About that ICF Credential & How it Evolved Me as a Professional & a Human
In August, after almost a year of pretty intense work, a great deal of time, and immense growth, I finally sat for the International Federation Credential (ICF) exam, and passed. It was a very tough, 3 hour long exam, that stretched me so very much. Even though I took quite some time to decide if I wanted to complete this training, I am far more proud of my accomplishments, mostly my personal and professional growth, than I thought I would be. I now also understand why the ICF is such a sought after credential and respected by so many.
I now have my ICF ACC Credential, and here’s a little bit about what it means to me:
I’d like to first define what a coach is, especially as the ICF defines it, as I very much agree and embrace this definition as well. A coach is not a mentor, consultant, or advisor. This means, as a coach, I’m not here to tell you what to do, what actions you should take, or how you should proceed with a crossroads you may be at. And, as a recovering people pleaser that has tried to fix everyone’s problems to show my value, I have come to realize people don’t need or want that. I certainly don’t! Sometimes people just want to be listened to. This has not only made me a better coach, but also a better friend, partner, coworker, family member.
As a coach, I’m also not a therapist. I say this because there is talk and maybe even some controversy about coaches acting as therapists too much (unless said coach is a licensed therapist, which I’m not). If you consider a garden, a therapist tends to the soil, removes unwanted weeds and rubbish that no longer serve healthy growth and works to get the earth at a good baseline so forward momentum, or blooming can take place. That’s where a coach comes in, to be forward focused and help strategize and tend to seeds of inspiration for forward growth to achieve goals and dreams.
And part of the reason for this post is to articulate in my own mind how to talk about this credential I earned. Although I’ve been coaching for 6 years prior to achieving this credential, it still gives me a bit of an ick feeling to say I’m a life coach. Why? Because every time I open up instagram or LinkedIn, there’s another person talking about being a coach and it gives me my own doubts about what I’m doing.
Really, another coach???
But, I love this work, and I really do and have made an immense impact over the years. And in the wise words of my mentor coach, The World Needs More Coaches! Even though the world is so full of people, we are more isolated than ever. Having someone, a coach, to truly listen to you and hold you in absolute positive regards is rare. That’s where I and my coaching peers come in:
To help you discover your truth, shine light on your strengths and inner magic, and strategize on how to get you there.
Here are some stats about why the ICF is highly thought of:
ICF is the gold standard of coaching and should this field become regulated, this is where the baseline will probably come from
Only 30-35% of coaches in the US are ICF certified and there are 50,000 coaches globally over 144 countries
There are 8 deep competencies and a code of ethics each ICF practitioner needs to embrace and operate by in order to become certified.
ICF coaches have to go through at least 60 hours of training, 125 for PCC (which I’m at in classroom time), group mentor coaching, 1:1 mentor coaching, critiqued recorded coaching sessions, and 100 hours of coaching (for ACC) in order to just sit for the 3 hour exam.
There are 3 levels of ICF Credentials: Associate Certified Coach (125 hours of coaching), Professional Certified Coach (500 hours of coaching), and Master Certified Coach (2,500 hours of coaching)
And while there are many great coaches out there without certifications, some people really just call themselves coach and it taints the industry in so many ways. And the work to obtain this credential really pushes a person to evolve and show up better for the people they serve. I can attest to this in so many ways.
To be honest, when I even remotely feel that I’m coaching outside of the competencies and ethics of the ICF (like saying something that has no value or advising), a deep ick immediately sets into the pit of my stomach. This training makes a huge difference!
So here I am, your ICF Credentialed Coach. Always let me know if you have any questions at all, I’m here to help you live your best life through powerful questioning, deep curiosity, in complete positive regard (no shame allowed!) on your journey to live your truest to you, one precious life.