As humans, unethical behaviors can negatively impact our lives. This leads to broken relationships, decreased productivity, and self-sabotage, amongst other things.

And what people need in times like these is a behavioral coach. These coaches can help them build healthy, positive attitudes to achieve their goals and live happily.

In this article, you’ll learn how to become a behavior coach, including:

• How to use Paperbell to start creating behavior coaching packages
• What a behavioral coach is
• The behavioral approach to coaching
• The benefits of behavior coaching
• The role of a behavior support coach
• The requirements to become a behavioral coach
• Behavioral coach certifications

What is a Behavioral Coach?

A behavioral coach is an expert who helps individuals identify, evaluate, and change behaviors and habits that hinder their success or well-being. 

This type of coaching solution involves the following:

• Analyzing client behaviors
• Setting clear goals
• Coming up with actionable plans 
• Providing ongoing support and accountability

Behavioral coaches focus on helping clients create sustainable behavioral changes that result in growth throughout diverse aspects of their lives. 

Pro tip: If you want to launch a professional behavioral coaching website, try Paperbell for free to get scheduling, payments, messaging, and more built right into an all-in-one platform.

What is the Behavioral Approach to Coaching?

This coaching model focuses on strategies to help clients recognize and alter their behavioral patterns. Some of these techniques include:

1. Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to restructure itself. This helps clients rewire their personalities by adapting new patterns of:

• Thoughts
• Emotions
• Behaviors

Through neuroplasticity, you can help a client who struggles with procrastination adopt productive habits by creating a routine that focuses on starting tasks immediately.

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2. Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), also called behavioral engineering, is a technique for identifying the factors influencing a person’s actions. It eliminates unwanted behaviors and promotes positive ones to use instead.

You can help clients improve their work productivity by identifying the actions causing low output, such as working from their bed. Then, you create a structure that teaches them to use a workspace.

3. Goal Setting

It’s important to set realistic and attainable goals to build good habits. It helps individuals stay focused and committed.

Suppose a client wants to journal daily. As a behavioral coach, you can help them set a clear goal.

A clear goal for them could be writing a journal entry for five minutes daily for the next thirty days.

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4. Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Motivational interviewing is a client-centered guidance approach designed to motivate them to commit to making positive changes. 

For example, let’s consider a client who is an alcoholic. You can use MI to help them analyze their need for alcohol and the benefits they get if they stop. 

This can motivate them to take action.

5. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM)

The transtheoretical model is an approach that focuses on the stages of change that people go through when trying to alter their behaviors. 

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Let’s say a client wants to change their unhealthy relationship with food but doesn’t know where to start. First, find their stage in the TTM. In this case, it’s “contemplation.”

Based on that, you can give strategic support to help them move forward till they reach the maintenance stage.

6. Monitoring and Feedback

Track your client’s progress regularly and provide constructive feedback to ensure positive behavioral change.

You can create a progress tracking system for clients to log their daily activities. This, in tandem with your feedback and supportive guidance, will help them implement the strategies they need to make positive changes.

What are the Benefits of Behavior Coaching?

Coaching individuals who want to build positive attitudes offers them several advantages that include:

1. Self-Awareness

By providing a framework for helping clients identify and modify their behaviors, you will increase their self-awareness.

This allows them to understand themselves even deeper, including:

• Negative emotions and thoughts
• The actions they take due to these thoughts
• Negative patterns they fall into

2. Clarity and Focus

By working with a coach, individuals clearly understand: 

• Their desired goals
• The specific behaviors that need change
• Actionable plans to achieve the set goals. 

This clarity and structure keep them focused and committed to the process.

3. Accountability

Your role as a coach includes holding clients accountable for their behavior. You will help clients develop a sense of accountability and consistency by providing continual support and tracking progress.

4. Skill & Mindset Development

Through behavioral coaching techniques, clients develop problem-solving skills and a constructive mindset. This enables them to keep their emotions and actions in check. 

5. Improved & Sustainable Outcomes

Targeted goals and structured coaching make clients engaged and committed to the process of change. This can lead to long-term improvement in their habits and general well-being.

What is the Role of a Behavior Support Coach? 

Behavioral coaches help individuals identify, understand, and modify their behaviors to improve their personal and professional lives. 

