FirstLine Therapy Certification
FirstLine Therapy Certification
Transform lives. Enrich your practice.

Unhealthy lifestyles are the underlying cause of many chronic yet preventable health problems.

Numerous leading health organizations now recommend Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC)—healthy eating, exercise, appropriate nutrition, and stress reduction—as a fundamental treatment for a wide variety of common conditions, such as:

  • Fatigue/Low energy
  • Overweight/Obesity
  • High cholesterol
  • Osteoarthritis
  • High blood pressure
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • Hormone imbalance
  • Type 2 diabetes

The Problem:
If you’re like most clinicians, you don’t have the time, the tools, or a practical financial model to allow you to give your patients the help they really need to make meaningful lifestyle changes.

The Solution:
FirstLine Therapy—a turnkey TLC program—offers a practical system that saves practitioners time and is clinically effective and financially rewarding. This 3 ½-day, intensive educational seminar gives you the training and tools to implement a successful FirstLine Therapy program in your clinical setting.

Training Format:
The FirstLine Therapy Certification Program is presented in an interactive format that combines lectures with practice sessions in which participants will have the opportunity to learn and master the use of FirstLine Therapy tools.

We’ve structured this program with breakout sessions to meet the needs of all types of practitioners.

  • Licensed Healthcare Providers (HCPs)—HCPs who can order labs, make a diagnosis, and prescribe treatment, including TLC, medical foods, and nutritional supplements.
  • Lifestyle Educators (LEs)—Health coaches and licensed healthcare providers who will counsel patients regarding TLC. Many clinicians find that a qualified Lifestyle Educator helps make their FirstLine Therapy program more successful by providing hands-on support to coach patients.

We’ve created new minimum educational guidelines for Lifestyle Educators to help make your FirstLine Therapy program as successful as possible.

Minimum Educational Guidelines for FLT Lifestyle Educators (LEs)

  • Introductory class in nutrition from an accredited learning institution AND
  • Introductory class in anatomy & physiology from an accredited learning institution AND
  • A two-year degree from an accredited community college or its equivalent OR
  • Sponsorship (handled at registration) by the hiring healthcare provider who is confident that the LE candidate has sufficient patient management and counseling experience to ensure clinical success of the program

Some breakout sessions will provide advanced training, while others are designed for practitioners who are new to implementing TLC.

April 8–11, 2010
Westin Beach Resort Ft. Lauderdale
321 North Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304
954-467-1111
Key Clinical Takeaways:
  • Integrate TLC counseling into your clinical practice
  • Design an effective clinic flow and organize staff around your new plan
  • Create your financial structure for implementing FirstLine Therapy in your practice
  • Promote FirstLine Therapy in your community to attract patients and build referrals
  • Master the use of FirstLine Therapy tools and materials to evaluate and educate patients
  • Screen candidates for your program and evaluate patient progress
  • Understand and use Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis to monitor body composition and program progress, and to motivate patients
  • Build and expand skills for those new to health coaching relationships
  • Teach patients healthy eating habits they can maintain for life
  • Prescribe effective, research-based nutritional protocols
  • Learn clinical implementation pearls from successful FirstLine Therapy practitioners
Attendees Will Receive:
Schedule:
  Thursday
7:15 - 8:00 Registration
8:00 - 10:00 Introduction to Implementing Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC)
10:00 - 10:20 Break
10:20 - 12:00 FirstLine Therapy Screening Exam Self Assessment
12:00 - 1:30 Lunch & BIA Screening (If you didn’t bring test results)
1:30 - 3:15 My FirstLine Therapy Implementation Plan
3:15 - 3:45 Break & BIA Screening
3:45 - 5:30 Interpreting Lab Values & BIA OR MD/DOs New to Medical Foods & EFAs
  Friday
8:00 - 9:45 The FirstLine Therapy Food Plan
9:45 - 10:15 Break
10:15 - 12:00 LEs New to TLC Counseling OR HCPs & Advanced LE Individualized Menu Planning
12:00 - 1:30 Lunch
1:30 - 3:30 LEs New to Nutrition & Dietary Counseling OR HCPs & Advanced LE Lab & Case Workshop
3:30 - 4:00 Break
4:00 - 5:30 LEs New to Nutrition & Dietary Counseling OR HCPs & Advanced LE Lab & Case Workshop
6:00 - 8:00 Friday Night Reception
  Saturday
8:00 - 9:30 Buffering Stress Naturally
9:30 - 10:00 Being the FirstLine Therapist

10:00 - 10:15

Break
10:15 - 12:30 Being the FirstLine Therapist (Continued)
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch & Homework
1:30 - 3:15 LEs New to TLC Counseling OR HCPs & Advanced LE Case Workshop
3:15 - 3:45 Break
3:45 - 5:30 LEs New to TLC Counseling OR HCPs & Advanced LE Case Workshop (Continued)
  Sunday
8:00 - 8:30 Exercise in the FirstLine Therapy Program
8:30 - 10:00 My FirstLine Therapy Implementation Plan, Marketing & Becoming a Center of Excellence
10:00 - 11:00 Role Playing: Review of Findings
11:00 - 11:30 Q&A, Test Discussion
11:30 - 12:00 Conducting FirstLine Therapy Group Sessions & Presentations
Speaker Info:
Kristi Hughes, ND
Kristi Hughes, ND, is a graduate of the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She is the founder of the Center of Natural Healing Arts, which has clinic sites in Minnesota. Dr. Hughes has successfully implemented a FirstLine Therapy program and provides practical advice from firsthand experience.
Lyra Heller, MA, FirstLine Therapy and Integrative Medicine Consultant
Lyra has 35 years of expertise in complementary and alternative medicine. She is an author and co-founder of Metagenics, Inc., where she takes a leadership role in formula development and educating healthcare professionals on the benefits of combining natural systems of healing with conventional medical practice.
Mike Katke, Vice President of Medical Marketing
Co-founder of Metagenics, Mike's career as a nutritional healthcare consultant spans 28 years. He led the development of FirstLine Therapy in collaboration with leading healthcare practitioners. Mike lectures worldwide on clinical applications of functional nutrition and practice-building strategies.
Chris Katke, FirstLine Therapy Lifestyle Educator
Co-founder of Metagenics, Chris has over 30 years of experience in marketing and implementing natural medicine in clinical practice. He lectures extensively and has helped both practitioners and patients realize the powerful health-changing benefits of optimizing the nutrition-lifestyle-mind-body relationship.