4 Reasons To Get Your Coaching Certification From An Association, Not Your School

A certification is only as good as the rigors of standards behind the organization that grants it.

Professional associations, like the International Coach Federation, provide an external and objective validation of training programs and coaches. Here are four ways they do that:

1. Industry Standards. One school grants “Certified Life Coach” to students who watch 30 hours of their training videos. That number of hours and training method is not even close to the industry standard that has grown up around professional coaching.
2. External and Objective Validation. Universities do not accredit their own programs. Regional and national accrediting associations examine the school’s programs, standards, policies, and ethics. In the same way, external, objective validation of coaches and coach training programs keeps things honest.
3. Maintain High Standards. With external checks and program reviews, outside associations help keep standards high. The quality of the program doesn’t slip in the name of convenience or marketing.
4. Protects Consumers. When consumers looks for a professional they want to be sure of what they are getting. This is why standardized coaching credentials are valuable to consumers for quality control, and to the coach for marketing purposes.

The largest coaching association in the world is the International Coach Federation (ICF). The ICF has examined and approved our coaching training programs. It was a tough process. The ICF required processes and checks that I, to that point, hadn’t seen as valuable. We adjusted our training program to follow the ICF standards and industry best practices. Our programs became stronger for it. Our participants received more impact because of it.

The same goes for the Professional Certified Coach credential I received from the ICF. Because of the ICF’s high standards, I was challenged to push through my comfort zone, toward an external standard that ultimately benefited my clients.

Each year we train more than 3,000 people to coach. Many go on to receive their coach credential from the ICF. You can too. Check our our ICF-approved Coaching Mastery Certificate Program here: https://www.creativeresultsmanagement.com/mastery