What are Coaching Credentials?

Some people may think that because they have a wide experience of life, that this qualifies them as a Coach. This is a wrong premise on two levels. Firstly, a Coach does not dish out advice but rather facilitates their clients learning and action through structured questioning and experiential exercises. Second, a Coach does not need to have any personal experience of their clients topic, in fact it is beneficial if the coach is not able to relate the topic to their own experiences – we are trained specifically not to connect in this way.

It is important to us at Liferocks, that our clients get the best possible service from the Coaching Community. This means that we want our clients to understand the credentials and certification that is available. This page sets out to explain the hierarchy of Coaching credentials and the types of Certification available, so that Clients can make informed decisions on who they might wish to choose as their Coach.

To start with, there is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) which sets high standards in terms of core competencies and codes of ethics. This organisation is globally recognised as providing credentialed coaches. Credentials come at three levels:

ACC – Associate Certified Coach. This person will have completed 60 or more hours of formal training from an accredited training provider plus has 100 hours of coaching experience and 10 hours with a mentor coach.

PCC – Professional Certified Coach. This person will have completed 125 hours or more of formal training from an accredited training provider plus has 750 hours of coaching experience and 10 hours with a mentor coach.

MCC – Master Certified Coach. This person will have completed 200 hours or more of formal training from an accredited training provider plus has 2500 hours of coaching experience and 10 hours with a mentor coach.

You will notice that I mention that the training comes from an accredited training provider. The Coaches Training Institute (CTI) was the first training programme to produce ICF accredited coaches and continues to be at the forefront of coaching training and other coaching programmes. Coaches certified from CTI are Certified Professional Coactive Coaches (CPCC).  You will also note that coaches must have had a mentor coach. A lot of coaches continue to have mentor coaches throughout their career – we know how good it is to be coached.

The ICF has a list of other accredited training providers, so if your coach is undergoing or has achieved certification with one of these then you can be assured that they are working within the ICF guidelines.

Another body is the “Association for Coaching” which is the UK's leading professional body for coaching and has a code of ethics in line with the ICF. Their membership levels are dependant upon the amount of training and experience and this organisation accredits UK based training providers.

The European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) is a watchdog for good practices in mentoring and coaching across Europe.

Coaching as a profession is quite young and it takes time to build up the skills and experience to be accredited. Do not disparage a coach at the start of their coaching career – we all have to start somewhere. Coaches who are determined to make the grade need to practice otherwise they can never achieve the requirements. However, when a coach is in training, they should tell you where they are in their development as a coach. If a coach is in certification (accreditation) they should tell you where they are in this process. If a coach has already achieved certification and is an affiliate of the bodies described above they should have the paperwork to prove it.

So as a potential Client, what should you ask of your Coach? Here are some questions that might help.

  • What training course are you taking / did you take?
  • Is the training course accredited by the ICF or the Association of Coaching?
  • How far are you through the formal training?
  • How many hours of coaching have you completed?
  • Are you planning to go for certification?
  • Are you planning to become affiliated with any professional coaching body?
  • To what codes of ethics do you subscribe?

Answers to these questions will help you find out about the coaches credentials, their coaching aspirations and desire to conform to the ethics and practices of the coaching profession. From this position you can gain a level of confidence in your coach and their desire to operate in a way that does not bring disrepute to the coaching community.

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