I recently obtained my International Coaching Federation Associate Certified Coach credential (ICF-ACC). This certification is no two-day class and exam (no shade to the CSM – I have one of those too). To obtain the ICF-ACC, I had to:
- attend 60 hours of training
- document 100 hours of coaching experience
- receive 10 hours of mentorship
- record a coaching session for evaluation and approval by the ICF
- pass a lengthy credentialing exam
Why ICF-ACC?
When I was on the path to a Certified Team Coach credential (CTC), one of the expectations was to be coaching at the level of an ICF-ACC. So I thought, “why not just go for one?”
Choosing an ICF path
There are three different paths to the ICF-ACC: through an Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP), Accredited Coach Specific Training Hours (ACSTH), or through the Portfolio Path.
In a nutshell, the ACTP path is all in one: the program includes the ICF educational, mentor, and performance evaluation needed to be approved to take the exam.
With the ACSTH, the ICF education portion is included but you will be on your own for the rest of the requirements.
For the Portfolio Path, you will need to prove that education hours received from a non-ICF accredited program and/or through Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units can satisfy the educational requirements. You’ll also be on your own for the mentorship and performance evaluation.
I knew I wanted an all-in-one program, so I chose the ACTP.
Choosing an ICF program
Knowing that I was looking for an ACTP, I went on the ICF website to find an ICF-accredited institution. This was during the pandemic, so I narrowed my search to a virtual class conducted in English. I used these parameters to generate a list, then looked at every single search result. While it was a lot, I was able to narrow down to classes taught in my time zone, which helped a little.
From there, my main hope for a class was that it come from an institution with diverse faculty and holistic curriculum. In other words, I wanted to break out of the Agile bubble to learn about coaching as a whole from people with a wide range of life experiences.
I found what I was looking for in the Academy of Creative Coaching. I can’t recommend it enough. I’m grateful for what I learned, how I was challenged, and the people I got to share the experience with.
While I have no personal experience with the institutions below and cannot personally vouch for them, I have also heard good things from students of the Co-Active Training Institute.
(if you have experience with an ICF-ACC program not listed here, let me know in the comments and I’ll add it!)
It’s your choice
Ultimately, it’s up to you – do you want the full package towards the ICF-ACC? Or do you want to go a la carte?
And what’s important to you in an educational program? Check out your options, do your research, and speak to people who have gone through the programs you’re interested in.
It’s a lot of work, but it’s life-changing: for you, and for the people you coach.
Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash
Season:
Thank you for this simple article. Every time I inquired on how to get started coaching I saw an enormous (almost impossible) commitment in time. This is doable. Thanks for the simple explanation!
David,