ACC to PCC Pathway

If you already hold an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential and are now looking to develop further and apply for your Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential, this is the pathway for you!

Deepen your coaching practice and understanding of coaching psychology with our intermediate coaching education course: The Art and Alchemy of Coaching!

This course offers accredited coach-specific training hours from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Upon completion, participants will be able to progress from the ICF ACC to the PCC credential.

If you would like to progress from ICF ACC to achieving your PCC credential, there are five steps to follow:

1. Coaching Education:

The Art and Alchemy of Coaching is a Level 2 ICF-accredited coaching education course. The ACC to PCC package provides 89.25 ICF-accredited coaching education hours and, when added to your existing coach-specific training history, meets the ICF’s requirement of 125+ hours for your PCC application.

ICF-Accredited Coaching Education Level 2

2. Mentor Coaching:

You will have already completed a package of Mentor Coaching for your ACC credential application and so, in theory, there is no need to repeat that part of the process.

However, the purpose of Mentor Coaching is primarily to deepen your understanding and demonstration of the ICF Core Competencies and therefore your skills and confidence as a practicing coach, in this case at PCC level. To feel prepared and confident for your PCC Performance Evaluation, you may choose to engage in further Mentor Coaching. We are happy to explore if that would be helpful for you and to design a bespoke approach that meets your specific requirements.

Learn more about our Mentor Coaching packages.

3. Coaching Experience:

To be eligible for an ICF PCC credential you need to have at least 500 hours of coaching experience following the start of your coach-specific coaching education.

4. Performance Evaluation:

The performance evaluation process involves you submitting two recordings of you coaching regular clients who have hired you as a coach, and must last between 20- to 60-minutes, along with the corresponding transcript. This will be reviewed by Performance Evaluators.

5. ICF Credentialing Exam:

This is a computer-based written exam (administered by ICF Credentials and Standards) that is designed to measure your knowledge of and ability to apply the ICF definition of coaching, ICF Core Competencies and ICF Code of Ethics.

Our programmes are offered in English.

Coach Advancement specialises in developing great coaches (both external professional coaches and internal to organisations), supporting leaders to have strong coaching skills and enabling organisations to positively inform culture, leadership, employee development and engagement through coaching. We do this by:

  • working exclusively with small groups — our purpose is not to produce hundreds of coaches, it is to develop and support great coaches! We do this by offering you a personalised service and development pathway to meet your own wants and needs.
  • cultivating a learning experience that enables deep professional growth in the discipline of coaching as well as significant personal growth as part of the process.
  • working with participants from a variety of backgrounds, countries, cultures, regions and timezones – coaching is a global profession and every human being is different. We explore how we can most effectively partner with our clients, whoever they are, wherever they are from and whatever their context, so that we can be the best coach we can be in as many different contexts as possible.
  • offering you award-winning and best-in-class tutors and mentor coaches who provide you with daily observation and feedback opportunities (of full coaching sessions) as well as daily coaching demonstrations.
  • aligning our curriculum with award-winning Tracy Sinclair’s best-selling book, Becoming a Coach: The Essential ICF Guide, which offers the only fully comprehensive coverage of the ICF Core Competency model and has been adopted by many coaching schools and universities worldwide as a core text for coaching education.
  • inviting you to be part of our active and highly supportive alumni community, where you can continue to grow and benefit from having invested in us for your learning and development, by accessing our very popular and valuable benefits package.

In order to maintain our high standards and quality of coaching education and personal service, we only run our programmes twice a year (Spring and Autumn). We hold a waitlist of those interested in joining us and we encourage you to book early to avoid disappointment! We offer interest-free payment plans for programme fees if useful as well as significant discounts for early bookings.

Almost all of our participants find us through positive referrals, and so, if you’d like to know what they say, take a quick look at some of our alumni testimonials.

If this sounds like the kind of programme you’d like to be part of, get in touch. We’d love to explore it with you!

