INSTITUTE FOR HOLISTIC DECLUTTERING ยท PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Become a Certified Holistic Declutterer™
You already know clutter is rarely about the stuff. Now learn the holistic method that helps clients let go for good, by working with the body, the mind, and the home together. A professional certificate program for organizers, coaches, and wellness practitioners who want to help people change from the inside out.
Designed to meet the standards for NBHWC Approved Continuing Education for National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coaches, and built on the philosophy of Heather Aardema's book, It's Not About the Stuff.
Join the WaitlistYOU'RE NOT HERE BY ACCIDENT
You're not just an organizer. You're a guide.
If you're here, you already sense it. The fastest closet makeover doesn't hold if the person living there is exhausted, overwhelmed, or grieving. You're the kind of professional who wants to help people change from the inside out, not just tidy the surface. That is exactly who this program is built for: professional organizers, move managers, productivity pros, health and wellness coaches, and helpers who believe owning less can be a pathway to living more. We give you a proven, whole-person method and a credential you can stand behind.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF CERTIFICATE
Most programs stop at the closet. This one starts with the nervous system.
Holistic decluttering treats the home as the last step, not the first. You'll learn to help clients build energy and a felt sense of safety in the body, quiet the mental clutter and stories that keep them stuck, and then reshape the home so the change actually lasts. It is an evidence-informed, client-centered approach that complements the work of health and wellness coaches and deepens the work of organizers. When you finish, you'll earn the Certified Holistic Declutterer™ designation from the Institute for Holistic Decluttering and be eligible for our practitioner directory.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Six modules drawn straight from the book
Self-paced video modules you can complete on your own schedule, built on the Design, Do, Delight sequence at the heart of Heather's work. Required reading: her book, It's Not About the Stuff.
1. It's Not About the Stuff
Why the clutter is really there
Help clients see that the pile is a symptom, not a character flaw. Learn to uncover the deeper cause beneath the stuff so real change can finally begin.
2. Safety First
What the nervous system needs
Understand the biological sequence that keeps people frozen, and how to help clients build energy and felt safety before they touch a single thing. All within coaching scope.
3. The Real Clutter
The thoughts that pose as facts
Work with the unspoken thoughts and stories that are the true clutter. Help clients spot them, name them, and strip them of their grip.
4. Design
Mapping a lighter life
Guide clients to design their lighter life with the SOLL Compass™, so the work is rooted in their own values rather than someone else's rules.
5. Do
The proven sequence in practice
Lead clients through the proven sequence at the core of the JOMO Diet™, so the clutter actually stops coming back instead of slowly filling the space again.
6. Delight
The person who never starts over
Help clients build the identity, habits, and environment of someone who never has to start over, so a lighter life becomes simply who they are.
MEASURABLE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
What you'll be able to do
Upon completing this program and passing the final assessment, you will be able to:
- Describe the body-mind-home model of holistic decluttering and explain how physiology, mindset, and environment interact to influence a client's ability to let go.
- Demonstrate client-centered coaching skills, including active listening, reflective questioning, and affirmation, to help clients explore their relationship with their belongings.
- Apply the step-by-step Holistic Decluttering Method to guide a client through decluttering a space while honoring their pace, values, and autonomy.
- Identify common physical and psychological barriers to letting go and select appropriate, in-scope strategies to support the client.
- Evaluate a client's progress and co-create sustainable maintenance plans that support long-term behavior change.
All content is delivered within the NBHWC Scope of Practice for health and wellness coaching. This program teaches coaching and decluttering skills. It does not train participants to diagnose, treat, or prescribe, and it reinforces when and how to refer clients to other professionals.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Approved Continuing Education for NBC-HWC coaches
If you are a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), this program is designed to count toward your continuing education. Approval is in progress. The official CE credit total and NBHWC Approved CE number will be posted here once granted.
Earn CE Credit
Toward recertification
Designed to meet NBHWC Continuing Education standards, where one CE equals 60 minutes of instruction. Final credit total posted upon approval.
Within Scope of Practice
Built for coaches
Every module aligns with NBHWC core competencies and the Scope of Practice, with emphasis on client-centered, behavior-change coaching.
Certificate of Completion
Documented and verifiable
Pass the final assessment to receive a Certificate of Completion listing your name, the course title, completion date, CE awarded, and the issuing organization.
YOUR INVESTMENT
Two ways to become a Certified Holistic Declutterer™
Choose the path that fits where you are. Both lead to the same credential. The Mentorship path adds live support and real coaching practice inside the community.
Self-Study Certificate
Learn at your own pace
$1,299
plus $129 per year to maintain your designation and listing
- Six self-paced video modules in the Holistic Decluttering Method
- Required reading: It's Not About the Stuff
- Final assessment and your Certificate of Completion
- The Certified Holistic Declutterer™ designation
- Listing in the IFHD practitioner directory
- Access to the private professional community
MOST SUPPORT
Mentorship
Certificate, live coaching, and real practice
$2,997
plus $129 per year to maintain your designation and listing
Everything in Self-Study, plus:
- Six live 90-minute group coaching sessions with Heather (live, instructor-led)
- A supervised practicum: coach three new members of The Living Lighter Experience™, with Heather's feedback on each session
- Direct mentorship as you find your voice as a holistic declutterer
- Founding-cohort recognition
Cost and conflict-of-interest disclosure: All program costs are stated above. The Institute for Holistic Decluttering receives the program and renewal fees and has a financial interest in enrollment, disclosed in keeping with NBHWC's conflict-of-interest policy. The supervised practicum is professional practice and is not counted toward CE instructional hours; CE is calculated from instructor-led instruction.
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ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Hi, I'm Heather Aardema.
I'm the founder of the Institute for Holistic Decluttering and School of Living Lighter, a Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, and a Certified Decluttering Coach. After 20 years in advertising, building the very FOMO that fills our homes, I left corporate, survived a toxic-mold illness, and rebuilt my life from a camper in my driveway. Holistic decluttering is the method I used to come back to myself, and it is the foundation of my book, It's Not About the Stuff. I created this certificate program to put that whole-person method in the hands of professionals like you.
READY TO BEGIN?
Help others own less, so they can live more.
If you're ready for a credential that matches your values and a method that finally lasts, your next step is here. Thank you for wanting to help people change from the inside out. You're not here by accident.
Join the Waitlist