Advanced Obesity Counselling Certification

The Advanced Obesity Counselling Certification (AOCC), formerly the Diploma in Counselling in Obesity Management, is designed to enhance the knowledge of healthcare professionals in obesity counselling. This course is ideal for healthcare professionals who want to integrate and implement behavioural change strategies into their current practice and who are looking for tools and resources on how to respectfully and sensitively counsel patients living with obesity. AOCC has been designed to inform the process and standard of care for people living with obesity. 

This 8 month intensive training program comprises 28 modules and is conducted entirely online. It features a combination of self-guided learning and virtual live sessions. The course offers on-demand presentations, journal readings, self-assessment, peer and expert reviews, competency assessments, interactive homework assignments, various corrective feedback opportunities from international experts, and practical case studies. 

Upon active participation in this educational activity, participants will be able to: 

1. Identify and describe essential skills required for effective behavior modification,
2. Assess patients expectations, readiness, barriers and motivators when seeking care,
3. Apply evidence-based behavioural change strategies within their respective practice,
4. Implement evidence-based behavioural change strategies into their obesity care strategies in keeping with best practices for patient-centered care and safety within scope of practice,
5. Self-assess level of skill within each competency.

Upon successfully completing this 8 month training program you will receive a certificate of completion which enables you to actively use the formal designation AOCC recognizing you as a leader in the area of behavior change. 

For further information on this course, please contact us at info@obesitycanada.ca. 

Who it’s for:

This course has been designed specifically for healthcare professionals. If you are looking to become an expert in behaviour change strategies within the healthcare environment, this course is for you. 

The maximum participation per cohort is 20.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Healthcare professional with direct patient interactions 
• License in good standing 
• Resident of Canada 
• Ability to meet the time commitment required

**Attendance for this course is critical, for individuals planning to enroll in this course who work in a hospital or clinic environment, a letter from your employer is required.

Structure and time investment:

This 8 month intensive training program comprises 28 modules and is conducted entirely online. It features a combination of self-guided learning and virtual – live sessions. You should plan to dedicate approximately 10 hours per week for the entirety of the course. 

The course offers on-demand presentations, journal readings, self-assessment, peer and expert reviews, competency assessments, interactive homework assignments, various corrective feedback opportunities from international experts, and practical case studies. 

To successfully complete the course participants must: 

• Attend 80% of the live sessions, for any missed sessions, participants must watch the recordings provided.
• Participants must complete 100% of the homework assignments. 

Prerequisites:

None

Accreditation:

None

Timing:

This course is only offered once per year. 

Research:

This course and the data collected within it may be used for research purposes. 

This training program has been pilot tested for 2 years and a formal evaluation was done. Read the paper here: Awareness is Not Enough: Developing Competencies in Behaviour Change Counselling For Obesity Management

Thank you for your interest in the Advanced Obesity Counselling Certification, applications have now closed. All applicants will be contacted no later than September 13, 2024.

*The letter of support from the employer is required due to the nature of the program. AOCC is an extremely intensive course with around a 10 hour/week time commitment and live session attendance is required. Having a letter of support from your employer signifies that your employer understands this commitment and will be accommodating to ensure that you are able to successfully complete the program. The live sessions will run from 5:00-6:30 pm Atlantic time so dependinging on your time zone, that may occur during your work day.