Mentor Coaching
for ICF Accreditation
For Coaches Committed to the Highest Standard
ACC Readiness
ICF Credential Readiness Checklist
Whether you're pursuing the Portfolio Path or have completed Level 1 training, earning your ACC or PCC credential requires more than good intentions — it demands documented proof of training, experience, and coaching skill. This comprehensive checklist walks you through every requirement so nothing falls through the cracks. Use it as your personal audit before you invest time, energy, and money into the application process.
Mentor coaching is required for either certification. The goal isn't perfection from day one — it's knowing exactly where you stand and what needs attention.
Even highly skilled, experienced coaches pursue the ACC to expand institutional credibility—so they’re eligible for hospital systems, corporate contracts, and formal coaching panels, and don’t miss out on opportunities that require an ICF credential.
Requirement 1 of 6
Training Requirements
Your coaching education forms the foundation of your ACC or PCC application. ICF requires a minimum of 60 hours of coach-specific education that aligns with the ICF Core Competencies for ACC and 125 hours for PCC. This isn't just about seat time — the quality, structure, and documentation of your training matter enormously.
1
Hours Completed
Ensure your total coach-specific education meets or exceeds the 60-hour minimum for ACC or the 125-hour minimum for PCC. Partial completions or unrelated professional development hours don't count.
2
Core Competencies Covered
Your training program must explicitly address the ICF Core Competencies. Verify this with your training provider's curriculum documentation.
3
Proper Certificates
Certificates must include specific dates of attendance, total hours completed, and instructor details. Vague or incomplete documentation can delay your application.
4
Live Components Included
Training must include live or synchronous components — fully asynchronous programs alone won't meet the requirement. Confirm your program included real-time interaction.
Requirement 2 of 6
Mentor Coaching
Mentor coaching is one of the most transformative — and most misunderstood — parts of the ACC journey. It's not therapy, consulting, or advice-giving. It's a structured, competency-focused partnership where a credentialed coach helps you see the gap between where your coaching is and where it needs to be.
10 hours over 3+ months
Spread across at least three months to allow for genuine skill development between sessions. This isn't a weekend intensive.
7 hours minimum 1:1 for ACC
The majority of your mentor coaching must be individual sessions, ensuring personalized feedback on your unique developmental edges.
3 hours minimum 1:1 for PCC
Three hours of your mentor coaching must be individual sessions, ensuring personalized feedback on your unique developmental edges.
ICF-credentialed mentor
Your mentor coach must hold an active ICF credential. Verify their credential status before beginning your engagement. (I have a PCC credential due for renewal 8/2027)
Competency-focused feedback
Sessions must center on ICF Core Competencies — not general life advice, therapeutic processing, or business consulting.
Requirement 3 of 6
Coaching Experience for the ACC Credential
The ACC credential validates that you're not just theoretically trained — you've done the work. ICF requires 100+ documented coaching hours that meet specific criteria. This is where many coaches discover gaps, so review these requirements carefully and start tracking early.
100+
Total Coaching Hours
Logged and documented hours of actual coaching sessions
8
Minimum Clients
You must have coached at least 8 distinct individuals
75+
Paid Hours
At least 75 of your hours must be compensated coaching
5
Year Window
All hours must fall within the past five years
All coaching hours must have been completed after your training began. Hours logged before your education started are not eligible, regardless of their quality or documentation.
Requirement 3 of 6
Coaching Experience for the PCC Credential
The PCC credential validates that you're not just theoretically trained — you've done the work. ICF requires 500+ documented coaching hours that meet specific criteria. This is where many coaches discover gaps, so review these requirements carefully and start tracking early.
500+
Total Coaching Hours
Logged and documented hours of actual coaching sessions
25
Minimum Clients
You must have coached at least 25 distinct individuals
450
Paid Hours
At least 450 of your hours must be compensated coaching
5
Year Window
All hours must fall within the past five years
All coaching hours must have been completed after your training began. Hours logged before your education started are not eligible, regardless of their quality or documentation.
*50 hours must be in th last 18 months.
Requirement 4 of 6
Where Most Coaches Struggle
Recording Readiness
This is the make-or-break element of your ACC or PCC application. In a 20–60 minute recorded coaching session (2 of them for PCCs), assessors are looking for consistent, observable evidence of ICF competencies — not a perfect conversation, but a credential-ready coaching performance. Many skilled coaches are surprised to learn that what feels like "good coaching" doesn't always meet the specific markers ICF evaluators are trained to identify.
Can You Consistently Demonstrate These?
