Become an ICF Certified Coach
An immersive, practice-based pathway to the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) designation. Unlock your potential, elevate your impact, and earn every learning and mentor coaching hour you need in one streamlined, supportive program.
The most efficient pathway to your ACC credential
The Coaching Essentials Program is an immersive, practice-based journey for aspiring coaches and leaders ready to develop world-class coaching skills. Through live workshops, hands-on practice, mentor coaching, and self-paced learning, you will build the skills, knowledge, and ethical grounding to coach with confidence. The program is fully aligned with International Coaching Federation (ICF) Level 1 standards. Upon completion, you will have fulfilled every coach-specific education and mentor coaching requirement needed to apply for the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) designation.
Built for professionals ready to coach with confidence
Whether you are adding coaching to your leadership toolkit or building coaching capacity across your organization, Coaching Essentials meets you where you are.
For Individual Professionals
- Leaders, managers, and consultants ready to add professional coaching to their toolkit
- Career changers building a new path in executive or leadership coaching
- HR, L&D, and talent development professionals seeking formal coaching credentials
- Internal coaches working with leaders and teams inside their organizations
- Therapists, counselors, and helping professionals expanding into coaching
For Organizations
- Companies building internal coaching capacity to support leadership development
- Teams investing in a shared coaching culture and a common skills language
- Organizations preparing high-potential leaders for senior roles
- HR and Talent teams seeking ICF-aligned credentials for their internal coaches
What you will learn and practice
The curriculum is built around the ICF Core Competencies and balanced across foundational coaching, applied leadership coaching, assessments, and business development. Every module combines instruction with live practice and feedback.
Core Workshops · 40 Hours
Coaching as a Practice
Understand what coaching is and what it is not. Distinguish coaching from consulting, managing, and mentoring. Learn the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics, and practice the foundational skills behind every coaching conversation.
Having Impactful Coaching Sessions
Lead powerful, structured conversations using Appreciative Inquiry and our PEC (Partner, Explore, Commit) Model. Master coaching agreements, confidentiality, and the rhythm that helps clients leave with clarity and commitment.
Leadership & Executive Coaching
Develop the specialized capabilities required to coach senior leaders. Explore leadership development domains, the contextual factors that shape executive coaching, and how to build meaningful coaching agendas for complex challenges.
Using Assessments During Coaching
Ethically integrate assessments like MBTI, LPI, and 360-feedback into your engagements. Practice interpreting results, surfacing blind spots, and delivering feedback that supports growth and self-awareness.
Creating a Thriving Coaching Business
Build the business foundation behind a successful practice. Define your niche, develop your brand, create client-acquisition strategies, design your offerings, and leave with a 90-day action plan.
Focused work on opening and closing sessions and building trust and presence, plus an advanced session 30 days after core training.
Personalized development with a PCC-certified mentor coach: 7 hours of small-group work and 3 hours of one-on-one review.
Ten on-demand modules that deepen your expertise. Begin anytime and complete on your own schedule.
Real coaching with paying clients from the early weeks. Your 25 to 30 paid hours count toward the 75 paid hours required to sit for the ICF ACC exam.
Ten Self-Paced Modules
Your program, hour by hour
| Component | Hours | What You Receive |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | 2 | Welcome, program walkthrough, ICF ACC pathway, and cohort kickoff |
| Core Workshops | 40 | Five immersive modules covering foundational and applied coaching |
| Skill-Building Sessions | 8.5 | Focused practice sessions and an advanced 30-day follow-up |
| Self-Paced Learning | 18 | Ten on-demand modules to deepen your expertise |
| Coach Education Total | 68.5 | Fully meets ICF Level 1 contact learning requirements |
| Mentor Coaching | 10 | Group and one-on-one mentoring with a PCC-certified coach |
| Practice Coaching | 25-30 | Paid coaching hours toward the 75 paid hours required for ICF ACC, part of the 100 total client hours (25 pro-bono and 75 paid) |
Three flexible formats
Every format delivers the same comprehensive curriculum and the same ICF ACC pathway. Choose the rhythm that fits your professional life and learning style.
9-Month Cohort
A steady, integrated journey with space to absorb and apply between sessions.
- Duration9 months
- Live sessions2 hrs every 1 to 2 weeks
- Total sessionsAbout 25, virtual
- DeliveryVirtual
Ideal if you
- Prefer steady pacing alongside a full professional life
- Value time to integrate each concept before moving on
- Want extended access to a cohort community over many months
Program rhythm
6-Week Full-Day
A focused, fast-paced cohort for professionals who can dedicate one full day each week.
- DurationAbout 10 weeks
- Live sessionsOne full day per week
- Daily hours9:00 AM to 5:30 PM
- DeliveryVirtual or In-Person
Ideal if you
- Want to complete coach training within roughly 10 weeks
- Can dedicate one full day per week (Fridays recommended)
- Are eager to begin coaching real clients quickly
Program rhythm
Weekend Cohort
Bi-weekly weekend training for working professionals who keep weekdays focused on their current role.
- Duration3 months
- Live sessions6 weekends, Sat & Sun
- Daily hours9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- DeliveryVirtual or In-Person
Ideal if you
- Want to preserve your weekday schedule for current work
- Prefer concentrated learning days over weekly short sessions
- Value bi-weekly off-weeks to integrate learning and coach clients
Program rhythm
Compare the formats
| At a Glance | 9-Month | 6-Week Full-Day | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total length | 9 months | About 10 weeks | About 4 months |
| Time per week | 2 to 4 hours | 1 full day plus integration | 12 weekend hours, biweekly |
| Delivery | Virtual | Virtual or In-Person | Virtual or In-Person |
| Coach education hours | 68.5 | 68.5 | 68.5 |
| Mentor coaching | 10 hours | 10 hours | 10 hours |
| Paid practice coaching | 25 to 30 hours | 25 to 30 hours | 25 to 30 hours |
| ICF ACC eligibility | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Why choose Performance Plus International
Tuition & enrollment options
Coaching Essentials is the most efficient and comprehensive pathway to earning every learning and mentor coaching hour required to apply for the ICF ACC designation.
- Pay in Full$5,900
- Two Payments$2,950 × 2
- Three Payments$2,000 + $1,950 + $1,950
- Pay in Full$5,400
- Two Payments$2,700 × 2
- Three Payments$1,800 × 3
Participated in any Performance Plus International learning engagement? You qualify for a $500 alumni discount. Just mention your prior PPI program when you enroll.
What's Included
- All live workshops, skill-building sessions, and the 30-day advanced session
- 10 hours of mentor coaching with a PCC-certified mentor coach
- Access to all 10 self-paced online modules (18 hours of learning)
- Program materials, LMS access, and cohort community
- Documentation of completed hours for your ICF ACC application
Corporate & group enrollment: Bringing a team or cohort from your organization? Contact us for group pricing, dedicated cohort scheduling, and custom enrollment options.
Your certification path starts with a conversation
We will learn about your goals, answer your questions, and help you choose the format that fits your life. Your path to becoming an ICF-certified coach starts here.
