become an authentic iappc certified coach

There are many coach certifications available and organizations that certify coaches. Many people consider certification from a professional association to be more reliable than certification from a coaching school. IAPPC attracts coaches who are interested in a rigorous certification that is informed by peer-reviewed research and that they can achieve relatively  quickly. These coaches include those who work in such fields as personal growth, healthcare, university education, research, business, technology, communications, government, and more. Positive psychology is a large and growing field and we expect a certification in positive psychology coaching to be an important credential for coaches.

Historically, approaches to personal development have been more likely to die out when they aren't based on research. Plus, coaching needs to continue  growing to stay relevant and effective. The world has changed dramatically since the coaching profession emerged in the 1990's, when most coaches were located in North America and Western Europe and so were their clients. Today, coaching clients are truly multicultural, but most coach certifications are still based on what coaches have always done in the past. Like everyone else, coaches have biases  and peer-reviewed research helps uncover biases and get to the truth. Research is not perfect and it will never replace the creativity, empathy, and intuition that drove the massive growth of coaching over the past decades, but it can help the profession develop, improve, stay relevant, and meet the changing needs of coaching clients today and in the future. Plus, increasingly, many clients are demanding a research-basis for the coaching they receive and want to work with coaches who have credible credentials.

This is a registered service mark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office that is owned by the International Association of Positive Psychology Coaches. When a client works with a Certified Positive Psychology Coach® they can be confident they are working with an authentic IAPPC certified coach who has passed our rigorous certification process.

Yes,  we're already certifying our members as we test our process and learn what works best. We make certification available to all our members, as well as non-members. Members receive substantial discounts and additional services that can help them pass more quickly. To receive updates on when to apply for IAPPC certification, join us!

Our goal is a certification process that accurately measures the effectiveness of outstanding positive psychology coaches. This process must also reflect the growing body of research in this area, which will continue to change over time. To that end, we are experimenting with what works best and collecting data from our applicants for guidance. Variables that we are testing include: How much training do coaches really need to coach effectively? Does it matter whether the training is accredited by another organization? How much coaching should an applicant receive? Does it matter if their coach is certified and, if so,  by which organizations? What outcomes or indicators of success matter most in coach certification and how best to measure them? Read on for specifics.

Yes. Certification of non-trained coaches was tried by a previous organization. The result was that virtually all coaches who passed the certification had previous coach training. So, training appears to be important for certification success. However, the number  of coaching training hours, or length or training program we require, and whether accreditation matters may shift based on our certification results. 

No, not at this time. We are accepting certification applications from coaches who have trained at schools approved or accredited by several groups including CCE, IAC, ICF, and NBHWC, as well as from non-accredited schools. This openness may change as we collect more data on what variables are most  associated with certification success. However, early data does not support the need for accreditation.

No. This is considered a violation of privacy in some parts of the world. That said, we recommend that you coach clients at least five days per week for one year before you apply for certification. If you coach less often, you will likely need more time to get ready for our certification. Following this recommendation will increase your likelihood of passing on the first try and may save you disappointment and money.

Yes. Training in positive psychology is a must if you are a positive psychology coach. We are making basic self-paced training in positive psychology and coaching available at no extra charge to our members. Another source of free or inexpensive training is from Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs, which are self-paced. However, Stanford University has stated that fewer than 10% of MOOC participants complete their self-paced courses. One way to overcome this is to apply for the Certificate of Completion from the MOOC and complete all the requirements. We may require a Certificates of Completion from applicants who claim to have taken MOOCs in the future.

No. This can be your first and only certification. That said, coaches who are certified by ICF, IAC, CCE, and other organization have applied. Since no one coach organization is the gold standard in coaching, many coaches get certified by multiple organizations.

No. We will approve IAPPC certified coaches to train others in the IAPPC Positive Psychology Coaching Skills. These individuals may offer their own coach training or they may work for other organizations that want to offer training in the IAPPC Tools. We believe IAPPC  Approved Coach Trainer will be an important distinction. The first step on the path to becoming an Approved Coach Trainer, is to pass IAPPC certification.

No, but we will ask if you have been coached to see if this makes a difference. This is not the same as the Mentor Coach requirement of the ICF, which we consider training or tutoring. We want you to experience coaching as a client from an effective coach for two reasons. The first is that being coached is an important way to increase and maintain the mindset and personal  traits that are the important to effective coaching. The second is that becoming  coaching clients helps us experience coaching from our clients' perspectives and may help us become better coaches. 

Yes. The test is administered online and is the first step to certification. The test covers knowledge of coaching tools, coaching ethics, and positive psychology.

Yes, once you've passed the online test. Your sessions will be scored on how effective your coaching is. Early applicants have only needed one coaching session to pass. In future, we will require two recordings, 30 minutes long,  plus a transcript of each one. Choose recordings with good sound quality.

No, not unless you think you need it.  Your time is precious. Get training that best fills in the gaps in your knowledge and skill set. We are mainly interested in whether you can pass our  certification.