COURSE FDN

Foundations

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Our Foundations course, the cornerstone of our coaching training program, was designed to provide the essential knowledge and skills you need to launch your coaching career. This 40-hour course covers 3 modules (detailed below), combining theoretical and experiential learning through twice-weekly teleclasses or video conferences, once-a-week peer group coaching, and post-class assignments or fieldwork.

The total estimated time commitment per week is 4 to 5 hours. Students will need to have regular access to the internet and ILCT website. Students must attend at least 35 of the 40 teleclasses and complete a written exam with a score of 70% or better in order to successfully pass this course.

Tuition includes 3 hours of mentor coaching, to be conducted during 2 observed peer coaching sessions, providing you with an opportunity to receive individual feedback on your growth as a coach. Students must complete both mentor coaching exercises to receive the 3 hours of mentor coaching credits; students who do not will receive an adjusted amount. All mentor coaching hours can be used to meet part of the requirements for ICF credentialing.

Course Modules

  • Module 1 – You as Coach (22 hours) covers the definition of coach, distinctions between counseling, therapy, and coaching, the ethics of coaching, and a strong focus on the development of the basic coaching skills or core competencies, including but not limited to creating rapport, reframing, open questions, and active listening. Learning is developed both through readings, in class experiential and observational learning, reinforced through weekly Peer Coaching fieldwork.
  • Module 2 - Business of Coaching (3 hours) introduces concepts of how to market your own coaching business, including identifying your business and your “ideal client” or niche, creating an elevator speech, and developing your marketing plan.
  • Module 3 – From the Inside Out (15 hours) focuses on life design and personal fulfillment. This is both a personal journey, with students using an assortment of common coaching assessments to advance their personal development, as well as being trained on how to use these with their clients. Some of the issues addressed include needs, values, beliefs; Life purpose; Life design; Integrity, standards, choices and boundaries; reserve and abundance; and self-care for coaches.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the completion of the Foundations 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: The Art and Science of a Whole-Person Approach
By Dr. Patrick Williams. MCC, BCC

Frequency: This course is offered once a month.

Course Prerequisites

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

Register for this course

Select a class term from the list below.

Date January 7, 2025 - May 22, 2025

Time 3:00 pm ET - 4:00 pm ET

Day Tuesday, Thursday

Type Video Conference

Faculty Edie Pereira Hulbert, MCC, PMC

Date February 13, 2025 - July 3, 2025

Time 6:00 pm ET - 7:00 pm ET

Day Monday, Thursday

Type Video Conference

Faculty Anne Shields, MS, BCC, PCC

Testimonials

The Foundations course was very thorough. At the beginning of the course, I was a baby in the understanding and practice of coaching skills. Now I have a deep understanding of the way to approach a client and their desired changes, developing the collaborative relationship with them, and providing tools and techniques to help them get at their desires. I am making my dream happen of becoming a life coach, and I am so grateful for the way the Foundations class brought me to this point... I can't say enough how powerful this class was.

- R.K.

My Foundational class was such an awesome course and truly changed my life. . . I learned a lot and completed the course feeling confident in my coaching skills as well as myself. Thank you for offering this course as well as the payment options - it was a pleasure!

- L. G.

I was very impressed with this [Foundational] class and found the instructor to be incredibly positive, encouraging and passionate about what she does. If this is truly representative of ILCT, then I look forward to working with you more!

- B. T.

The growth as an individual that I gained through this course will help me in the future with my own clients. I started out the course a little unsure of myself but by the end, I was sure that coaching was the path I wanted to take.

- T. L.

The foundation course provided a strong basis of understanding (the history of the field, including the theory and practice that guides it; the underlying paradigm and mindset of coaching; as well as the structure and framework of the overall coaching process, as well as a specific session. So there is so much about the course that will influence me as I coach my own clients.

- L.G.