ACA Mentor Program Information

For current students, please click here.

10 Hours of mentor coaching

please note that mentoring is not offered in all programs. Please check the details of each class.

Congratulations on desiring a credential from the International Coaching Federation. In order to obtain your Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from ICF, you need to complete 10 mentor hours. Although they are required, mentoring is an important experience for all coaches. Through mentoring, coaches gain a high level of reflection on their coaching practices and receive direct feedback to master the core coaching competencies from experienced mentor coaches. Mentoring is now included for all students in all programs. Mentoring must take place over a minimum of a 3-month period, according to ICF. Contact us with questions.

Why Mentoring?

Mentoring occurs in a thought-provoking process where the coach and mentor engage in an in-depth review of the core coaching competencies. The aim of mentoring is to help you become a masterful coach. It will also fulfill the requirement to gain your ACC through the International Coaching Federation.

All coaches deserve a great mentoring journey where they can reflect on their practice and improve in ways they never imagined.

Group Mentoring

Group mentoring at ACA is offered by ICF Certified Mentor Coach Elizabeth Bentley, PCC. In group mentoring, mentees are surrounded by peers with who they built a relationship within the program. The group sessions are built around mastering the core coaching competencies in an engaging and cohesive environment. ACA includes 7 group mentor hours for each student.

Individual Mentoring

In individual mentoring, you will experience the power of coaching, deepening your awareness of the client’s perspective while designing actions to meet your goals. Witness the coaching competencies in action, and dive deeper into their practical applications. End the program by practicing the coaching competencies and receiving in-the-moment feedback to prepare for your practical exam. ACA includes 3 individual mentor hours for each student.

Logistics

Mentoring starts during your program or at the end of the program. Level 1 typically starts at the end of the program and Level 2 during the program. It must take place over a 3-month period at a minimum. This is an ICF requirement. Typically, students gather their first 100 hours and do mentoring simultaneously. Then, they apply for their ACC credential. When you apply, depends on how long it takes to gather your first 100 coaching hours for ACC. If you are going directly for your PCC, you will need 500 hours of coaching experience, but we still suggest mentoring take place over the first 100 hours. We support students throughout this process. We do provide advice on how to gather the first 100 hours.

Mentoring at ACA typically takes 3-6 months to complete.

Ideal Completion Rate

25% of 100 hours completed: 2 mentor sessions

50% of 100 hours completed: 3 mentor sessions

75% of 100 hours completed: 3 mentor sessions

100% of 100 hours completed: 2 mentor sessions

Finally: Submit a Performance Evaluation

This ideal completion rate allows students to be prepared for the performance evaluation. Mentoring supports student development and will support passing the performance evaluation. Your experience coaching will also help you pass the performance evaluation.

Your Mentor Coach

LizBentley-Headshots-45.jpg

Elizabeth Bentley, MBA, PCC

Elizabeth has over 20 years of experience coaching, consulting, and mentoring. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with ICF. She is an experienced Professional, Executive, Life & Academic Coach and an ICF Registered Mentor Coach.