I love being a coach. And I keep hearing from other coaches how much they love their work. A number of physicians I talk to are interested in becoming trained so they can do Wellness Coaching. These doctors want to have more time with their patients and be able to help them from more of a preventative perspective. Others want to coach healthcare professionals with burnout, or become a leadership coach and work with executives.
There really is no limit to what kind of coach someone can become; if there is a demand for the services, the niche can be viable. I recently heard of a surgeon who does dream coaching. She helps her clients with their life and goals through working with their dreams!
If you think coaching might be a good fit for you, there are ways to explore this direction without committing significant time and money. The International Coach Federation (ICF), has a list of the 40+ accredited coaching programs in the United States. You can contact these programs to see which ones offer an introductory coaching course.
I did my training at Coaches Training Institute (CTI), which allows individuals to take their introductory course without committing to the entire program. This 3-day on-site course costs $ 925 and comes with a money-back guarantee. Coach U offers a 4 week teleclass, Becoming a Coach, to help prospective students discover if coaching is right for them ($69).
The financial investment to become a certified coach through one of the ICF accredited programs ranges from $5,600 to $11,000. To complete all the requirements takes approximately 9 months to 1 year. If you have some flexibility in your schedule, you could complete this training while continuing in your current position. Many of the programs require some of the training to be “on-site,” however there are those that offer a distance learning option.
Accredited programs require 125 hours of training in the core curriculum, observed coaching sessions, and a final examination.
One of the best parts of my training was the requirement to have 5 actual clients when going through the certification portion. Some of the client calls were recorded (with permission of course!) and then evaluated by the supervisors. This type of feed-back was invaluable in the learning process. Another great benefit of the training was all of the coaching from fellow classmates. Inevitably, positive changes start occurring as a natural result from the intensive coaching.
In September, I will be speaking about Professional Coaching at the SEAK Non-Clinical Careers Conference. If you have questions about becoming a coach, please feel free to contact me.
Disclaimer: I do not have a financial affiliation with CTI or any other coaching programs.
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