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Should my life coach be ICF-certified?
I recently wrote about what to look for in a coach. But there’s one topic — your coach’s “credentials,” that’s worth talking about in more detail.
The most well-known credential in the world of coaching is ICF certification.
What is the ICF?
ICF stands for International Coach Federation, which is the professional organization for coaches.
The ICF, a non-profit, does three key things:
They accredit coach training programs. To be ICF-accredited, coach training programs have to cover certain topics, be a certain number of hours in length, include elements like mentor coaches and supervised coaching hours, and more.
They certify coaches. There are a few different routes to certification, but typically, an ICF-certified coach will have completed an ICF-accredited training program, passed a test, done a certain number of supervised coaching hours, and completed a certain number of overall coaching hours. To maintain their credentials, ICF-certified coaches have to complete continuing education hours.
They uphold professional standards and ethics for coaches. If you work with an ICF-certified coach, and you don’t believe that they have behaved ethically, you can report them to the ICF and they might lose their certification. That’s the purpose of professional organizations, across all fields. If your coach is not ICF-certified, you don’t have this option.
Are all coaches ICF-certified?
No. Coaching is actually a bit like the wild west. Anyone can call themselves a coach, without any particular training or accreditation.
However, I do not want to imply that all coaches without certification are bad coaches. Far from it! Here are a couple of reasons why a coach might not be certified:
They might not need it to do what they do.
If you’re looking for a writing coach, for example, there’s probably no need for them to be ICF-certified. You don’t necessarily need your writing coach to have gone to a particular training program or passed a test. You’re probably more interested in their experience as a writer or the amount of time they’ve spent teaching writing.
They might be early on in their coaching career.
I did some coaching before I started my coach training program — I wanted to make sure coaching was a good fit for me. Even after I completed my training program, it took a while for me to meet all of the ICF certification requirements in terms of number of coaching hours and supervised coaching hours.
They might not feel like jumping through the ICF hoops.
Getting and keeping your ICF certification requires time, energy, and money. Even some very experienced and skillful coaches may choose not to do it.
What if my coach has other certifications that are not through the ICF?
Other certifications can be great! They may show that your coach has completed additional training with experts, which will make them even more skillful in working with you.
However, it’s also possible that the certifications don’t mean much. I don’t say that to put anyone down. I just think that, as a potential client, you should know that technically, anyone can create a “training program” and issue “certifications” for people who completed it. Plus, even if the certification is from a respected organization, it could have been issued after a five-hour training program or after a five-hundred-hour training program.
It can be hard, as an outsider, to know what certifications or trainings mean. That was why the ICF was formed — to provide standards across the profession so people would have a better idea of what they were getting when they worked with a coach.
If a coach is ICF-certified, will they be a good coach for me?
I’ll be frank: an ICF certification doesn’t necessarily mean that a coach is amazing. And it certainly doesn’t mean they are the right coach for you.
It’s more like a minimum level of quality control. If you work with an ICF-certified coach, you know that they’ve been trained to some minimum standards, that they’ve been supervised while coaching others, and that they will be upholding the ethical standards of the profession.
From talking to other coaches across the profession, for example, I know that ICF-accredited coach training programs can vary widely. Some programs, for example, train coaches to focus on setting explicit goals (like writing that novel by the end of the year!) and being an accountability partner for their clients.
Other coaching programs — like New Ventures West, the one I trained with — focus more on the whole person. This approach is more about understanding the deeper factors that are causing you to feel stuck or dissatisfied and building the skills that will help you thrive.
For example, as a result of working with me, you might find the clarity, creativity, or discipline to complete your novel. But I probably won’t be checking in with you every single week to make sure you’ve written 10 pages.
The point here is that even among ICF-certified coaches, approaches can vary widely. So ICF certification will be only one of several things you’ll want to consider when picking a coach. Here are some others.
For the record, I am an ICF-certified coach. You can learn more about my approach here, or reach out if you’re interested in working together.
As always, I’m rooting for you. You’ve got this.
Katie
How to know if a life coach is "good”
Even if you’d like to work with a coach, it can be hard to find a good one. Fit matters — even very experienced or skillful coaches might not be right for you.
I wanted to share the five things that I look for in my own coaches, and what I advise friends and family to look for when assessing coaches themselves:
1. When you talk to them, do you feel safe and heard?
In my opinion, this is the most important quality to look for.
Almost all coaches will offer a free consultation (here’s mine). During that time, you’ll talk about what’s been going on in your life and why you’re interested in coaching. As you share about yourself, notice whether you feel listened to, safe, and comfortable. Of course, it can feel vulnerable to share personal information about why you’re seeking coaching. But does this coach seem like someone you could share sensitive personal information with?
Listen to your gut instinct or intuition. Even if your coach is experienced or skillful, something about the way they interact with you could make you feel just a tiny bit uneasy. Listen to that.
2. When you talk to them, do they say anything that resonates?
This is another important thing to look for in your initial consultation. Do the ideas they share with you resonate?
Of course, an initial consultation isn’t the same as a coaching session. The coach won’t be fully coaching you yet, but they’ll probably share information about their approach. They may also share some ideas about what you might work on together based on what you’ve told them. How do those ideas land with you?
You probably want to feel a sense of “rightness” — though you might also feel a little bit scared or a little bit excited. It can be scary to think about changing! Like #1, this is something that you’ll have to trust your instincts or intuition on.
3. Do they have appropriate credentials?
I have an entire post on credentials coming soon, but for now I’ll say two things:
Not all coaches have credentials, and not all coaches need to. For example, a cooking coach or a writing coach might not need a certification!
But, if you are looking for some kind of minimum “quality control” in a life coach or a professional/executive coach, the certification that matters is from the International Coach Federation (ICF).
I emphasize the ICF because if you poke around, you’ll find all kinds of other “certifications” out there. Certifications can be great, but as an outsider who isn’t familiar with the field, it’s hard to know much about what they mean. It can be hard for me to know what they mean — and I’m a coach! That’s because, technically, anyone can create a program and hand out certifications.
The ICF is a professional organization for coaches. They are a non-profit that accredits coach training programs, certifies coaches that have met certain standards (training, supervised coaching hours, passed tests, etc.), and maintains the ethics of the profession.
4. Does their overall approach match what you’re looking for?
It’s a good idea to be clear about what you want out of a coaching experience. Do you want to set explicit goals (like losing 10 pounds, or making $7,000 more) and have an accountability partner to check in with each week? Do you want someone to help you understand the deeper factors causing you to act the way you do, and help you develop skills to better meet those challenges?
Most coaches have information on their website about their approach — either a general “About” page, or on a blog. Here’s my “About” page, and my blog, for example. This is also a great thing to ask about in an initial consultation.
5. Do the logistics of their approach match what you’re looking for?
How much are you willing to pay? Are you looking to meet with someone in-person or over video conference? Are you willing to commit to working with a coach for a year, or do you prefer someone who doesn’t require an upfront commitment?
…
You’ll be spending a lot of time with your coach, and paying them money. Most importantly, you’ll be trusting them with something very special: yourself.
It’s worth it to spend the time to find a coach that is a good fit for you. Please do trust your instincts.
And of course, if interested in working with me, you can reach out about scheduling a free consultation here.
As always, you’ve got this.
Katie