Coaching Through Emotions & Trauma

How to Hold Space with Confidence and Care NBHWC CEA-000206-4

As a coach, you’ll inevitably encounter clients navigating moments of emotion, uncertainty, or overwhelm. While you're not a therapist, you are a trusted presence, and how you hold space in those moments matters.

This 90-minute on-demand class is designed to help health and wellness coaches build the skills, confidence, and awareness needed to support emotional expression in scope-aligned ways. With guidance from experienced educators Kerri Weishoff and Kris Kniefel, you’ll learn how to stay grounded when big emotions arise, deepen your presence, and recognize when additional support may be needed.

Whether your clients are facing stress, self-doubt, or trauma-informed experiences, this class will help you meet them with care, without stepping outside your role as a coach.

What You Will Learn:

• Explore the role that emotions and trauma play within coaching sessions to enhance understanding and empathy in client interactions.

• Review the importance of establishing and maintaining a non-judgmental space that allows clients to safely express and process their emotions.

• Practice techniques for effectively holding space during moments of client emotional dysregulation, ensuring a supportive and validating coaching environment.

• Implement strategies to recognize when to refer clients to licensed therapy and other appropriate supports, focusing on staying within the coaching scope and handling overwhelming emotions.

What’s Included

• 90-Minute On-Demand Skill Clinic Class

• Certificate of Completion + 1 CEU (NBHWC-approved)

• Bonus: Coaching Through Emotions Reflection Worksheet

• Bonus: Lifetime Access to the Training & Materials

Meet Your Facilitators

Kris Kniefel, MA, NBC-HWC

Kris is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, educator, and mentor with a background in functional medicine and mind-body wellness. She teaches in the VA’s Whole Health Coaching Program and has led wellness courses across the University of Wisconsin system. Kris brings an experiential, grounded approach to her teaching, helping coaches build skills and confidence through connection, reflection, and practice.

Kerri Weishoff, MS, CCC-SLP, NBC-HWC

Kerri is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach and experienced educator with over 25 years in speech-language pathology and integrative health. She mentors students through NBHWC-approved programs at the VA and University of Minnesota, and develops CEU content across the University of Wisconsin system. Kerri is known for her practical, compassionate teaching style and her focus on whole-person healing and client-centered care.

Accessing Your Class

After checkout, you’ll receive an email with instructions to access your training in the Wellspired Student Learning Portal.

Getting Your CEU

Once you watch the class and complete the quiz inside the Learning Portal, your Certificate of Completion (1 CEU) will be delivered to your inbox within 15 minutes.