Is Credentialing Worth It?

By Renee Fluty, MBA, PCC, ICFTN Director of Credentialing

“Is credentialing worth the investment of time, energy, and money?” is a question I was asked recently. This coach made a good case for not pursuing ICF credentialing: (1) Coaching is a non-regulated profession so credentialing is not required. (2) The coach has a successful practice without an ICF credential. And (3) the coach works in a specialized niche in which her expertise is what attracts clients. 

I have thought a lot about this and have concluded that she is right:  for some coaches, pursuing the ICF credential is not necessarily a good business decision. This led me to think back to my journey as a coach which began in 2004. For many years, I chose not to pursue an ICF credential. I worked full time as a licensed professional counselor first on a college campus, then in a community mental health clinic and finally, in my own private practice. I had developed a reputation as a facilitator for leadership workshops; coaching flowed easily from these combined reputations. I kept as busy as I wanted. 

Moving to Tennessee changed everything. I was no longer part of a network that kept referrals in my pipeline. Working on an ICF credential seemed like a logical step to take. As I explored this, I learned some surprising things about the value of the credential. I had assumed that earning an ACC or PCC credential would be a key to marketing a new practice in a new location. What I learned was that in many instances, that would not be the case. Coaching is still a relatively new profession and because we are not externally regulated, having a credential is not mandatory with a few exceptions. Many government entities will only hire ICF credentialed coaches. And, increasingly, business coaches need to be credentialed, especially executive coaches, if they are working for a company. 

So, does it make sense to pursue an ICF credential after coaching for 15+ years? I think the key to answering this question is returning to my “Why.” Why did I choose to add coaching to my skill set in the first place? I recognized that the college students I was working with as a counselor often needed something different from therapy and discovered that coaching met the need. After retiring as a counselor, how did I know that the coaching I was offering continued to meet the same standards as my counseling license? For me, the ICF PCC credential became my measuring tool. Pursuing the credential kept my personal bar high and gave me confidence that I was meeting my clients with the skills and coaching mindset that will best serve them.