Life coaching involves helping individuals identify and achieve their goals in various areas of their lives, such as personal development, career growth, identity, and health and wellness. A life coach can provide you with support and accountability to help you to make positive changes and improvements in your life. Overall, life coaching can be great! But hiring a life coach can be overwhelming – there are so many different factors to consider. One important one is the life coach’s background, training, and certifications. So, what are life coaching credentials, anyway?
There are no education or training requirements for life coaching. Anyone can do it. Many life coaches are well educated and trained, however, because they believe that is necessary for them to do the job! Furthermore, life coaches are either certified or uncertified. Those who are uncertified do not have to abide by any guidelines or rules from a certifying body providing oversight. Those who have certification(s), on the other hand, are held to certain standards by the organizations they belong to. For example, if you were concerned about the conduct of a coach with certification, you could contact the organization providing that credential for that certified coach. In contrast, if the coach has no certification there is no organization for you to contact for support or guidance. Furthermore, certified coaches have to adhere to standards like continuing education and rules about ethical practice.
The International Coach Federation (ICF) is the leading organization that sets the standards for the coaching profession worldwide. The ICF offers several levels of professional certification, which are designed to recognize the skills and knowledge of coaches who meet their standards. The first level of certification offered by the ICF is the Associate Certified Coach (ACC). To become an ACC, a coach must have completed a minimum of 60 hours of coach-specific training, as well as 100 hours of coaching experience. They must also pass a written exam and submit a recording of a coaching session for review by the ICF. The highest level of certification offered by the ICF is the Master Certified Coach (MCC). To become an MCC, a coach must have completed a minimum of 200 hours of coach-specific training, as well as 2,500 hours of coaching experience. They must also pass a written exam and submit a coaching session recording for review by the ICF.
ICF certification provides a high benchmark for the skills and knowledge of coaches, and it can be a valuable credential that sets a coach apart from their competition. Additionally, many clients prefer to work with a coach who has been certified by the ICF, as it provides reassurance that the coach has met rigorous standards in their training and that they are continuing their professional development. However, it’s important to be aware that obtaining certification from the ICF is not a requirement to become a life coach so you need to do your research! When you’re looking to hire a life coach, consider thinking about what kind of experience and training you want your coach to have. There’s a lot out there, so you can afford to be picky!