Our Foundational course was designed specifically for human developmental professionals and others with backgrounds in the people business.

This course is the cornerstone of our our coach training program and is required of students who want to become professional coaches. While the original ILCT foundational course was rooted in transitioning therapists and counselors into coaching, it has blossomed into a course that serves all human development professionals to develop the skills they will need to enter the coaching profession. This forty-hour course (see schedule below) provides essential knowledge and skills to launch a coaching career through twice-weekly teleclasses and once-a-week Peer Coaching practice and post-class assignments (called fieldwork). The total estimated time commitment per week is 4 to 5 hours. Since this is an ICF-accredited course, students must attend at least 35 of the 40 teleclasses and complete a written exam of 70% or better in order to successfully pass this course. Students will need to have regular access to the internet and ILCT website.

This forty-hour course is divided into three modules. The ICF Core Competencies provide the basis for the knowledge and skills presented.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the completion of the Foundational Coach Training course, students will:

• Be familiar with and comfortable with basic coaching skills and methods that enable you to serve as a coach.
• Develop an understanding of the evidence-based theories, philosophies, and models on which the profession of coaching is based.
• Understand and apply the ethical standards of the profession of coaching in your work with clients.
• Be able to use basic methods and strategies for personal coaching and for corporate/business coaching.
• Be able to discern clients with whom you most want to work (ideal client), determine which clients are and are not “coachable”, and understand when to refer.
• Be able to design your coaching business distinct from your counseling or therapy practice and the ethical issues which must be considered.
• Identify the transferable skills that form your background and what non-transferable skills, methods, habits, and orientations you need to leave behind.
• Develop a familiarity with the assessment tools used in coaching and how to use them to enhance your clients’ self-growth, strengths, problem solving abilities, and awareness.
• Have identified potential specialties and coaching niches.
• Know how your being as a coach impacts your clients and your business and have begun to work on your own advance personal development

Required Textbook

Becoming a Professional Life Coach: Lessons from the Institute for Life Coach Training
By Patrick Williams

Also Recommended (but not required)
Therapist as Life Coach: An Introduction for Counselors and Other Helping Professionals
By Patrick Williams, Deborah Davis

What Students Are Saying

I've done my Foundational Course and Coaching Skills Practicum with an absolutely inspiring, wise and life changing teacher Lynn Meinke. Lynn taught us that in order to truly and professionally take care of your clients, you should ensure superb care of yourself. These two classes contributed significantly into making this happen for me: I've discovered my life purpose and personal values, built confidence in my skills and ability to master coaching relationship with a client and found my way of contribution to making world better by revealing life coaching power. In these classes I was rewarded by significant personal inspiration and published two books in half a year and my third one is on it's way! I just wish I'd found ILCT and life coaching earlier in my life.   
Ausra B.

Course Prerequisites

• Bachelors degree, preferably in the social and behavioral sciences
• Experience in the helping professions
• Strong communication skills
• Application approval

Register for this course

Select a class term from the list below.