Jump to content

FAQ: Coach Training

Our program integrates coaching, developmental and integral psychologies, somatics, interpersonal neurobiology and mindfulness. Coursework is deeply grounded in a robust model of human development. Some of our students have been coaching for years and have run into the limitations of existing coaching models. Other students are new to coaching. Both of these groups are now integrating Presence-Based Coaching® methodologies to expand what they offer. This work is smart, leading edge and accessible.

Our coursework is:

  • Experiential and mostly face-to-face
  • Fully accredited by ICF
  • The only coach training program we are aware of with a published competency model
  • Primarily taught directly by the principal and a deeply committed and skilled faculty that embodies the work
  • Pragmatic, rigorous, and relevant in today’s world
  • Emergent and evolving
  • Flexible in pacing of coursework

We are best suited for folks seeking a topnotch development experience, personal attention to your learning, a small group of committed peers, and in-person retreat-based learning.

FAQs

Do you certify coaches?

Yes. We directly certify coaches. Coaches who complete our course of study successfully, and pass our live exam, earn the designation of a Certified Presence-Based® Coach and join our international community of practitioners. Certification takes around a year, depending on timing.

Does Presence-Based Coaching meet ICF certification requirements?

Yes. We are fully approved by ICF as a Level 1 and Level 2 Coach Training Program. This earned through documentation of program hours and content, external auditing of standards, and correlation of material with the ICF Core Competencies. Our program meets all training requirements for ACC, PCC, or MCC levels. ICF-credentialed coaches can use our coursework for renewal at ACC, PCC, or MCC levels. Our Mentor Coaching Course also meets ICF requirements.

Why should I invest in face-to-face learning when great virtual options are available at lower cost?

Face-to-face training provides the most nuanced experience of the authentic interactions that catalyze sustainable change and development. This is true even if eventually you expect your coaching to be done by phone. While we talk explicitly about the distinctions between face-to-face and phone coaching, the foundations are best learned in person.

Some distance learning coach training programs are decent, others are frankly production shops, and not worth your investment. None, in our humble opinion, come close to face-to-face learning in an immersion environment.

I’ve had lots of coaching experience. I don’t have time or interest to be bored or repeat basics. Will this be appropriate for me?

Yes. Extensive coaching backgrounds are welcome. AND… those who get the most out of this work, regardless of coaching background, are consistently the people who are eager to re-examine their own fundamental assumptions.

Inherent in the PBC approach is a continual request to go beyond what we think we know, rather than reducing new experience to fit into an existing conceptual framework. Many people with strong professional backgrounds, years of coaching experience, and/or advanced degrees come here. No one has ever said it was too basic.

Our emphasis on presence challenges even (especially) those who feel comfortable and established in what they do and how they do it. More salient, the design is developmental, and meets people precisely where they are. Our experience, over more than a decade of coaching retreats, is that all levels of experience will find challenge and interest here.

I’ve never had any coach training. Will this be appropriate for me?

Yes. No coaching background is assumed. AND… those who get the most out of this work, regardless of coaching background, are people who come with a keen interest in human development. The training treats participants as smart committed learners. We dive deep and we dive fast.

If you have significant professional experience under your belt, and have done some work on yourself, you’ll probably thrive in this work. If you have doubts about whether it’s a fit, contact us and we’ll help you make a wise decision.

Is this a cohort program, or can I pick and choose which courses are right for me?

Well, really, both are true. Most people go through the coursework together, and a strong community is built among people who attend multiple retreats together. However, if the timing or pacing doesn’t work for you, the coursework can be spread out over a longer time as needed.

Each course builds on the previous ones, so they must be done in sequence. It’s not possible, for example, to simply pick and choose courses.

I need to renew my ICF certification, and am looking for CCE’s. Is this the best way to get them?

Of course, you’ll have to decide that for yourself. This is high quality, sophisticated, in-person training in a lovely retreat center. There are cheaper, virtual options for CCE’s available elsewhere. However, if you are after leading edge, rich learning, not just CCE’s, the quality and integrity of this training are as rigorous as anything available at any price. Also, our three and four day retreats provide a lot of CCE’s in a short period of time.