I’m excited and proud to share that I have just passed my final exam to become a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC). I started my foundation training in 2019, continued with core training and since then have been building up my experience as a coach. For the first six months of 2021, I undertook training and development to become certified through the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), who I did my previous training with.
Coaching is not a regulated profession and it’s possible to work as a coach without being certified, and plenty of good coaches do. Below are the reasons I made the decision and investment to become certified and what that means for clients.
I hope this might help any coaches who are considering becoming certified and help clients understand what being certified entails and what it can mean for you.
Improve the breadth and depth of my coaching skills
Following my initial training and experience as a coach, it became clear that the breadth and depth of coaching techniques and skills were vast. It was very easy to fall into habits and not exercise this range effectively. I wanted to push myself to be able to confidently use an array of skills with ease and flexibility.
As a coach you work with a huge mix of clients across a range of topics and there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Exploring different methods and approaches and being able to test these on peers has meant I can be more sophisticated in my response to a client’s needs.
The additional training hours, supervision, feedback, observations, resources and peer work throughout the certification process has far surpassed my expectations in building my confidence and repertoire as a coach.
Security for the future
When speaking to businesses about providing coaching for their employees, the majority have asked for proof of certification or qualification. Although coaching is not regulated at the moment, there are murmurs that it may move in that direction. I wanted to make sure that moving forward, this didn’t become a barrier.
Individual clients are also becoming aware of the difference between certified and non-certified coaches. Taking this certification means I can stand out to those clients in a growing and increasingly competitive market. There is a level of reassurance for clients, businesses and individuals, that being certified means you are meeting a high standard of coaching and adhering to a code of ethics.
International experience in coaching
Another reason I wanted to become certified was to open up options of working with international clients or working abroad. I was extremely lucky growing up to experience living in Brazil and the United States of America before the age of 10. I’ve always loved travelling and finding out about other cultures.
This helped to influence my decision to do my certification through the CTI which is recognised by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Through this training you are working with coaches from across the world.
It’s been invaluable at exploring how certain coaching techniques may land with one culture but not with another. Learning from other coaches based in other countries has greatly improved my knowledge of working with international clients and helped me to appreciate different perspectives and approaches in coaching.
Building a coaching network
Becoming certified has had numerous benefits - particularly in improving my knowledge, confidence and experience. The cherry on top has been building a strong network of fellow coaches. Peer learning and observations have proven to be a great tool throughout the process.
The wonderful coaches I’ve met from all over the world have provided advice, support and have been my biggest advocates since starting my training. Any freelancer will know it can be lonely at times so building a network has been vital in sharing the experience. Rather than competitors, this network feels like a team and we work together to learn from each other and provide referrals to ultimately deliver the best experience for our clients.
Helping others through coaching is my priority and my passion, becoming certified was the next step in helping me to be the best coach I can be. I hope to build on my experience and ultimately become a Master Certified Coach. For now, I will celebrate this milestone and I look forward to putting it into practise with more people going forward!
If you’re a certified coach what led you to make the decision? I’d love to hear your thoughts below! Alternatively, if you’re considering becoming certified and want to have an informal chat to find out more, please do get in touch.
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