Some of their responsibilities include:

• Conducting thorough assessments to understand a client’s behavior and thought patterns
• Helping individuals set SMART behavioral goals
• Developing modification strategies that align with the client’s goals
• Offering continuous support and resources to help clients stay on track
• Reviewing client progress and giving constructive feedback regularly
• Helping them build resilience and coping skills to deal with their challenges

What are the Requirements to Become a Behavioral

Here are the things you need to become a great behavioral coach:

1. Getting the Education

You need to know the subject before coaching someone on behavior and habit change. This can mean taking courses on:

• Psychology
• Behavior analysis
• Human development
• Coaching and mentorship

2. Gaining Practical Experience

When you equip yourself with the necessary training and practical skills to coach clients, you’ll help them achieve lasting changes. You can: 

• Apply for internships
• Take on volunteer work
• Perform supervised coaching practice sessions

All of the above will help you gain hands-on experience as a behavioral coach.

3. Creating Coaching Packages

You need to develop coaching packages that address the specific needs of your clients. 

Also, create simplified management systems to ensure your clients receive a structured coaching experience. For this, you can use an integrated coaching software like Paperbell.

Behavioral Coach Certifications

If you’re looking for reputable programs and coaching certifications in behavioral coaching, here are some recommendations for you: 

• Cognitive Behavioral Coaching by The Institute for Life Coach Training. This self-directed course, accredited by the International Federation of Coaches (ICF), costs $400.
• Certified Behavioral Life Coach (CBLC) Certification by People Keys. This is a coaching course for becoming a certified behavioral consultant and coach and costs $1,895.
• Cognitive Behavioral Life Coach Certification by Transformation Academy. This self-paced course provided by Transformation Academy costs $197 and is available on Udemy at a discount ($12.99) at the time of writing.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Life Coaching Certification by Patrick Howell. This is another self-paced course that costs $10.99.

How to Use Paperbell to Create Your Behavioral Coaching Packages

Paperbell was built with coaches (including behavior coaches) in mind to help them run their entire coaching business from a single platform. You’ll find everything you need to run and promote your behavioral coaching practice without getting overwhelmed with a huge tech stack.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Create your first coaching package. Make sure to include specific details about your process and client outcomes to expect. You can offer one-on-one coaching, group coaching, digital resources, or a mix of all of these. You can also offer different appointment lengths.

2. Set your pricing. Paperbell gives you options between pay-in-full, payment plans, and subscriptions for each package. You can also ask for a deposit on your payment plan packages. 
3. Customize your availability. You can set up your global availability as well as overrides for each packages. This way, you can customize your schedule – book all your intensives on Mondays, discovery calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and never take calls on Fridays.
4. Launch a complete coaching website. Once you’ve got a package, Paperbell generates a branded coaching website. You can customize your colors, add your bio and headshot, and showcase all your packages. 

5. Add contracts and intake forms. Upload your PDF coaching contract to allow clients to sign while they book. Create unlimited intake forms to gather information about clients’ behavioral goals and challenges before your first session.
6. Deliver resources and manage clients. Share valuable coaching materials like:
   1. Digital planners or journals
   2. Audio or video exercises
   3. Homework and worksheets
7. Set up automated emails to remind clients to book sessions, send homework, or provide accountability check-ins. Clients access everything through their dedicated client portal.

The best part about Paperbell is that you set up everything once and can book unlimited clients. It allows you to focus on serving your clients instead of staying stuck in your inbox or managing your schedule.

Kickstart Your Behavioral Coaching Journey

As a behavioral coach, you can help your clients achieve significant, sustained changes in their behaviors and lives. 

With a streamlined process using Paperbell, you will give your clients the best coaching experience, from smooth onboarding to client management. Try Paperbell for FREE today.

FAQs About How to Become a Behavior Coach

What does a behavioral coach do?

A behavioral coach helps individuals identify, evaluate, and change behaviors and habits that hinder their success. They analyze client behaviors, set clear goals, create actionable plans, and provide ongoing support and accountability to help clients create sustainable behavioral changes.

What do you need to be a behavior coach?

You need education in psychology, behavior analysis, human development, and coaching. Gain practical experience through internships, volunteer work, or supervised coaching practice. You should also create coaching packages and consider getting certifications from ICF-accredited courses.

What is the Behaviourist approach to coaching?

The behaviorist approach focuses on strategies to help clients recognize and alter behavioral patterns using techniques like neuroplasticity, applied behavioral analysis, goal setting, motivational interviewing, the transtheoretical model, and monitoring with feedback to create sustainable change.

What do behavior coaches use to promote their business?

Coaches can use all-in-one coaching platforms like Paperbell to create a beautiful website and launch coaching packages that address specific client needs. This makes sure your clients receive a professional coaching experience from onboarding to management.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2024 and has since been updated for accuracy.