If you are a working professional looking to leverage your academic and work experience into a coaching credential, enrolling in a board certified life coach training program can sharpen both your coaching skills and technical abilities. In addition, becoming a Board Certified Coach (BCC) offers a unique and very specific advantage: instant credibility.

Created by the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), the BCC certification encompasses an extensive range of coursework related to the practice of coaching, as well as individual training that are geared to your area of expertise.

A BCC credential demonstrates to the public that you are familiar with and have successfully met standards and requirements for:

• Education and training 
• Coaching ethics
• Coaching experience
• Professional peer review and referral

That aside, a BCC credential also requires you to pass a psychometrically sound coach-specific examination and commit to continuing education as you progress throughout your career. Through independent third-party verification, the BCC credential provides evidence that you have successfully shown how to leverage your experience to the benefit of others.

Types of Board Certified Life Coach Training Programs

Most professionals who pursue the BCC certification currently have a background or operate a business that is very similar to coaching, like therapy, medicine, healing, and social work. However, this might not always be the case as many corporate executives have transitioned into coaching through the BCC path.

A BCC credential allows working professionals to merge their work experiences and educational qualifications with the techniques of coaching, thereby becoming a professional coach. Their verifiable work experience and resume qualify them to offer coaching services as a true expert in their field. 

When deciding to become a BCC, you can choose one of the following paths, depending on your educational background.

• Professionals with a PhD/Doctoral degree in Counselling or Behavioral Science, Master’s and higher degree in Counselling, licensed counselors as well as National Certified Counselors are eligible to obtain the BCC credential by taking 30 hours of board certified life coach training from a CCE-approved coach training provider.
• Professionals with a Master’s degree in Social or Behavioral Sciences are eligible to obtain the Board Certified Coach credential by taking 60 hours of coaching training from a CCE-approved coach training provider.
• Professionals with a Bachelor’s degree or higher in any field are eligible to obtain the Board Certified Coach credential by taking 120 hours of coaching training from a CCE-approved coach training provider.

A board certified life coaching training program provides strong grounding in coaching principles, practices, core competencies, and ethics, as well as “gap areas” not addressed in previous professional training, allowing you to quickly transition to coaching.

Apart from these training programs, the CCE also offers specialty designations that allow you to further position yourself as a subject matter expert within specific coaching practices. These specialty designations are voluntary accompaniments to the BCC credential and include the following:

• Personal/Life Coach
• Health and Wellness Coach
• Career Coach
• Executive/Corporate/Business/Leadership Coach

Maintaining Your BCC Credential

Finally, to ensure your familiarity with the most up-to-date best practices as well as any changes to the CCE’s policies and procedures, you’ll need to recertify your BCC credential every five years. Within that period of time, you will also be required to complete 70 hours of continuing education each year to maintain your certification and pay an annual fee of $40.

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