Executive and Professional Coaching Certificate Curriculum
The Executive and Professional Certificate Program utilizes state-of-the-art distance learning methodologies. Students attend live virtual classes delivered through web conferencing with audio teleconferencing integration. This technology supports interactivity and collaboration creating a powerful virtual learning experience.
The Graduate Certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching involves completing a 15-hour graduate program. The Curriculum is organized into three parts: educational, practicum and examination.
Educational
The educational component of the program consists of a series of learning modules organized into four main content areas/courses (see below). A learning module is a class that meets once a week for four, six, or eight weeks, usually in the late afternoons or evenings on weekdays. Each session is from 60 to 90 minutes in length depending on the class. Course requirements include additional readings, writing papers, peer-coaching, identifying and coaching clients.
Coaching Practicum
- Individual: Coaching individuals under the supervision of an ICF credentialed Coach.
- Group: Coaching peers in small group sessions under the supervision of an ICF credentialed coach.
All Graduate Certificate-seeking students will be required to coach others and receive supervision and feedback on their coaching. Students must meet minimum requirements for coaching practice in both individual and group supervised coaching practicum. Students are also expected to coach and be coached by peers for self and professional development purposes.
Examination
To earn the Graduate Certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching, students are required to pass a comprehensive examination that meets the standards set by the International Coach Federation.
Core Courses
Introduction to Executive and Professional Coaching
This learning module introduces students to a solution-focused approach to coaching. Topics include: the fundamental processes of coaching, the meta-model of communication, solution-focused theory and practice, the trans-theoretical model of change. At the conclusion of the learning module, students will be able to assess a client’s readiness for change and carry out a structured solution-focused coaching session.
This learning module provides an overview of professional coaching and introduces participants to the 11 coaching competencies, their significance, and how to apply them in working with coaching clients. It also provides context for coaching credentials, niches and specialties, professional connections, and organizing yourself as a coach. Principles of Solution Focused Coaching are applied throughout.
This learning module provides an introduction to the role and application of ethics and standards in the professional coaching environment. EC 102 is a foundational class that will assist students in developing the knowledge and resources needed to handle ethical dilemmas that present themselves in the coach-client relationship.
This learning module provides students with a model for understanding and working with clients at a deeper level; using strategies of effective inquiry to facilitate understanding and self-directed change. Topics include: language and the brain; the Meta Model (deletions, distortions, generalizations); and the use of effective inquiry strategy. At the conclusion of the learning module, students will understand nine linguistic patterns that serve as stimulus for powerful inquiry so that they will be able to move from surface level to deep structure understanding.
These classes require students to apply and practice theory and technique taught in learning modules. Students work in small groups under the supervision of an experienced coach.
Coaching in the Business or Organizational Setting
Real life coaching issues and challenges are used to demonstrate coaching techniques, and practices. This is an action packed experientially based class designed to demonstrate the Solution Focused Coaching Model in action AND at the same time demonstrate the 11 Core Coaching Competencies as described by the International Coach Federation.
This learning module provides students with a powerful model for understanding and working with clients at a deeper level; using a client’s own language strategies to facilitate change. Language patterns provide us with a map to the client’s territory of thought and behavior. Topics include: overview of the Meta Model; 6 of the motivational and working traits; and their use as strategies in coaching. At the conclusion of the learning module, students will be able to use specific inquiries and listening strategies designed to identify patterns of behavior and motivation in the client. The module directly supports the following ICF Core Competencies: Active Listening, Powerful Questioning, Creating Awareness, and Designing Actions.
Group Coaching is one of the most powerful formats in professional coaching. It enables collaboration, and provides a proven forum for clients to learn from the integrated business and life experience of all the Group participants. This learning module teaches class participants what procedures/techniques facilitate a smooth, virtual presentation of material and the use of Group process for successful virtual Group Coaching. Real-world examples are utilized throughout, and the approach is experiential. Participants will take and analyze the results of the Gregorec Mind Profile Assessment Instrument, designed for use with Coaching Groups.
This learning module teaches effective career development; an interactive process of helping people both inside and outside an organization explore suitable career options relating to where they want to go and how to take effective action to get there. It introduces and provides an overview of current individual and organizational change and the personal knowledge and insight for achieving career success in this uncertain and rapidly changing work world.
This learning module teaches how coaching and therapy differ, and what they have in common. In addition, students learn how coaching-therapy distinctions guide their approach to coaching and the coach-client relationship and how to ensure that clients receive the services most suited to their situation.
