SAN DIEGO--(Business Wire)--In response to calls from national thought leaders to align healthcare
provided inside the doctor’s office with prevention programming in the
community, the American Council on Exercise (ACE)
has created a new, interactive, all digital learning experience aimed at
developing practical skills in behavior change.

The ACE Behavior Change Specialty Certification, anchored in expertise
from world-renowned pioneers in positive psychology, emotional
intelligence and motivational interviewing, follows calls from the U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force and the Trust
for America’s Health to create a more prevention-focused system of
care.

“In order for us to get a handle on costly chronic conditions, we need
to evolve our healthcare system from one that is almost solely focused
on responding to the already ill to one that also focuses on preventing
people from getting sick in the first place,” said ACE President and CEO
Scott Goudeseune. “The ACE
Behavior Change Specialty Certification can prepare community
leaders and a wide array of professionals to serve as an extension of
the physician’s office and lead people to lifestyle change in all types
of environments—including neighborhoods, workplaces and schools—where
risk factors for obesity and its comorbidities are widespread.”

The interactive learning experience incorporated into the ACE Behavior
Change Specialty Certification includes insight from such pioneers as
William R. Miller, Ph.D., founder of motivational interviewing; B.J.
Fogg, Ph.D., founder of the Persuasive Tech Lab at Stanford University
and the Tiny Habits^® program; Dan Goleman, Ph.D., author of The
New York Times bestsellers Emotional Intelligence and Focus;
and Robert Biswas-Diener, Ph.D., positive psychology expert,
author and managing director of Positive Acorn.

“It was important for us to create an educational program that could
help nurses, registered dietitians, medical assistants, fitness
professionals, health coaches, workplace wellness program managers or
other members of the healthcare team better connect with the clients and
patients they interact with daily,” Goudeseune said. “Physician
extenders can be found in a great number of environments, and it’s
essential that those extenders possess the knowledge and skills to help
individuals embrace the virtue of modifying their lifestyles.”

The groundbreaking curriculum incorporates time-tested, science-based
strategies to develop client-coach relationships and deliver
interventions rooted in positive psychology and emotional intelligence.
Candidates will also take part in a practical skills experience, during
which they’ll receive live feedback from an ACE Master Coach on
individual skills.

An ACE Behavior Change Specialty Certification is approved for 25 hours
of continuing professional education units (CPEUs) by the Commission on
Dietetic Registration. It is provider-approved by the California Board
of Registered Nursing, provider #298FBA6, for 25 contact hours. The
American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) has granted the
program 25 AAMA continuing education units (CEUs) in the general
category. It is also approved for 2.5 ACE continuing education credits
(CECs) and 25.0 ACSM CECs.

For more information, visit ACEfitness.org/bcs

About ACE

The nonprofit American Council on Exercise (ACE) educates, certifies,
and represents more than 53,000 fitness professionals, health coaches,
and other allied health professionals. ACE advocates for a new
intersection of fitness and healthcare, bringing the highly qualified
professionals that ACE represents into the healthcare continuum so they
can contribute to the national solution to physical inactivity and
obesity. ACE is the largest certifier in its space; all four of its
primary certification programs are accredited by the National Commission
for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the gold standard in the U.S. for
assessing professional competence. ACE also plays an important
public-service role, conducting research and making available
science-based information and resources on safe and effective physical
activity and sustainable behavior change. For more information, call
(800) 825-3636 or visit ACEfitness.org. AMERICAN
COUNCIL ON EXERCISE, ACE and ACE logos are Registered Trademarks of the
American Council on Exercise.

American Council on Exercise
Bianka Rubio, (858) 576-6509
pr@ACEfitness.org