Recommended for:

ICF ACC Credentialed Coaches

This programme is ideal for coaches holding an ICF ACC credential who are now looking to complete additional coach-specific training for their ICF PCC credential application.

Our programmes are offered in English.

The time to achieve your ICF PCC credential can vary greatly depending upon many factors, such as: how much coaching you are doing, your budgeting preferences and your pace of development or scheduling preferences. The table below offers an approximate/minimum timeline as a guideline; however, you may want or need more flexibility. For example, you may already be close to logging 500+ hours of coaching experience by the time you start your PCC level training, or you may still have a way to go; you may feel comfortable to apply for your PCC credential without any additional Mentor Coaching, or you may want to do a little more to help you feel fully prepared etc. We are very happy to assist you in finding a timeline that suits you!

Step Component Approximate Timeline
1 Coaching Education (A&A) 6 months
2 Mentor Coaching (MCG) Optional 4 months
3 Coaching Experience 3-6 months +
4 Performance Evaluation (PCC) 2 months +
5 ICF Credentialing Exam 0-1 month
TOTAL 9-18 months +

Learn more about the ICF PCC credential pathway. If you’re not sure about which pathway or programme to choose, contact us and we can help find the right pathway for you!

The Art and Alchemy of Coaching Course Content

Module 1: The Doing of Professional Coaching

The first module is an advanced exploration and practice of the ICF Core Competencies that enables you to be confident of your coaching skills at the ICF Gold Standard Professional Certified Coach level. You will enriching your coaching practice through deeper exploration of the work the client needs to do in order to enable them to enhance their own learning, self-awareness and development.

Curriculum includes:

  • Deep Dive on ICF Core Competencies 3, 6, and 7.
  • Listening for the person through language (minimising, metaprograms, language and preferences, language and biases/filters, the 4th Level of Listening).
  • Exploration of the fullness and richness of contracting, levels of contracting, partnering in contracting.
  • Partnering for psychological equality and a client-centred relationship.
  • Styles of intervention.
  • Use of challenge.
  • Reframing perspectives and perceptual positions.
  • Daily coaching practice with PCC+ level feedback.
  • Daily demonstrations of coaching at PCC+ level.
  • Daily exercises to explore the ICF Core Competencies at PCC+ level.
  • Daily exercise to explore the use of models and theories taught in coaching practice.

Module 2: The Being of Professional Coaching

This module highlights the importance of the being of the coach in terms of your mindset, ongoing personal and professional development and coaching presence to underpin the professionalism and quality of your coaching practice. It focusses on coaching the person when working with clients and establishing the conditions for effective coaching practice through the deep trust and safety that is enabled through partnering.

Curriculum includes:

  • Deep dive on ICF Core Competencies 1, 2, 4 and 5.
  • Cultivating trust and safety.
  • Time to think.
  • The relevance of client context.
  • Openness and transparency (navigating boundaries).
  • Working with strong emotions and managing our own emotions.
  • Embodying a coaching mindset.
  • Being into doing.
  • Silence is truly golden.
  • Ethical matters.
  • Deepening the “Being”.
  • Daily coaching practice with PCC+ level feedback.
  • Daily demonstrations of coaching at PCC+ level.
  • Daily exercises to explore the ICF Core Competencies at PCC+ level.
  • Daily exercise to explore the use of models and theories taught in coaching practice.

Module 3: Art & Alchemy

The final module integrates the doing and the being of coaching into a natural, creative and transformative conversation that leads to client growth. You will transition from being a competent technical practitioner to an Alchemist—displaying artistry as you work with your clients in the dance of coaching.

Curriculum includes:

    • Deep dive on ICF Core Competency 8.
    • Transactional vs. transformational coaching.
    • Topic vs. person.
    • Working with the whole person.
    • From steps and actions to growth and potential.
    • How am I an artist when I coach?
    • What does alchemy now mean for me in my coaching practice?
    • Integration exercises.
    • Daily coaching practice with PCC+ level feedback.
    • Daily demonstrations of coaching at PCC+ level.
    • Daily exercises to explore the ICF Core Competencies at PCC+ level.
    • Daily exercise to explore the use of models and theories taught in coaching practice.
    • And more!

