Certificate in Coaching Practice

The Programme

The Certificate in Coaching Practice Programme is the first year of the Masters in Professional Coaching Programme and provides an excellent grounding in the practice of professional coaching. It assists anyone aspiring to coach formally and experienced coaches who wish to enhance their current approach to build a unique coaching framework and model and to benchmark themselves with a learning cohort.

The programme enables you to explore your individual skills and experience and to incorporate these in a coaching approach that is suited to your specific client group. You will also practice making your particular approach explicit so that you are able to clearly articulate to your clients why you are the right coach for them.

The Certificate in Coaching Practice Programme is delivered part-time over nine months and is thus manageable for working professionals.

Who is it for?

Anyone interested in coaching formally and possibly considering a career as a coach
Experienced coaches who wish to make their current approach explicit and to benchmark it with a learning cohort

Accreditation

i-coach academy offers accredited programmes with routes to Post Graduate Certificate, Masters and Doctorate qualifications from the Institute for Work Based Learning at Middlesex University, UK. All i-coach academy pathways are also professionally accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). On successful completion of the Certificate in Coaching Practice you will receive a Certificate of Credit from Middlesex University for 60 post graduate level credits and a Certificate from i-coach academy which acknowledges the EMCC EQA award at Senior Practitioner level.

Entry Requirments

To enter the Certificate in Coaching Practice it is useful to have an academic qualification in a related subject area such as business, counselling, education, sports coaching, psychology or human resources. In the absence of academic qualifications, previous experience (five years plus) in a related field will be considered. Applicants will need to participate in a Skills Benchmarking Day to demonstrate Foundation Level coaching skills or complete the Foundation in Coaching Skills Programme.

Skills Benchmarking Day
The Skills Benchmarking Day is an opportunity to benchmark your current skills set against i-coach academy’s foundation level criteria with a group of peers. On the day you will be invited to deliver a coaching session whilst being observed by peers and faculty. You will also review the practice of others in the group and offer peer feedback. Finally the day will give you the opportunity for an individual coaching conversation with a faculty coach to reflect on the feedback from your coaching demonstration and consider the next steps in your journey to develop a professional coaching practice.

Learning Philosophy

Our programme assists you to critically reflect on your rich experience and knowledge, while integrating new theories and approaches. Since coaching is inherently interdisciplinary, our curriculum draws on broad areas of knowledge that inform the field of coaching. Through a process of experimentation and application, the programme is designed to help you define your unique approach to coaching. Instead of memorising the ‘right’ answers or behaviours, our Faculty act as facilitators encouraging you to discover principles for yourself and to build knowledge by working with others.

Learning to become a coach is a voyage of discovery that can be an intense emotional and challenging experience. We don’t believe in taking shortcuts and the journey is sometimes difficult, however by the end you will be a confident coach well attuned to your unique strengths and talents.

Learning Journey

The programme is delivered part-time over nine months and is manageable for working professionals. The teaching components total 12 days and are delivered over five learning modules of two or three days each. You are also expected to attend four Continued Professional Development and Supervision Days, one between each learning module. During learning modules you will work with faculty and your learning cohort to learn more about relevant theories, techniques and concepts underpinning professional coaching practice whilst also experimenting with new techniques and receiving feedback to enhance your skills. Subject areas include, but are not limited to, Adult Learning Theory, Self-Insight, Contracting, Mental Health and Ethics in Coaching, Performance Theory, Cognitive Behavioural Coaching, Somatic Coaching, Systems Theory, Leadership Coaching and integrating Coaching models.

Embedding the Learning

Between learning modules you will continue to experiment on your coaching practice with your learning cohort and clients. You will also receive coaching and supervision and engage in self study activities, such as reading and critical reflective journaling. The core activities, in the learning design, which support you to integrate your learning and evolve your coaching practice include:

• Continued Professional Development and Supervision Days (four days)
• Applied Coaching (minimum of 60 hours)
• Received Coaching (24 hours at your own cost)
• Framework Coaching from an i-coach academy faculty coach (four hours)
• Reading, Reflective Journaling and Assignments – estimate two hours a week during the programme

Assessment

You will be assessed on the programme in the following ways:

1. Reflective Assignment and Individual Development Plan
2. Continuous Assessment through the programme
3. Professional Review (Presentation, Demonstration and Feedback Activity) – i-coach academy Practitioner Level
4. Learning Journey Document – critical reflective portfolio of your learning journey (5000 words)

Next Steps

To learn more join us at an open evening in London or call us to arrange an individual appointment.