The Benefits of Mentoring for All Coaches

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ICF Coaches: For every hour you work with a mentor, you earn continuing education credits, which fulfill a requirement some coaches have for ten mentoring hours every three years.

But what if your coach certification path does not require Mentoring as part of your professional development? Is it still an option worth considering? I think so, and here are five reasons why.

1. For every Mentoring hour you complete, you also earn a continuing education unit (CCE), which counts towards the 40 CCEs required to renew your certification every three years. If you complete 10 hours of mentoring,  you’ll enter those 10 CCE hours on your ICF credential application. I look at it as high-value learning for my professional development goals.

2. Mentoring is additional learning about the Core Competencies and Ethical standards we were introduced to in our original coach training. Have the Competencies and Ethical standards been revised since you became an ICF Coach? Participating in a group environment allows us to practice the latest coaching skills while learning from other coaches and a mentor.

3. The required three hours of individual mentoring allows you to really fine-tune where you want to strengthen your skills and opens your eyes to opportunities for growth. Bring your questions about the trickiest areas of your coaching practice and receive customized mentoring in response.

4. Mentoring introduces us to new-to-us coaches and a new network as we get to know each other on a deeper level. I am still working with a dozen coaches I met at Coach Training in 2005, let alone all the contacts I’ve made since then!

5. Group and one-on-one mentoring can be scary for some. Others will listen to our coaching and provide feedback, which opens us up to risk. As your mentor/facilitator, I will create and maintain a critique-free and safe learning environment that maximizes the transfer of learning as well as enjoyment!

Note: I received confirmation from the ICF that all coaches may engage in mentoring and claim those hours toward their 40-hour continuing education requirements.

From the ICF, 9/18/2024: “Yes, PCCs can use mentor coaching or coaching supervision towards the renewal and count as Core Competency credits.”

View a sample renewal application with screenshots and instructions showing you how to complete and submit the renewal.

Questions? Let’s chat!

Anne Kelly, PCC

“ICF Credentialing Confusion Buster”