Become a Certified Brain Health Coach

Course Description

This course focuses on the clinical aspects of brain health, including detailed information about SPECT brain scans. Brain Health Coaching includes four modules that contain practical life tips regarding the neurology and neurobiology of the brain. Brain health impacts almost every aspect of a person’s life, from inward thoughts and emotions to outward actions. This is a resource that will add depth to any coaching or counseling practice.

BHC 101: Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, and the Brains and Lives of Others
Brain health is essential to a healthy, happy life, yet millions of Americans deal with brain issues at some point in their lives. Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and obesity are rampant in today’s society, and they all have a common factor: brain health.

BHC 102: 9 Principles to Change Your Brain and Your Life
Dr. Daniel Amen devotes this session to talking about nine different principles that can help people understand the power of the brain to change lives. A healthy brain is essential to a healthy life, and even if the brain has been damaged in the past, there are ways to change the brain and gain back part of what was lost.

BHC 103: Brain Behavior Systems: Functions, Problems, and Solutions
In this presentation, Dr. Daniel Amen goes through the anatomy of the brain and describes the different sections and their functions. When damage occurs in different areas of the brain, the consequences can differ.

BHC 104: Subtyping ADD, Anxiety, Depression, Addictions, and Obesity
In this presentation, Dr. Daniel Amen identifies the different subtypes of ADD, Anxiety, Depression, Addictions, and Obesity and provides information regarding the best ways to treat each subtype.

Module 2:
BHC 105: Neuroimaging: Looking at the Brain Changes Everything
In this presentation, Dr. Daniel Amen will be breaking down the complicated process of neuroimaging and demonstrating the clinical significance of brain scans. Brain imaging has the potential to significantly change the face of psychiatry, as it allows clinicians to identify the neurobiological causes of different mental health issues.

BHC 106: Amen Clinics Method: Healing in the 4 Circles
Dr. Amen discusses the importance of taking a thorough examination of a client’s history through a variety of questionnaires and intake forms. These help make the correct diagnosis and properly interpret the brain scans. Brain SPECT imaging improves results and outcomes for clients and is extremely valuable in confirming diagnoses.

Module 3:
BHC 107: Brain Healthy Supplements
This presentation will describe the benefits and problems with supplements and provide detailed information about the different supplement options that are available and how they are used.

BHC 108: Boosting Brain Reserve
In this presentation, Dr. Amen will discuss things to avoid and things to pursue when working to improve your brain health. Ultimately, brain health is achievable as long as you focus on the goal, avoid the things that will hurt your brain, and work on maintaining a healthy diet and exercise.

BHC 109: Physical Exercise
In this module, Dr. Amen describes the positive effects of energy on mental health and the various other benefits that regular exercise can have on the body and brain. Like most things, exercise is best in moderation.

BHC 110: Brain Healthy Nutrition Principles
Dr. Amen focuses on high quality calories, smart carbohydrates, “clean foods,” and provides an overview of how gut health impacts the body. Proper nutrition is foundational to a healthy brain, and this presentation

Module 4:
BHC 111: Science of Change and Self-Control
In this presentation, Dr. Amen describes the importance of motivation. In order to get well, you have to understand why you want to get well.

BHC 112: Killing the ANTs: Directing Your Thoughts
In this presentation, Dr. Daniel Amen describes the different types of ANTs and how to go about defeating them. Multiple techniques are covered to challenge and defeat the automatic negative thoughts.

BHC 113: Innovative Treatments
This presentation describes some of the many innovative treatment options that are available for people with brain issues. Dr. Amen describes the seven categories of innovative treatment and goes into detail on several of the ones he has found particularly effective.

BHC 114: Decreasing the Risk for Brain Aging, Alzheimer’s, and Other Forms of Dementia
This presentation details the prevalence and types of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and then presents practical steps that people can do to prevent memory loss. With early detection and treatment, the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease can be significantly delayed.

