Prompted by the ever-increasing number of therapists wanting to offer coaching services to their clients, Dr. Patrick Williams, psychologist and Master Certified Coach (MCC), founded the Institute for Life Coach Training in late 1998. As a successful psychologist-turned-coach, Dr. Williams recognized developed a training program which builds upon the individual's existing skills so that they can quickly translate those skills to coaching in as little as 40 hours of teleclasses. Today, over 50% of our students are from other people-oriented professions (teachers, human resource professionals, lawyers, financial planners, occupational therapists, nurses, and aligned professionals).

Our curriculum is evidence based and grounded in key theories of human development from psychology, adult learning and communication. The curriculum is continually re-evaluated to ensure that state-of-the-art training is provided and meets the needs and goals of our students. It is approved by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as an Accredited Coach Training Program.

Since its inception, the Institute has educated thousands of students across the US, Canada, Asia, Australia, and Europe. All classes are taught through teleclasses in North America and live training is available in Turkey, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Italy, China and Korea. The program has expanded to include Advanced Coach Training and offers a Coaching Specialist certificate programs.

The advantages of training with the Institute for Life Coach Training include:

• Offers the first Christian Coach Training program approved by the ICF in addition to our renowned training program.
• Awarded the Accredited Coach Training Program designation by the International Coach Federation.
• First school to be chosen as a provider training school for the new Board Certified Coach credential.
• Learn a coaching model that has been proven successful in producing results with clients. This state-of-the-art coaching model is one that employs the whole person paradigm, powerful questions and purposeful inquiry, empowering tools, and results-producing psychological principles.
• Learn via the phone – simply pick up your phone once or twice a week and enjoy learning with others from around the globe.
• No travel – you never have to fly through crowded airports, wait for delayed flights or stay at expensive hotels.
• Numerous avenues to certification, including our own Certified Life Coach, Wellness coaching Specialist, and Business Coaching Specialist programs.
• Enjoy personal development taught by professionally recognized faculty.
• Approved for funding under the military’s MyCAA program.
• Join a community of coaches who have also invested in their future.
• Marketing concepts and tools necessary to support your growth as a professional coach.

Our Foundational courses begin every month except July and December. For more detailed information, please review the Foundational class schedules. Advanced courses are scheduled numerous times throughout the year. We also offer the Foundational Course for Christian Coaches at least twice year. While identical in terms of focus, materials, and level of learning, this section was created for those who are pastors, lay ministers, and others who are committed to incorporating their faith into their coaching practices.

All classes are taught via teleconference calls – that is, you call a designated phone number at a designated time to attend a teleclass from the comfort of your home or office. Our instructors are all former helping professionals and ICF certified coaches who have built successful coaching practices. Foundational classes are one hour long, and are scheduled twice a week for 20 weeks (a total of 40 teleclasses). You will also work with a buddy coach once a week for an hour, practice the coaching skills you’re learning in class.

There are usually at least 8 students in each class – with most classes having a maximum of 15. We keep our classes small so that you will have many opportunities to coach and be coached by your classmates, to develop into a coach.

While other coach training courses charge $3,000 to $8,000, often plus travel, the cost for ILCT’s 40 hour Foundational class is significantly less, just $2,295, which includes the 300+ page course manual. There is also one required text, Becoming a Life Coach, by Dr. Patrick Williams, ILCT’s Founder, which may be ordered through our web site or other online book stores. The only other additional cost is your long-distance charges for each call. Since you will be calling into to your classes for 2 or more hours per week, you may want to negotiate the lowest rate with your long-distance carrier.

ILCT does offer its students an easy payment plan, dividing the costs for the class over the length of the class.

For the exclusive benefit of our students and graduates, the Institute has established an online Student Center, full of valuable resources that are crucial for coaching success. Students of our programs also have the option of participating in once-a-month Alumni Calls, hosted by Dr. Pat Williams, and frequent Q & A calls. To listen to previous calls, click here.

