Are you a mental health professional or life coach who would like to work with highly sensitive people (HSPs)?
Are you interested in a coaching career and would like to learn how to coach a highly sensitive person (HSP)?
In this post, we explore 3 ways you can become an HSP coach in 2023.
But first, the facts.
A 2018 study on Orchids, Tulips and Dandelions found that highly sensitive people (HSPs) are now closer to 30% of the population and not 20% as earlier thought. This means there’ll be a need for more HSP practitioners as more HSPs will require professional assistance.
Furthermore, previous research by Dr. Elaine Aron for her book, “Psychotherapy and the Highly Sensitive Person”, shows that up to 50% of people seeking therapy services are HSPs. And this is because they grow up feeling abnormal and believing there’s something wrong with them.
So they seek out help from a therapist to better understand what’s wrong. And when the therapist or mental health professional does not understand their trait of high sensitivity, the HSP gets a misdiagnosis.
Now imagine if these HSPs had sought out the help of a professional HSP coach. Or, in their search for a therapist, they had found professionals with an HSP certification.
Lesser HSPs would be misdiagnosed. And more HSPs would realize they don’t really need therapy anyway. Because there was nothing wrong with them, to begin with.
How to Become an HSP Coach in 2023 (3 Simple Ways)
1. Pass a Test on HSPs by Dr. Elaine Aron
If you know about the highly sensitive person (HSP), then you know about Dr. Elaine Aron. She’s the one who coined the term in the 1990s and continues her research on HSPs to date. And so there’s no better place to learn how to coach or counsel highly sensitive people than from the pioneer herself.
But here’s the thing, you’re actually not going to learn how to become an HSP coach by taking Dr. Elaine Aron’s test. And this is because the test is designed to help already-trained mental health professionals and coaches understand the highly sensitive person (HSP).
So in order for you to take the test on HSPs by Dr. Elaine Aron, you must first be a certified and practising coach or therapist. The test then certifies that you understand what it means to be an HSP and that you can coach and counsel highly sensitive people (HSPs).
But you don’t get an actual certification or certificate. What you get is Dr. Aron’s support to practice as an HSP coach or therapist, and a listing on her website’s directory of HSP practitioners.
Visit this page here to learn more about Dr. Aron’s test requirements.
2. Take this Course by Nickerson Institute
Are you a mental health professional looking to get certified to work specifically with the highly sensitive person? Are you based in Canada or would want to be certified to work with HSPs in Canada and the US?
Nickerson Institute has an HSP Certification program for mental health professionals.
The program comes in the form of a 10-hour self-paced video course with handouts and 10 CE credits. Completing this course will gain your accreditation from these 4 organizations:
- American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP)
- Canadian counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)
- Health Coach Alliance (HCA)
- Canadian Association of Integrative Nutrition (CAIN)
Learn more about the course here.
3. Take this Course by the Highly Sensitive Human Academy
The Highly Sensitive Human Academy by Jules De Vitto is offering a 3-month professional training for coaching highly sensitive people (HSPs). The training course starts in May 2023 and will teach fundamental skills needed to coach HSPs from a holistic and integrative approach.
The 3-month course is accredited by the International Association for Coaches, Trainers and Mentors (IACTM). It is set to cover 40 hours of professional training and development. And at completion, you’ll be certified to coach the highly sensitive person in either of these two capacities:
- Professional Practitioner for Highly Sensitive People
- Professional Coach for Highly Sensitive People
Whether you become an HSP coach or HSP practitioner will depend on your current qualifications.
Current coaches, trainers and other professionals looking to focus on the highly sensitive person will be certified as Professional Coaches for HSPs.
And newbies in the coaching career looking to work with HSPs will receive certification as professional HSP Practitioners.
Go here to learn more about the course and required qualifications.
In the End
In basic terms, to become an HSP coach is to gain the knowledge, skills and experience needed to coach a highly sensitive person (HSP). In this post, we’ve highlighted 3 simple ways you can gain the skills needed to coach and counsel highly sensitive people (HSPs).
Each of these 3 ways to coach HSPs is a paid option and is offered by 3 different people and institutions. Please follow the links we’ve provided to learn more about each process so you can choose the one that’s right for you.
And remember, if your goal is to be listed as an HSP practitioner on Dr. Elaine Aron’s website, she requires applicants to have more than 16 hours of training.
This means that while the Nickerson Institute program may be ideal, it may not be enough to qualify you for a listing on Dr. Aron’s website.
But at 40 hours long, the 3-month training program by the Highly Sensitive Human Academy is enough to qualify you for a listing on Dr. Elaine Aron’s website.
So consider what your goal of becoming an HSP coach is before you settle on your best way to become an HSP coach.
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