Clear Coaching Agreement
Establish what the client wants from this specific session — not just the overall engagement
Partnered Outcomes
Collaborate with the client on their desired outcome rather than assuming or directing
Open-Ended Questions
Ask curiosity-driven questions that invite exploration rather than yes/no answers
Reflect Emotions & Meaning
Go beyond content reflection — mirror back the feelings and deeper significance
Invite Deeper Awareness
Help the client discover insights they wouldn't reach on their own
Stay Out of Teaching
Resist the urge to fix, lead, advise, or share excessive stories
Client-Generated Action
Support insights and next steps that come from the client — not from you
Presence Without Rushing
Demonstrate ethical awareness and maintain calm, grounded presence throughout
Requirement 5 of 6
Transcript Check
Your transcript is a written mirror of your coaching ability. ICF assessors read it closely, looking for patterns that reveal your true coaching habits — not just the highlights. Even strong coaches can have blind spots that only become visible on paper. Before you submit, review your transcript against these critical markers.
✓ What Assessors Want to See
- Minimal filler language throughout
- Client speaks significantly more than coach
- Clear, observable evidence of ICF competencies woven throughout the entire session
- Clean, focused questions that open exploration
✗ Common Red Flags
- Leading questions that steer the client toward a specific answer
- Stacked questions — asking two or three at once
- Subtle agenda pushing disguised as curiosity
- Coach talking as much as or more than the client
A strong transcript doesn't just document a good conversation — it demonstrates competency fluency in a way that's unmistakable to a trained assessor. If you're unsure whether yours passes muster, a line-by-line review with a mentor coach can be invaluable.
Requirement 6 of 6
Exam Readiness
The ICF Credentialing Exam tests your ability to apply coaching knowledge in realistic, nuanced scenarios. It's not about memorization — it's about scenario-based reasoning grounded in the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics. Many coaches underestimate the exam because they assume their practical experience is enough. The exam requires a distinct kind of preparation.
Core Competencies
Go beyond familiarity — you need to understand how each competency shows up in real coaching moments and how assessors distinguish between competent and sub-competent performance.
Code of Ethics
Know the ICF Code of Ethics thoroughly. Exam questions frequently test ethical decision-making in ambiguous situations where multiple answers seem reasonable.
Coaching vs. Consulting vs. Therapy
Understand the clear boundaries between coaching, consulting, and therapy. Expect scenario questions that test whether you can recognize when a client needs something other than coaching.
Scenario-Based Reasoning
Practice answering questions where you must choose the most appropriate coaching response — not just a correct one, but the best one aligned with ICF standards.
Mentor Coaching Program
10-Hour Mentor Coaching Structure
Designed specifically for ACC/ PCC Portfolio candidates, this structured program unfolds over 3–6 months to give you the time and space to genuinely develop — not just check a box. The format includes 7 hours of 1:1 sessions plus 3 hours of group work (or all 1:1 if preferred), totaling the required 10 hours over a minimum of 3 months per ICD requirements.
Each phase builds on the last, moving you from baseline assessment through targeted skill refinement to performance-level polish. By the end, you won't just be ready to submit — you'll know you're ready.
This structure ensures you receive competency-based feedback at every stage, with each session calibrated to your evolving developmental edge.
Phase 1: Baseline & Orientation
2 Hours · Sessions 1–2
Before you can close gaps, you need to see them clearly. Phase 1 establishes your starting point — where your coaching stands today relative to ICF performance standards — and sets the trajectory for everything that follows.
1
Session 1 — Requirements & Goal Setting (1:1)
We review your specific pathway requirements, clarify any documentation or experience gaps, and discuss the critical difference between "good coaching" and ACC-level markers. Together, we set concrete development goals that will guide our entire engagement.
2
Session 2 — First Recording Review (1:1)
You submit your first recording and transcript. I provide detailed, competency-based feedback — identifying 2–3 developmental priorities that become our focus areas. This session often produces the most powerful "aha" moments of the entire program.
Phase 2: Skill Refinement
4 Hours · Sessions 3–6
This is where the real transformation happens. Phase 2 targets your specific developmental edges through a blend of recording reviews, live coaching observation, and focused practice. Each session narrows in on the competencies that matter most for your credential readiness.
1
Session 3 — Agreement & Presence (1:1 Recording Review)
Deep focus on coaching agreement formation and maintaining presence. We examine how you establish session outcomes and stay grounded when conversations become complex or emotional.
2
Session 4 — Live Observation (Group or 1:1)
Live coaching observation with real-time feedback. This is where we refine your questioning technique in the moment — catching habits you can't see in recordings alone.
3
Session 5 — Evoking Awareness (1:1 Recording Review)
Focused on the art of evoking awareness — the competency that separates good conversations from powerful coaching. We identify and address subtle leading tendencies that may be invisible to you.
