Certified Life Coach

You can have a very successful new career by becoming a certified life coach. Life coaches take the world by storm. Most master coaches have coach training in business development as well as personal development. A certified coach draws from a wide range of disciplines but has roots in management ,consulting, and leadership training.

Life coaches take from the following disciplines during a coaching session:

1. Sociology
2. Psychology
3. Positive adult development
4. Career counseling
5. Mentoring

The certified coach will use behavior modeling, goal-setting, and other techniques in assisting clients. Most master coaches should be distinguished form counselors and therapists. It is helpful to understand that although coaching and therapy evolved from the same roots, they are inherently different. Unlike therapy there is no governed education or training standard a person must achieve before they may appoint themselves a coach. As a result any one can call themselves a life coach and take on clients. 

There are currently 3 internationally recognized standards and self-appointed accreditation bodies, the IAC (International Association of Coaching), the ICF (International Coaching Federation; largest professional association), and the ECI (European Coaching Institute. If you go through a program approved by one of these 3 bodies, you can be called a certified life coach. The ICF is the largest professional association of coaches. If you want a very successful, new career and to be certified you should know that ICF programs are the most highly touted in the coaching world.

Click here for a list ICF accredited life coach schools:
http://www.icfnycchapter.org/national_training.php

The ICF has developed a system of credentialing coaches. If you want to be a professional certified coach you need a specific number of hours of “coach-specific training”. On your way to getting certification you will also need a certain number of hours of coaching experience. Most importantly, to do life coaching with the ICF, you need to have proof of the ability to coach at or above defined standards for each credentialing level.

The credentialing levels are Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and Master Certified Coach (MCC).  If you are certified credentialed by the ICF or just a coach who is a member of the organization you agree to abide by a code of ethics.

There is a variety of groups and associations who claim to be able to produce an accredited life coach. The problem with is that there is no governmental standard for what a life coach is, or what a professional certified coach is. This has created and environment where virtually anyone can practice as a life coach without proper training. Before you begin a very successful new career as a life coach, GET CERTIFIED AS A LIFE COACH!!