
Hiring a Certified Wellness Coach empowers your organization to build a stronger, more resilient community.
Elevated Well-Being
When you hire a Certified Wellness Coach, it helps your organization do an even better job of supporting your clients' mental well-being. They provide tools that are easy to use, so your clients can do well and succeed.
Increased Capacity
Certified Wellness Coaches supplement the efforts of existing professionals, allowing them to focus on clients with more complex needs. This increases your organization’s capacity to provide increased access to care where it’s needed most.
Stronger Community
Hiring a Certified Wellness Coach empowers your organization to build a stronger, more resilient community.
Elevated Well-Being
When you hire a Certified Wellness Coach, it helps your organization do an even better job of supporting your clients' mental well-being. They provide tools that are easy to use, so your clients can do well and succeed.
What Certified Wellness Coaches do
There are two levels of Certified Wellness Coach: CWC I and CWC II. A Certified Wellness Coach is authorized to provide the following CWC scope of services:
CWC I Scope of Services
Certified Wellness Coach I professionals offer entry-level behavioral health services to children and youth that help support their mental health and overall well-being.
These services include:
- Delivering structured curriculum to small groups or classrooms focused on wellness promotion and education, mental health literacy, and life skills.
- Coordinating and supporting screenings for youth.
- Connecting individuals to behavioral health resources and professionals.
- Providing check-ins and scheduled meetings with individuals to support wellness, goal setting & planning, and life skills.
- Providing emotional support and warm hand-offs to qualified behavioral health providers for youth in crisis.
CWC II Scope of Services
Certified Wellness Coach II professionals offer more in-depth prevention and early intervention behavioral health support to children and youth.
They expand on the CWC I scope of services to include:
- Delivering structured curriculum to groups or classrooms focused on how to manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through activities like controlling emotions and using distraction strategies.
- Facilitating screening programs in schools or community-based organizations under the guidance of qualified professionals.
- Providing check-ins and scheduled meetings with children and youth to help them learn how to manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through activities like controlling emotions and using distraction strategies.
Where Certified Wellness Coaches can work
Certified Wellness Coaches can work in a wide range of organizations that offer services within their scope. Here is a list of some of the organizations that can use a Certified Wellness Coach:
- Schools
- Local education agencies
- County offices of education
- School-based early education agencies
- School-based and/or school-linked health and behavioral health agencies
- School-based and/or school-linked health clinics
- School-based and/or school-linked community-based organizations
- Health centers
Where Certified Wellness Coaches can work
Certified Wellness Coaches can work in a wide range of organizations that offer services within their scope. Here is a list of some of the organizations that can use a Certified Wellness Coach:
- Schools
- Local education agencies
- County offices of education
- School-based early education agencies
- School-based and/or school-linked health and behavioral health agencies
- School-based and/or school-linked health clinics
- School-based and/or school-linked community-based organizations
- Health centers
Things to consider as an employer
Who supervises Certified Wellness Coaches?
In school settings, Certified Wellness Coaches are supervised by Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPS-C) holders, school nurses, and licensed clinicians. In other settings, they are supervised by licensed clinicians.
What is the salary range for Certified Wellness Coaches?
Employers set salaries based on their organization type and location. For our employer grant, HCAI chose salary benchmarks. We did this by looking at living wage suggestions, and what other behavioral health workers earn in different areas. We also looked at jobs that require similar education and training. These median salary ranges were identified and used for the grant:
CWC I: $53,500 + benefits
CWC II: $63,500 + benefits
How can I offset costs?
If you’re a Medi-Cal provider, you may be eligible for reimbursement for your Certified Wellness Coach employees starting in 2025.
Local education agencies (i.e., school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and California Schools for the Deaf and Schools for the Blind) and public institutions of higher education (i.e., California Community Colleges, California State Universities, and University of California campuses) are eligible for Medi-Cal and commercial insurance reimbursement through the Multi-Payer School-Linked Fee Schedule. Read more from DHCS here.