For those who have successfully completed the Foundational Training course, ILCT offers a variety of advanced classes on marketing, coaching specialties, assessment, executive or relationships coaching - and many other topics.

ILCT’s Training Program (ACTP) is accredited by the ICF and all hours accumulated through our program may be used towards certification. ILCT is also the first school to be chosen as the training school for those coming from the counseling profession who are interested in applying for the Board Certified Coach credential.

There are two main components for any coaching credentialing through the International Coach Federation. Those are:

1. Coach Training Hours – the hours you receive after successful completion of recognized coach-training courses.
2. Client Coaching Hours – the hours you accumulate working as a coach. The International Coach Federation (ICF) has set standards for an Associate Certified Coach (ACC), a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Master Certified Coach (MCC). You may visit their web site at www.coachfederation.org to download all the requirements and their application. All credit hours earned through ILCT will count towards credential requirements for the ICF.

While certification is not a requirement to be a coach, many of our students pursue professional certification. The Institute for Life Coach Training offers a number of certification programs, including the Certified Life Coach, Wellness Coaching Specialist, Relationship Coaching Specialist, and Business Coaching Specialist certification programs. Each of these certification programs includes the Foundational course (40 hours) and at least 40 hours from the electives in your specialty. 

This new credential is offered by the National Board of Certified Counselors for those who hold advanced degrees in Counseling and other behavioral and social sciences. As the first coach training program to be approved by the NBCC and CCE, we work directly with our students to determine the best course of training in terms of both the credentials they might want to achieve, as well as their vision of their new coaching profession.
For more information on the BCC credential, please visit www.cce-global.org/coaching. 

If you are not currently a helping professional, there is still a possibility that our program might be the coach-training program for you. If you have questions about your eligibility, we encourage you complete and submit an application form. Once you have completed it, return it via email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for consideration. We will contact you within a day or two to discuss your interest in ILCT.

Coaching is a relatively new profession that focuses on assisting people who already have a measure of “success” in their lives, and want to bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be in their professional and personal lives. A life coach is much like a trainer who encourages an athlete to win the “gold medal” – not just be in the race. Life coaches supports their clients to design the life they want, bring out their clients’ own brilliance and resources so that they can achieve excellence and create purposeful, extraordinary lives.

For more information about coaching, visit the What is Coaching section.

The basic philosophy behind coaching is that we humans have immeasurable resources of energy, wisdom, ability and genius waiting to be set in motion. We can create the life we want faster and more easily by having a coach who helps us utilize our resources to facilitate change and realize our potential.

While coaching and therapy share some similarities, psychotherapy often focuses on the impact the past has on the present, on healing psychological dysfunction, and on relieving emotional pain, with the therapist considered to be the expert, the one with answers about what is right for the client.

Coaching focuses on the future, the client's strengths, life purpose and goals, working with clients to create possibilities to enrich their life. Based on the belief that all individuals are whole, capable individuals, coaching assumes the client is expert, able to determine what is best for their lives. 

While those in the helping professional already have the requisite skills for effective coaching (such as listening, building rapport, encouraging, facilitating change, empathy and objectivity), some formal coach training is necessary due to the distinctions between therapy and coaching. At ILCT, in addition to doing coaching, you learn how to BE a coach.

The demand for coaching came into being a few years ago when stressed out executives started seeking help in coping with their professional and personal lives. In addition, as companies started downsizing and outplacing, and baby boomers started turning 50, coaches were hired to ease traumatic transitions and to help people get back on track. While coaching is still most prevalent in the corporate environment, individuals are increasingly turning to coaches for help in achieving excellence, improving relationships, overcoming challenges and enhancing all aspects of their lives. Today, coaching has become the second fastest-growing industry in America.

According to the International Coaching Federation, most coaches working with individuals charge about $200 to $400 per month for one half-hour call per week. Executive coaches generally charge more. All told, coaches earn an average of $100 to $150 per hour. Corporate coaches earn more, often $200 to $400 per hour, according to Time Business News.