The Hard Truth About Nickerson's Mental…
The Hard Truth About Nickerson's Mental Health Coaching Program: What I Wish I'd Known
As a U.S. citizen who invested $4,299 in the Nickerson Institute's “Integrative Mental Health Coaching" program, I'm writing this especially for those of you drawn to this field because of your own healing journey or desire to help others through their struggles.
Little more than a year ago, I was like you—excited about transforming my personal experiences into meaningful work. I was drawn to the Nickerson Institute website because it aligned with my aspirations: the Institute’s promises of being "internationally approved and accredited" felt like the perfect bridge between my passion and a legitimate career path. These accreditation claims appear central to how they attract students seeking legitimate credentials.
The disappointing reality I discovered, after investing an additional $4,000 in building an online coaching platform: these impressive-sounding "accreditations" have proven essentially meaningless for my professional practice. The AADP, prominently displayed by the Institute as an accrediting body, is not recognized by any U.S. Department of Education-approved accreditation authority or state licensing board that I could find, and their other credential from Health Coach Alliance (HCA) similarly appears to lack recognition by government agencies, educational authorities, or healthcare organizations (U.S.) that would matter for my professional practice. I was hoping to build a sustainable practice, and this discovery was devastating.
I was encouraged to join the American Association for Drugless Practitioners upon graduation from Nickerson Institute. I trusted the advice I was given by Dr. Nickerson. Months later, after paying my $295.00 membership dues, I found that the Seattle Times published an investigation in 2016 titled "Teen's death hastened by practitioner who had bogus diplomas" which discussed AADP and the dubious practices of its founder, Dr. Rosenthal. Additionally, AADP promotes Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis testing, which according to research published in JAMA and other medical journals, has been found to have significant reliability issues for diagnosing health conditions. Beware, my friends.
In my personal experience, there is something deeply disappointing about finding misleading practices in spaces that should be about healing and growth. These should be environments of trust and care, yet I felt my trust was misplaced. This was particularly disheartening because it happened in a context where vulnerability and genuine care should be prioritized.
The potential liability issues I discovered concerned me greatly: In the U.S., working with clients experiencing mental health challenges without proper credentials could potentially:
Risk practicing outside legal scope of practice boundaries in many states
Create personal liability if a client experiences adverse outcomes
Lead to insurance companies potentially denying coverage for claims if operating outside recognized professional boundaries
Create situations where one might unknowingly cross legal boundaries when clients present with serious mental health conditions
Despite the program covering topics related to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions, I found that the "Integrative Mental Health Coach" title provided insufficient legal protection or recognized scope of practice in the United States for my needs. In my opinion, this crucial information was not adequately disclosed during the enrollment process.
What I found most concerning was that many of us in the program were:
Individuals with limited financial resources making a significant investment
People who had overcome personal challenges hoping to help others
Caring souls genuinely wanting to make a difference
Those seeking a legitimate career path in mental health support
When I documented my concerns and sent them by email and Fed Ex to Canada, I received disturbingly inadequate responses, including no explanations, no defense, and no refund of my tuition.
If you're considering this program because you want to help others heal, I would encourage you to protect yourself by independently verifying ALL credentialing claims and consulting a legal professional about scope of practice laws in your state or country. Your good intentions and financial security deserve this basic protection.
Those drawn to healing work are often the most compassionate among us—in my opinion, we all deserve complete transparency regarding credentials and legal standing before making such a significant investment.