Spring 2024 Live Online

Module 1:

  • Kick-off Session: February 16, 2024, 2pm – 3pm (London time)
  • Virtual workshops: February 22, 23 & 26, 2024, 9am – 5pm (London time)
  • Observed Coaching Practice Session: March 15, 2024, 9am – 12.30pm (London time)

Module 2: 

  • Virtual Workshops: April 11, 12 & 15 2024, 9am – 5pm (London time)
  • Observed Coaching Practice Session: May 3, 2024, 9am – 12.30pm (London time)

Module 3: 

  • Virtual Workshops: June 6, 7 & 10, 2024, 9am – 5pm (London time)
  • Observed Coaching Practice/Final Session: July 5, 2024, 9am – 12.30pm (London time)

Autumn 2024 Live Online

Module 1:

      • Kick-off Session: September 20, 2024, 10am – 11am (London time)
      • Virtual workshops: September 26, 27 & 30, 2024, 9am – 5pm (London time)
      • Observed Coaching Practice Session: October 18, 2024, 9am – 12.30pm (London time)

Module 2: 

      • Virtual Workshops: November 21, 22 & 25, 2024, 9am – 5pm (London time)
      • Observed Coaching Practice Session: December 13, 2024, 9am – 12.30pm (London time)

Module 3: 

      • Virtual Workshops: January 23, 24 & 27, 2025, 9am – 5pm (London time)
      • Observed Coaching Practice/Final Session: February 14, 2025, 9am – 12.30pm (London time)

If you are an organisation wanting to run this programme internally for a group, please contact us directly to discuss further.

Your Investment

Our ACC to PCC package includes:

      • Art and Alchemy of Coaching course (PCC Level 2 Coaching Education) (10.5 days of learning in our virtual classroom)
      • Access to a coaching Resource Pack and in-depth ICF Core Competency video series
      • Live Practice Peer Coaching Groups
      • Performance Evaluation and Certification (at PCC Level)
      • Access to post-programme Coach Advancement Alumni Community with associated alumni benefits

The programme fee for our ACC to PCC Pathway is £7,495 (inc taxes) and we are delighted to offer you the following discount opportunities:

  • Register before May 17, 2024 for a total of £5,495 (inc taxes) saving you £2,000!
  • Register between May 18 and July 12, 2024 for a total of £6,495 (inc taxes) saving you £1,000!
  • Register from July 13, 2024 onwards for the regular full price of £7,495 (inc taxes)

Register early and secure the best price for this full ICF Accredited Coach Diploma package!

We are happy to offer staged instalment payment plans for self-funded students to help spread the cost across your development timeline. See options on the checkout page.

If you would like to add additional Mentor Coaching hours to help you feel fully prepared for the PCC Level Performance Evaluation process, we will be pleased to create a bespoke approach to suit your requirements. View our Mentor Coaching packages.

Alumni Benefits

We value our alumni community. Once you’ve completed a coach training programme with Coach Advancement by Tracy Sinclair, you will unlock a number of exclusive benefits including discounts, coaching clinics, peer coaching, social impact project opportunities and more! Learn more about the ways we continue to support coaches who have trained with us here

I’m interested in the ACC to PCC Pathway!

Have questions? Not sure which pathway is right for you?

Let us know! We’d love to help you on your coaching journey.

ALUMNI STORIES

Andra Tocaciu
Coaching for High Performance
Andra Tocaciu
Coaching for Agility
Femi Odelusi
Kate Adams, Coach Advancement Alumni
Coaching for Sustainability
Kate Adams
Kate Jennings
Learning the Alchemy of Coaching
Kate Jennings

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