Is It Worth Going For Accreditation? And If So, Who With?
So – it’s decision time for me. A few close coaching colleagues have finally bitten the bullet and gone for accreditation but they have chosen different bodies and their experiences are all really different. From what I can see, it looks as though the good administrators (who keep an eye on every hour they work with and have done from moment one as a coach) find it easier to work their way through the system and those who focus on the coaching itself but are self-confessed admin-phobes struggle. OK, I admit it, I am an admin-phobe so I am still trying to work out where to start when I look at the hoops to go through.
If you’ve done it – was it worth it? How long did it take? Any advice you would pass on to someone who is still sitting on the fence? Does accreditation really matter to potential clients – I have never been asked about accreditation in 3 years as a coach?
James, Central London said,
January 24, 2007 @ 1:29 pm
I believe that accreditation is totally pointless. I have been coaching for 12 years after building a successful career in business, and see no reason to either become accredited or supervised (the other buzz word of the moment). My coaching skills are superior to those of most of my colleagues (I hesitate to call them peers) and I do not believe accreditation will help me win more business.
R said,
February 1, 2007 @ 10:00 am
The issue is less about your peers than about your actual clients, who deserve - and increasingly want - to be assured that they are getting a professional service.
You (James) are displaying just the sort of attitude that puts so many people off coaching.
Accreditation and supervision are buzz words because they matter.
Caroline Colton said,
February 2, 2007 @ 9:21 pm
And there I was thinking that ego was something that coaches have under control. James - you have an interesting viewpoint. I only hope, for your clients’ sake, you are as good a coach as you think you are.
In terms of accreditation - right now, I think it is up to each individual coach to decide if it adds value to their practice or clients. Until there is one definitive accreditation body, I am going to wait but if clients start to ask for one specific accreditation then of course I’ll do the process.
Callie said,
February 7, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
Accreditation isn’t about whether you need it or not, it is about taking coaching seriously as a profession. Whichever body you choose to be accredited by, not having accreditation suggests that you do not consider what you do as a coach as a profession. Teachers have teacher training, lawyers have similar training and also CPD requirements - it strikes me that coaches, in the absence of any driving force telling us what to do, have a duty to treat their work professionally and to pursue professional training and qualifications, including accreditation.
John said,
February 9, 2007 @ 11:02 am
Accrediation is increasingly sought by major companies and it is worth checking out APECS which is the top level professional association supported by over 20 major companies www.apecs.org
Janine said,
February 9, 2007 @ 12:10 pm
Thanks John - my only concern is the APECS requirement for a psychological background. Do you really think this is necessary? I want to be a coach, not a therapist?
Sally Vanson said,
March 26, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
My belief is that if Coaching is to be taken as a serious pprofession then we must be seriously qualified. I also however believe that there are some fantastic coaches around who have not been ‘trained’, they are experiential learners and developers.
At the risk of advertising, we have just linked up with a University to launch an MA in Coaching by action learning which gives credits for all those years of experience, short courses etc and which leads to a Masters by building on that experience.
We can all grow and develop, however great we are and actually I want to distinguish myself from those who playing ‘amateur psychiatrist’. That’s why I want qualifications and accreditation.
Thea Westra said,
April 9, 2007 @ 4:20 pm
Here is a link to one of the best podcasts that I have heard regarding this topic http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/318481
Personally I’ve not yet found training that would satisfy me and be a valuable financial exchange. I already have 4 university degrees and tons of rigorous personal development training in my past. I do not need more letters after my name or another piece of paper.
Occasionally I mingle in coaching communities such as Coachville, ICF, ACCPOW and AIC to share common information, and [privately] I choose to abide by the following standards http://certifiedcoach.org/ethics/ethics.html
I’ve had quite a number of clients return to me years later and/or multiple times. That is enough ‘evidence’ for me that I create effective partnership and that I have a positive impact. Clients aren’t looking for people with credentials; they want people who get the job done. I’ve never been asked for credentials by a client and I registered my coaching services, as a business, 5 years ago.
Namaste, Thea
Bruce Taylor said,
April 11, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
Deciding whether or not to get accredited is hard - accreditation requires a substantial commitment of time, money, and energy and it needs to show some return on investment. I decided to go the accreditation route for four reasons: quality, credibility, and fear.
There’s no doubt about it - I’m a MUCH better coach now than before I started the program, and especially before I did the supervision bit. The factual content of the courses (I chose MentorCoach) was important, but more important was bumping into other coaches, pairing up for homework with them, and hearing their coaching styles. I learned techniques and attitudes that made me a better coach.
Now, about the supervision that James thinks is just a “buzz word.” I had a pretty high opinion of my coaching until I started listening to my supervision tapes with a critical ear, and having an MCC (Anne Durand) critique them. I found that I had developed a lot of bad habits, and especially that I was too interested in having my clients like to be an effective coach. I used the course to replace those habits with better ones, and I still go back every so often for a tuneup.
The certification doesn’t seem to matter much to my individual clients, but companies definitely do care about certification. As I started adding executive coaching to my practice, I ran into many companies who simply wouldn’t talk to coaches who are not ICF certified - I mean, I couldn’t get to the first interview. As it is, I can’t wait to get to the PCC level because that will open still more doors that are closed to ACC level coaches.
Also, I wanted some tangible way to separate myself as a professional coach from the army of crystal-gazing, aura-reading, New Age retreads who decided to call themselves “coaches” when the name “psychic” went out of style. Please forgive me if I seem bigoted, but I do resent the New Age healers who offer instant transformation by understanding the powers of the universe; because they are poisoning the well for those of us who are trying to practice coaching from a well grounded basis in psychology.
And finally, I’m convinced that eventually coaching will be licensed just like psychotherapy, and possibly by the same boards. (I know that this is controvertial, and probably applies only in the US, but I do believe it is coming. Perhaps I’ll start a new thread on this topic.) Since I don’t have a therapy license, and don’t particularly want to train for or practice therapy, I want to have my accreditation in place to be “grandfathered” into licensure when this legislation goes into effect.
So, those are my reasons for earning accreditation. It was rather expensive and it took over two years, but for me it was worth it.