BHC 115: Creating Brain Healthy Communities
In this presentation, Dr. Amen describes practical ways to create a healthy brain program and encourage your friends, family, coworkers, and clients to live out a brain-healthy life.

Summary

In this course, world-renowned brain expert Dr. Daniel Amen unpacks practical ways to incorporate brain health into your daily life. This course dives deep into the different areas of the brain, exploring the function of each part of the brain and how different nutritional and lifestyle interventions can help build a healthier, happier brain and a healthier, happier life.

CYB 101: 12 Principles to Change Your Brain and Everything in Your Life

CYB 102: The Amen Clinics Method

CYB 103: Limbic System: Looking into Love and Depression

CYB 104: Basal Ganglia: Looking into Anxiety and Fear

CYB 105: Prefrontal Cortex and Cerebellum: Looking into Attention and Impulsivity

CYB 106: Anterior Cingulate Gyrus: Looking into Worry and Obsessiveness

CYB 107: Temporal Lobes: Looking into Memory, Temper, and Mysticism

CYB 108: Subtyping ADD, Anxiety, Depression, Addictions and Obesity

CYB 109: The Brain in Relationships

CYB 110: Brain Healthy Nutrition and the Brain Gut Connection

CYB 111: Natural Ways to Heal the Brain

CYB 112: Amen Clinics Alzheimer’s Risk Reduction Program

Summary
From exploring the brain-gut connection, assessing your brain, dietary concerns, and the use of supplements, to the impact on thinking, motivation, stress and anxiety, this course is tailored for counselors and coaches in helping their clients live more balanced and fulfilling lives. Renowned brain expert, Dr. Daniel Amen and his wife Tana, along with Dr. Paris Kidd, share their years of neuroscience research and expertise on understanding the brain and how proper care can lead to significant improvements in a person’s quality of life.

BWW 101: Assess Your Brain
A healthy brain is the key to a healthy life. This presentation will provide a foundation for identifying brain types and understanding the root of the health crisis in America.

BWW 102: Know Your Motivation
In order for change to occur, people need to know what motivates them and find a way to incorporate motivation into their action plan. This presentation goes over different ways to identify your motivation and explains several tools to help discover your goals and ideal outcomes.

BWW 103: Eat Right to Think Right
In order to understand why it is so important to properly nourish your body, it is beneficial to know the problems with many of the western diet food staples. This presentation goes over twelve important principles for brain healthy nutrition, providing detailed information about what foods to avoid and what foods to pursue.

BWW 104: The Brain Gut Connection
The gut is a “second brain.” Keeping the gut healthy is a critical part of keeping the brain healthy. This presentation describes the different types of organisms that live in the gut and keep the body healthy.

BWW 105: Boost Your Brain
Brains run the world! This presentation describes foods, environmental factors, and substances that should be avoided, ways to foster brain envy, and how to build brain healthy habits.

BWW 106: Train Your Brain
Training your brain involves both mental and physical exercise. Just like any other muscle, the brain must be exercised in order to remain strong. In this presentation, the Amens will provide guidelines and suggestions for ways to stimulate your brain mentally through targeted brain training and strengthen your body physically in realistic and fun ways.

BWW 107: Killing the ANTs
Automatic Negative Thoughts, or ANTs, can pollute the mind and impede healing and health. Everyone has negative thoughts, but what can you do when they invade your brain? In this presentation, Dr. Amen describes the different types of negative thoughts and provides strategies to help challenge and turn the thoughts around.

BWW 108: Soothing Your Stress
Stress is a common problem in many people’s lives, yet there are many ways to help combat stress and promote a relaxed state. Stress relief does not have to come from pills in a bottle. In this presentation, Daniel and Tana Amen discuss different skills and techniques that people can use to relax and remove stress from their lives.

