ACA’s Professional Coach Training, Life Coach Training, and Academic Coach Training Program

The goal of ACA’s coach training program is to teach you basic and advanced coaching skills through a transformative and experiential learning environment. The training is for individuals or groups that desire a coaching skillset to change the lives of those they coach. This training is for Professional Coaches, Life Coaches, and Academic Coaches.

You will learn what a coach is and isn’t, powerful questioning, active listening, and more. It is the goal of the program to prepare you for your coaching career and beyond. Coaching is a powerful tool to take someone from a point where they are in their life to where they want to be. Be a change-maker and join the coaching revolution!

Professional and Life Coaching

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For anyone wanting to get into coaching or to learn new skills to help build on an already established coaching practice. This program is meant to help you jump-start a career in coaching right away. The goal of the program is to teach you how to coach using the core competencies of the International Coaching Federation so you can coach in any niche. For example, be a life coach, executive coach, health and wellness coach, career or leadership coach. This program will prepare you with the foundations of all coaching.

Academic Coaching

For coaches, educators, and advisors. This training is for anyone that desires a coaching skillset to change the lives of students they coach and who may also desire a credential from ICF. Based on the core coaching competencies of the International Coaching Federation, this program will prepare you with the foundations of all coaching. This specialized training can be offered on campus or to groups.

Level 1 ICF Accredited Training

Our 72-hour Level 1 training program is considered Accredited Coach Specific Training through the International Coaching Federation.

Level 2 ICF Accredited Training

Our 144-hour Level 2 training program is considered Accredited Coach Specific Training through the International Coaching Federation.

Program Delivery

Our Level 1 and Level 2 accredited training programs are of the highest quality. The programs comprise synchronous training live with an instructor, 10 mentor hours, asynchronous learning and coaching, 1 performance evaluation, and observed coaching sessions simulating a coaching engagement with a classmate.

ICF Credential

The Level 1 72-hour program and Level 2 144-hour program have been developed to qualify graduates to apply for an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential with the International Coaching Federation. Training can also be applied to a Master Certified Coaching (MCC) credential through the portfolio pathway. Non-certified and customized training options are also available.

We offer the opportunity to break down the program into two parts. Students would complete the Level 1 program and then enroll in the Level 2 “add-on” course after completion. This option is available for students who need more flexibility.

Cohort Training

We offer cohort training, including training, mentoring, and a business development or academic coaching course. Students work together as a cohort to complete training and support one another.


Level 1 and 2 Training Curriculum

Our training curriculum is based on the international standards of one of the highest global certification bodies, The International Coaching Federation. Students are first introduced to the foundations of coaching and the ethics of coaching. After the foundation’s course, students are introduced to more advanced coaching competencies such as listening, powerful questioning, creating awareness, and facilitating client growth. You’ll learn coaching through group coaching exercises, demonstrations of coaching with your instructor, and direct instruction. You will get practical hands-on experience by coaching peers and receiving feedback from experienced coaches.

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Level 1 Program Modules

  • Coaching Ethically and Professionally

  • Coaching Relationships and Agreements

  • The Coaching Mindset

  • Designing the Alliance

  • The Art of Being Present

  • Active and Mindful Listening

  • Powerful Questioning

  • Communicating Effectively

  • Creating Awareness

  • Gaining Commitment

  • Flawless Execution

  • Managing Progress

Level 2 Program Modules

  • Advanced Foundations

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Coaching

  • Agreements and Trust

  • Presence and Listening

  • Awareness and Growth

  • Coach Approaches and Future of Coaching

  • Cultural Intelligence

  • Neurodiversity and more!

Program Components

Synchronous Learning

This is the live component of the program. This is a requirement of all ICF-accredited programs. During the live training, there is a mix of lecturing, activities, demonstration coaching, and practice coaching.

Asynchronous Learning

We have developed an online student training platform using the best instructional design techniques and programs available. Students spend time learning on their own time in our learning management system. Different modes of learning are utilized in the system.

Observed Sessions

All students complete what we call observed sessions. This is a practice coaching session with you and another fellow student. We do provide feedback on some observed sessions.

Peer Sessions

In the Level 2 program, students are paired with another student to practice more coaching! These sessions are not recorded and not assessed.

Journaling Projects

We have a project-based component of the Level 2 program. This is a way for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the core coaching competencies.