4
Session 6 — Ethics & Exam Prep (Group or 1:1)
Ethics scenarios, exam preparation strategies, and practice discussion of complex coaching situations. We build your ethical reasoning muscles for both the exam and real-world practice.
Phase 3: Performance Polish
4 Hours · Sessions 7–10
You've built the foundation and refined the skills. Now we polish everything to credential-ready precision. Phase 3 is about eliminating the small patterns that cost points, tightening your language, and building the confidence that comes from genuine competence — not wishful thinking.
1
Advanced Nuance
Eliminate stacked and leading questions. Tighten language. Recording review at the highest level of detail.
2
Transcript Deep Dive
Line-by-line transcript editing for submission clarity. Ensure your written record reflects your coaching ability.
3
Mock Performance Review
Final readiness assessment. An honest evaluation of whether you're ready to submit — delivered with care and clarity.
4
Final Preparation
Exam strategy, application walkthrough, confidence anchoring, and emotional regulation tools before you submit.
The Offer
You Are Already a Coach. Let's Make It ICF Official.
There is a difference between a meaningful conversation, a supportive presence, and a credential-ready coaching performance.
The ICF Credential is not about being inspirational. It is about being precise. And that precision can be taught.
If you've completed non-ICF or Level 1 training, if you're applying via the Portfolio Path, if you're unsure whether your recordings would pass — this program was built for you. It's for coaches who value rigor without harshness, who want direct and honest competency-based feedback, and who understand that excellence requires both support and stretch.
This Is For You If
You've Completed Training
You finished a non-ICF or Level 1 coach training program and are now navigating the credentialing process — perhaps feeling uncertain about what comes next.
You're on the Portfolio Path
You're applying via the ACC/ PCC Portfolio Path and need structured mentor coaching that actually prepares you — not just fulfills the hour requirement.
You're Unsure About Your Recordings
You've recorded sessions but aren't 100% confident they demonstrate the specific ICF markers assessors are looking for. You want an expert set of ears.
You Value Honest Feedback
You want direct, competency-based feedback delivered with warmth and respect. You're ready to be both supported and stretched in equal measure.
What We Do Together
Over 10 hours spanning a minimum of 3 months, we systematically close every gap between where your coaching is today and where it needs to be for ICF credentialing. Every session is intentional, competency-anchored, and tailored to your unique developmental edge.
Deconstruct Recordings
Line-by-line analysis of your coaching sessions to surface patterns — both strengths and blind spots
Identify Leading Questions
Spot the subtle ways you may be steering clients without realizing it — the #1 issue in ICF submissions
Strengthen Agreements
Build your skill in establishing clear, collaborative coaching agreements that assessors can recognize
Deepen Evoked Awareness
Move beyond surface-level reflection to the kind of insight generation that defines powerful coaching
Sharpen Transcript Clarity
Ensure your written submission communicates your coaching ability as clearly as possible
Build Performance Confidence
Prepare for the ICF exam and develop the inner certainty that comes from genuine competence
My Approach
This is not cheerleading. This is mastery. And it is delivered with unconditional positive regard.
Physician Coaching Leadership
Years of experience leading coaching in high-stakes healthcare environments, where precision and compassion must coexist.
Deep ICF Marker Understanding
Intimate knowledge of how assessors evaluate coaching sessions — not just what the competencies say, but how they show up in practice.
Nuance and Blind Spots
A capacity to see both the subtle strengths you overlook and the patterns you can't see from inside your own coaching.
Compassionate Without Compromise
You will feel supported. And you will be stretched. Both are necessary. Standards are never diluted — but neither is your dignity.
What You'll Walk Away With
The credential is the byproduct. The mastery is the point. When we finish our work together, you won't just have a completed application — you'll have a fundamentally stronger coaching practice.
Credential-Ready Recording
A polished session recording that clearly demonstrates ICF Core Competencies at the ACC or PCC level
Competency Fluency
Deep, intuitive understanding of how each competency appears in real coaching — not just on paper
Ethical Confidence
The ability to navigate complex ethical scenarios with clarity and conviction
Cleaner, Sharper Coaching
Coaching that is more powerful, more precise, and more impactful — long after the credential is earned
Your Investment: $3000
10 Hours of Mentor Coaching
Delivered over 3–6 months with a blend of 1:1 recording reviews, live observation, and focused skill practice
Group mentor coaching offered monthly as well
The credential is the byproduct.
The mastery is the point.
If you're ready to move from uncertainty to confidence — from "good enough" coaching to credential-level precision — this is your next step. Reach out to begin with a conversation about where you are today and where you want to be. Limited to 3 coaches per quarter.