Navigating Coach Certification
The recent hidden camera exposé by CBC’s Marketplace demonstrated how the “life coaching” stream is a quagmire of uncertainty bordering on fraud.
Life Coaching Vs Executive Coaching
A professional coach can serve as both a life coach or an executive coach. The difference lies in the context of coaching. Executive coaching focusses on facilitating growth and development in the client’s profession and tends to address issues inherent in the context of work. Life coaching focuses principally on the individual and their personal goals.
The Value of Coach Certification
The value of coach certification rests on the organization or institution that stands behind the certification. The International Coaching Federation, for example, has certified coaches for over 25 years and is the gold standard for coaching certification. Here are some of the important contributions the ICF has made to the world of executive coaching.
International Coaching Federation Quality Markers:
- Developing coaching core competencies
- Establishing a professional code of ethics and standards
- Creating an internationally recognized credentialing program
- Setting guidelines through accreditation for coach-specific training programs
- Providing continuous education through world-class events, Communities of Practice (CPs) and archived learning
- Leading and informing conversations about the future of coaching.
I am a member of the International Coaching Federation and am in the process of acquiring certification. This process requires recognized professional training, which I completed with the fully accredited Royal Roads University Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching. After gaining a significant number of coaching hours, I can qualify to be an Associate Executive Coach with the International Coaching Federation. I expect to achieve this in the near future.
I value certification that is of high quality, world renown, and professional and that is why I am pursuing certification with the ICF.
Links:
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marketplace-life-coach-1.6364745
- https://coachingfederation.org
- https://coachingfederation.org/about
- https://www.royalroads.ca/
- https://www.royalroads.ca/programs/graduate-certificate-advanced-coaching-practices?gclid=Cj0KCQiA64GRBhCZARIsAHOLriItX-PP2_yXL-0zOhU_xxkuVKtzY_iffGH0LBT_csNu3rrwBbT89RoaAmSQEALw_wcB
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