This learning module teaches participants how to apply the Appreciative Inquiry and Appreciative Coaching principles, model and techniques to real-world coaching scenarios. This module offers a useful, powerful structure and steps to follow in the coaching process. Participants will also learn how to incorporate systems elements into coaching within organizational settings.
This learning module teaches participants how to apply the cognitive coaching model to their coaching practice. We begin by examining the foundations of the cognitive model and how to identify cognitive distortions. Topics include the A-B-C Model, combating irrational beliefs, and uncovering deep structure automatic thoughts. This module will build on concepts learned in the Solution Focused Coaching module and will include a practice lab.
This learning module teaches participants how to strategically plan and market their coaching business or internal coaching practice from the point of view of the successful entrepreneur. We begin by examining common characteristics of well-functioning entrepreneurs and how they specifically apply to executive and professional coaches. Topics include defining the right marketing approach, making the correct choice about niches and specialties, using technology to manage and grow your practice, how to expand into corporate markets, how to gain media coverage, client retention and referrals, and how to leverage strategic alliances.
Advanced Coaching Models and Methods
This learning module facilitates learning about the contextual viewpoints of coaching in organizations from the external coach and internal coach perspective. Students will discover the context, environment (impinging forces) in which the coach works, including theories of systems thinking, change theory, structural, cultural and generational considerations. We will address issues of creating a coaching culture with leaders and managers as coaches as well as the context of internal/external coaches. We will conclude by exploring the context and approaches for coaching with differing populations of Boards of Directors, CEOs and executives, and managers and supervisors with a primary goal of gaining desired solutions and results.
There is much to learn about the complexity within which executives live and work every day. Their scope of operation includes not only responsibility for hundreds of employees, but also responsibility for reaching broad-based results with serious accountabilities. Whether in a privately held company, or publicly traded organization, the executive leader and his/her executive team need to gain and maintain high levels of leadership and performance results. The Executive Coach partners with executives to develop the desired performance. In this class, we will discuss the distinctions of executive coaching, the often required combination of coaching and strategic performance, the best practices of executive coaching, and an evaluation of what you personally bring to the executive coaching arena.
This learning module provides participants with an overview of how to use assessments in a coaching relationship. Assessments are often used in coaching to develop the client’s awareness, to jump start the initial phase of the coaching, and to provide data for goal setting and return on investment. Numerous assessments are available to coaches, some at no cost and others costing hundreds of dollars or more. Your decision as a coach to incorporate assessments into your practice may depend on the types of coaching clients you work with, the kinds of assessments your own coach has used in your coaching, and your overall familiarity with assessments. One of the most effective ways to explore assessments and their value is through taking some of these measures yourself in order to evaluate what value they provide.
This learning module exposes students to the science around the burgeoning field of human flourishing, which is now known as “Positive Psychology.” The class will cover the inception of the field in the late 1990′s and will track its growth, and particularly its successful application in the field of coaching. Special attention will be paid to separating the idea of “happyology” from Positive Psychology, which is undergirded by important findings around how to assess one’s flourishing, why it is important to learn how to identify and apply so-called “positive interventions,” and how the process of goal-setting is intricately wrapped up in the field of human flourishing. Students will learn about many of the concepts that support and encourage emotional flourishing and goal accomplishment, including grit, savoring, resilience, self-regulation and priming. Takeaways will include the identification of student’s own strengths through the Positive Psychology assessment of VIA Signature Strengths, worksheets on how to identify and encourage positive socially contagious environments, and a deep understanding of why the science of happiness is relevant to every coaching engagement, regardless of the context.
Summary forthcoming.
This learning module teaches the basic concepts about qualitative and quantitative research practices and discusses how these are applied to the field of coaching. Learners practice an on-going process of informal data collection which is used in the weekly discussion sessions as a basis for exploration of data collection and analysis methods. Learners are provided with several examples of scholarly research in the field of coaching as well as resources for additional reading in peer-reviewed literature.
Capstone projects are sponsored by local industries and provide the students an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge gained to solve real world challenging problems in the area of supply chain management. Students work in a team environment, interact with industry leaders and gain some industry specific knowledge. Prerequisites: consent of instructor.
This learning module teaches participants how to optimize business and professional success–for themselves and for their coaching clients. Businesses of all sizes can reap significant benefit from the synergies offered by well-defined alliances. This module provides a well-defined, step-by-step, coach-oriented approach to planning, creating, implementing and partnering in powerful alliances. Real-world examples are utilized throughout, and the approach is entrepreneurial.
Coaching Practicum
This module is devoted to understanding and practicing the ICF core competencies and ethical standards at a PCC level, and provides a comprehensive review within the context of Solution Focused Coaching.
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