Meet Hélène
Hélène Thériault, BScOT, MAdEd, MCC
Registered Occupational Therapist | ICF Master Certified Coach | Adult Educator | Bilingual Speaker and Facilitator
Hélène Thériault is an award-winning coach educator, ICF Master Certified Coach, registered occupational therapist and bilingual speaker and facilitator. Hélène holds the ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS) at the ACC, PCC and MCC levels, issued by ICF Credentials and Standards. With more than 24 years in healthcare, she has built her career around an important question: How do we help people move from knowing what to do to taking meaningful action?
As Founder and CEO of Function First Coaching Inc., Hélène is working to shift healthcare from the inside out by changing how healthcare professionals lead conversations. She created Dive Into a Coach Approach® model and program to help clinicians, coaches and leaders develop the human skills that build ownership, participation and meaningful action.
Her Coach Approach in Healthcare pathway combines coaching competencies, relationship awareness, leadership development, strengths-based approaches, practical tools, deliberate practice and feedback. Through three stackable certificates, learners can complete 60 hours of coach-specific education aligned with the ICF ACC Portfolio pathway. More than 1,000 professionals globally have participated in Hélène's education through Function First Coaching and its collaborations with professional associations, universities, continuing education providers and healthcare organizations.
In 2023, Hélène received the ICF Coaching Impact Award in the Emerging Coach Educator category. She also provides leadership coaching and development for professionals and organizations and serves as a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia. She holds a Master of Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University.
Hélène's appreciation for community and collaboration began while growing up in Grand Falls/Grand-Sault, New Brunswick. Competing internationally in synchronized figure skating shaped her understanding of teamwork, perseverance and what people can achieve when they feel both supported and challenged. She now lives in British Columbia, where she enjoys skiing, playing beach volleyball and spending time with her family.
“When we change how we show up and lead the conversation, we don't have to carry all the motivation ourselves. We create the conditions for others to find their own way forward.”
ICF Mentor Coach Specialization
ACC, PCC and MCC levels • Issued by ICF Credentials and Standards
Our Approach
Information is easier to access than ever. But information alone does not create change. People need conversations that help them feel heard, make sense of what matters and find a way forward they can own.
In an AI-assisted world, the human skills of listening, curiosity, empathy and partnership matter more than ever. Our education and coaching help healthcare professionals become more intentional in how they show up, lead conversations that invite reflection and choice, and create the conditions for greater ownership, participation and meaningful action.
Our Values
Purpose-Driven
We focus on work that improves how people experience care, learning and leadership—and connect every tool and conversation to a meaningful why.
Accurate Empathy
We listen beyond the words, seek to understand each person's experience and respond with curiosity, respect and care.
Learning Into Action
We turn evidence, reflection and feedback into practical skills that can be used in real conversations.
Excellence Through Practice
We pursue quality through deliberate practice, thoughtful feedback and continuous improvement.
Leadership Through Service
We lead with humility and responsibility, supporting people and organizations to grow in ways that strengthen healthcare.
Stronger Together
We bring learners, graduates and aligned organizations together to share strengths and extend the impact of a Coach Approach.
Growing the Impact Together
Shifting healthcare from the inside out cannot be achieved by one person or one organization. Function First Coaching™ works alongside continuing education providers, professional associations, universities, healthcare organizations and mission-aligned coaching communities to bring a Coach Approach to more professions, teams and settings.
The work also extends beyond individual education. We help organizations build a sustainable Coach Approach culture through shared language, practical tools, customized learning, internal champions, opportunities for practice and feedback, and ongoing resources that help new habits take root.
As the Dive Into a Coach Approach® community grows, we are also creating pathways for qualified graduates to contribute their strengths to future education, coaching and organizational initiatives. This expands the work through people who are prepared to carry it forward—and helps us move toward our goal of reaching 100,000 healthcare professionals by 2032.
Selected Partners and Collaborators
We collaborate with continuing education providers, professional associations, healthcare organizations and aligned coaching communities to extend the reach and impact of a Coach Approach.
Meet Our Coach Approach in Healthcare Graduates
Meet professionals who have completed all three certificate levels and are applying a Coach Approach across healthcare, leadership and coaching.
Explore the Graduate DirectoryThe Coach Approach in Healthcare Certificate Pathway
Goal Achieved – Level 1
Course Format: Self-Paced | Course Length: 20 hours
Dive Into a Coach Approach® 1.0 – Level 1: Core Fundamentals + Coaching Tools for Healthcare Bundle
Begin your journey with the foundational skills of the Dive Into a Coach Approach® model—designed specifically for healthcare professionals.
In this self-paced, 12-hour Core Fundamentals course — the first part of Level 1 — you’ll explore the core techniques, framework, and mindset that support collaborative, client-centered care.
Next step: Complete the Coaching Tools for Healthcare bundle. This 8-hour follow-up includes four short courses that build on your foundational learning. You’ll create personalized coaching tools for your setting—and receive direct feedback to strengthen your integration and confidence. This step is required to complete Level 1.
Want a printable version? Download the DICA Journey PDF to follow along at your own pace.
Learn More About Level 01
Second Nature – Level 2
Course Format: Hybrid | Course Length: 30 hours
Dive Into a Coach Approach® 2.0 – Relationship & Technical Mastery
Strengthen your coaching through relationship awareness and skill refinement.
In this interactive course, you will explore your relational patterns using a personalized Relationship Intelligence (RQ) assessment and learn how these insights can deepen your coaching presence and strengthen your therapeutic and leadership relationships.
Through peer coaching, real-time feedback, and practical tools, you will refine techniques from Level 1, develop greater self-awareness, and build the relational agility and technical confidence needed for client-centered care.
Level 2 of the Dive Into a Coach Approach® journey builds directly on Level 1 and equips you to connect, attune, and partner with clients and colleagues while applying new coaching skills in meaningful, real-world scenarios.
Second Nature also includes 10 hours of self-paced learning: 7.5 hours of coaching demonstrations and the 2.5-hour Integrating Mindfulness into Coaching and Healthcare course.
Want a printable version? Download the DICA Journey PDF to follow along at your own pace.
Learn more about Level 02
Into Practice – Level 3
Course Format: Hybrid | Course Length: 10 hours
Dive Into a Coach Approach® 3.0 – Live Implementation
Apply everything you’ve learned in a real coaching engagement—while being mentored every step of the way.
In this live training, you’ll implement the full Dive Into a Coach Approach® methodology from beginning to end, using the complete suite of tools introduced in Levels 1 and 2. You’ll coach a real client (secured through our Get Coached Program) and receive direct support and feedback to guide your growth.
This course fulfills mentorship hours required for ICF credentialing and prepares you for formal evaluation in Level 4.
Level 3 is your bridge from practice to professional coaching readiness.
Want a printable version? Download the DICA Journey PDF to follow along at your own pace.
Learn more about Level 03
LEVEL 04
ICF READINESS & MENTORSHIP
Course Format: Hybrid | Course Length: 10 hours
Get personalized guidance to prepare for ICF ACC credentialing.
Dive Into a Coach Approach® Level 4 is an optional advanced stage for professionals who have completed the 60-hour stackable Coach Approach in Healthcare Certificate Pathway and are preparing to pursue an ICF ACC credential through the Portfolio Path.
You’ll submit a recorded coaching session, receive written Growth Feedback and a DICA competency score from an ICF-credentialed mentor coach who holds the ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS), and meet individually to review your feedback and next steps.
Want a printable overview? Download the DICA Journey PDF to see how all four levels connect.
Learn more about Level 04