Change to ICF’s Credential Renewal policy

The following change to ICF’s Credential Renewal policy is effective immediately for Associate Certified Coaches whose ICF Credentials expire December 31, 2018, or later:

·         The 10 hours of Mentor Coaching required of Associate Certified Coach renewal applicants can now be applied toward the 40 hours of Continuing Coach Education required for Associate Certified Coach renewal. This means that Associate Certified Coach renewal applicants will be required to complete:

–   10 hours of Mentor Coaching

–   At least 30 hours of Continuing Coach Education (with at least 11 hours in Core Competencies and at least 3 hours in coaching ethics)

It is important to note that no more than 10 hours of Mentor Coaching may be counted toward required Continuing Coach Education in a renewal cycle.

The following changes to ICF’s Credential Renewal policy are effective immediately for any coach whose ICF Credentials expire December 31, 2018, or later:

·         No more than 10 hours of Mentor Coaching (delivering and/or receiving) may be counted toward Continuing Coach Education requirements. This means that if you’re an Associate Certified Coach serving as a Mentor Coach, none of the hours you spent delivering Mentor Coaching may be counted toward your Continuing Coach Education requirements. (This is because all 10 hours have been fulfilled by receiving Mentor Coaching.) If you’re a Professional Certified Coach or Master Certified Coach who has delivered 10 or more hours of Mentor Coaching, only the first 10 hours will count toward your requirement, and no hours that you spent receiving Mentor Coaching can be counted.

·         No more than 10 hours of Coaching Supervision (delivering and/or receiving) may be counted toward Continuing Coach Education requirements.

As part of a self-regulating industry, ICF is committed to helping coaches provide consistent value to their clients. To ensure excellence among ICF Credential-holders, we encourage them to participate in a wide array of continuing professional development activities. This policy helps encourage that diversity.

The following changes will go into effect on July 31, 2018, at 12 Noon (New York):

·         Associate Certified Coaches will need to complete at least one full cycle of their credential (through renewal) before they can serve as a Mentor Coach. This policy demonstrates our commitment to advancing high standards for Mentor Coaches like you and ensuring that you’re well-prepared to support other coaches on their professional journeys.

·         Coaches applying for their initial credential (Associate Certified Coach or Professional Certified Coach credential) via the Portfolio path will be required to demonstrate that they completed a comprehensive training program that includes the ICF definition of coaching, Code of Ethics and Core Competencies, and is organized in a scope and sequence that encourages the growth of the coach. This means that coaches will no longer be able to submit a random compilation of non-approved training hours and/or Continuing Coach Education units in fulfillment of their initial training requirements. We believe it should be easy for current and prospective coaches to find and choose the appropriate type of training for their stage of professional development, and this change is a further step in reframing Continuing Coach Education as the first choice for advanced training for already-credentialed coaches.

·         Master Certified Coach applicants will be required to complete all their 2,500 hours of client coaching experience after the start of coach-specific training. Previously, ICF revised Associate and Professional Certified Coach policies to require that all coaching experience hours be completed after the start of coach-specific training. This change positively impacted credential-holders and the profession by ensuring that every hour of experience was delivered in the context of coach-specific training aligned with ICF’s high standards. We expect a similarly positive impact from this change.

·         Coaches applying for the Associate Certified Coach credential via the ACSTH path will once again be required to submit a recording and transcript of a live coaching session. The performance evaluation is currently a requirement for Professional Certified Coach candidates on the ACSTH path, so this change will ensure greater consistency across credential levels.

The following change will go into effect on February 28, 2019, at 12 Noon (New York):

·         Coaches will be required to hold a Professional Certified Coach credential before they can apply for the Master Certified Coach credential. Applying for a Master Certified Coach credential requires a significant investment of time and money. We want to increase the likelihood of success. Data from ICF’s Credentialing department shows that Master Certified Coach candidates who hold a Professional Certified Coach credential are more successful in the application process than candidates with no prior ICF Credential. Clearly, earning the Professional Certified Coach designation is an important step in a coach’s journey, and this policy change will encourage that.