How to build your Certified Wellness Coach workforce
How do I evaluate if my employees can get certified?
Employees who want to become Certified Wellness Coaches can find more information in the Become a Certified Wellness Coach section. If someone is looking to get certified through the Workforce Pathway, they need to:
- Be currently providing or recently provided direct behavioral health services to children and youth.*
- Have an associate or bachelor’s degree in a related field.
- Meet the experience requirements: 1,000 hours for CWC I and 2,000 hours for CWC II.*
*Experience must be providing direct behavioral health services to children and youth through age 25 in school-linked/school-based organizations, non-profits, community organizations, and/or clinics/health centers within the last six years.
Have your employees take this short screener to see if they qualify.
Take the Eligibility ScreenerHow do I evaluate if my employees can get certified?
Employees who want to become Certified Wellness Coaches can find more information in the Become a Certified Wellness Coach section. If someone is looking to get certified through the Workforce Pathway, they need to:
- Be currently providing or recently provided direct behavioral health services to children and youth.*
- Have an associate or bachelor’s degree in a related field.
- Meet the experience requirements: 1,000 hours for CWC I and 2,000 hours for CWC II.*
*Experience must be providing direct behavioral health services to children and youth through age 25 in school-linked/school-based organizations, non-profits, community organizations, and/or clinics/health centers within the last six years.
Have your employees take this short screener to see if they qualify.
Take the Eligibility Screener How do I hire new employees?
You can use these job description templates for CWC I and CWC II when hiring new employees. You can also connect with Certified Wellness Coaches on the Official Certified Wellness Coaches of California LinkedIn page.
Found the right candidate/s? Check their certification online.
Found the right candidate/s?
Verify a Certified Wellness Coach CertificateEmployer Program Milestones
Wellness Coach Certification website launched
February 2024
The application period closed mid-March, 2024.
Employer Support Grant awarded
July 2024
Grants awarded to 64 school-linked and school-based organizations to hire Certified Wellness Coaches. Grants will run through June 2026.
LinkedIn Group Launched
September 2024
Looking to hire Certified Wellness Coaches? Join this professional group to be connected with CWCs in search of employment.
Wellness Coach Certification website launched
The application period closed mid-March, 2024.
February 2024
Employer Support Grant awarded
Grants awarded to 64 school-linked and school-based organizations to hire Certified Wellness Coaches. Grants will run through June 2026.
July 2024
LinkedIn Group Launched
Looking to hire Certified Wellness Coaches? Join this professional group to be connected with CWCs in search of employment.
September 2024
Frequently Asked Employer Questions
A wide range of organizations serving children and youth can benefit from hiring a Certified Wellness Coach. This includes schools, health care organizations, community groups, and others.
- Schools: Support student well-being and create a positive learning environment.
- Health Care Programs: Integrate health and wellness into patient care, improving overall health outcomes.
- Community Organizations: Provide wellness education and support to community members, fostering a culture of well-being.
- Nonprofits: Enhance their services by enhancing the mental wellness of their students populations.
- Government Agencies: Implement behavioral health programs and initiatives, particularly for youth.
- Corporations: Promote employee well-being, reduce stress, and improve productivity.
- Health Clinics: Complement clinical services with wellness and recovery support.
- Rehabilitation Centers: Assist individuals in their journey to recovery and well-being.
- Youth Programs: Provide mentorship and guidance for young people facing mental health challenges.
- Social Services Agencies: Offer holistic support to students, supporting mental wellness on an individual level.
You can help fill gaps in youth mental health services in California by hiring a Certified Wellness Coach. You’ll also be giving children and youth important behavioral health and mental wellness support. This can help your organization thrive.
Hiring a Certified Wellness Coach is a great choice for your organization. It's important to know that these Coaches don't provide clinical treatment. Instead, they help fill gaps in youth services in California. They give important behavioral health support, promoting mental well-being. This can make a big difference to both your clients and your organization.