BWW 109: Brain Healthy Supplements
There are multiple ways to optimize brain health, but few as simple and effective as taking the proper nutritional supplements. In this presentation, Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Parris Kidd discuss the benefits of nutritional supplements on brain health.

BWW 110: Overcoming Barriers
There are numerous obstacles that will come up to prevent people from success, but with accountability and motivation, it is possible to overcome all the barriers and create a brand new healthy lifestyle. This presentation will discuss ways to help people succeed against all odds, get families involved, and create a sustainable lifestyle that reflects brain healthy habits.

BWW 111: Getting Better Together
In this presentation, the Amens discuss The Daniel Plan, a book that Dr. Amen co-wrote with Pastor Rick Warren. The Daniel Plan is not a new diet; it is a lifestyle change.

BWW 112: Practical Tips, FAQs, and Shortcuts
In this final session, the Amens dialogue about different tips, tricks, and suggestions that can help people succeed. They also address a number of questions and concerns that are common when people start out on this program. Any lifestyle change takes discipline, but this is a lifestyle change that you can’t afford to ignore!

A brain health coach is a professional who integrates principles of brain health into their coaching approach, focusing on optimizing cognitive function, emotional resilience, and overall mental well-being. Brain health coaching recognizes the critical role that the brain plays in all aspects of life and aims to create a supportive environment for clients looking to enhance their mental clarity, manage stress, and improve their overall quality of life.

Brain health coaches assist clients in achieving a balanced and healthy lifestyle, offer guidance in making decisions that support cognitive wellness, and provide support in managing mental and emotional challenges. They help clients develop strategies to maintain mental sharpness, enhance emotional stability, rebuild focus and concentration, and find a deeper sense of purpose. Additionally, brain health coaches connect clients with resources for professional care, cognitive training, and educational tools that promote long-term brain health.

The role of a brain health coach involves providing support, guidance, and empowerment to individuals seeking to optimize their cognitive function and overall mental well-being, recognizing and addressing the critical impact that brain health has on every aspect of life.

Brain health coaches are distinct from licensed mental health care providers in that they do not diagnose or offer professional care or treatment for mental health disorders. Instead, they focus on supporting positive changes that enhance cognitive performance, emotional stability, and overall brain function. Brain health coaches assist clients in managing stress, improving focus, and achieving life goals related to work, relationships, and personal growth. Brain health coaching is action-oriented, with an emphasis on enhancing present cognitive abilities and reaching future goals.

Brain health coaches use a partnership model, where the client is seen as the expert on their own life, deciding what goals are most meaningful, while the coach provides expertise in supporting successful cognitive and emotional enhancement. Coaching from a brain health perspective focuses on achieving any goals important to the client, not just those related to cognitive improvement. It emphasizes honoring values, making principle-based decisions, creating a clear plan of action, and leveraging current strengths to reach future aspirations. The coach provides accountability to help the client stay on track and continue progressing toward their desired outcomes.

Brain health plays a crucial role in a person’s emotional, mental, and physical well-being, profoundly influencing how they interact with the world and themselves.

Brain health coaches are specialized in identifying cognitive challenges and creating supportive environments that promote mental clarity and resilience—a vital skill for any coach.

A coach who is untrained in recognizing brain health issues in their sessions may face the following challenges:

• Risk of exacerbating cognitive stress and overwhelm
• Overlooking critical signs of cognitive decline or mental fatigue
• Failing to address the root causes of mental and emotional struggles
• Contributing to a decline in clients’ overall well-being

Many ask what the difference is between counseling and coaching.

There is a clear distinction between professional mental health services and life coaching. While both life coaches and mental health professionals seek to improve client wellness, educational and licensure requirements set the two apart. Coaches do not diagnose or treat mental-health-related disorders, but mental health professionals often do. While therapy focuses on mental health, abetting distress, and improving impaired functioning; life coaching focuses on setting and achieving goals.

Note: Coaches should be able to recognize when their clients require specialized mental health care and refer them to the appropriate professionals.