A life coach can help people set and achieve goals, identify areas of their lives that need changing, support them in those changes, and stand by them as they navigate challenges and successes. And with a life coach certification program, you can be trained to do all this while meeting a certain standard of care. The best way to get certified is to participate in a program accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), one of the industry’s only recognized authorities. “You also want to determine if the program you’re considering offers different levels of certification and what is involved with getting additional coaching education and credentialing,” says Sherri Gordon, CLC. The right program can help you launch your career and find clients.
I’m a licensed social worker and mental health professional, and I’ve researched and reviewed 30 different life coach certification programs. These seven certification options are the ones I would recommend if a loved one wanted to become a life coach—or was interested in hiring one.
Our Favorite Certification Programs
Is A Life Coaching Certification Right for You?
Life coaching can be a meaningful (and sometimes lucrative) way to make a difference in the world. If you’re curious, here are some things to know about life coaching programs, and life as a life coach.
- What a life coach does: A life coach can help people identify priorities, work through challenges, and institute change. You don’t technically need training to be a life coach, but ICF-certified programs will teach you how to be an ethical, effective operator, which in turn will help you earn and retain clients.
- What a life coach earns: Typically, a life coach is a small business owner, so building a list of clients depends on your business savvy. And fees can vary wildly depending on your experience and expertise. For example, according to Zip Recruiter, in New York, rates generally range from $14 to $25 an hour. However, according to Gordon, more seasoned and credentialed coaches charge anywhere from $75 to $250 an hour. Note that some of these programs, like the Health Coach Institute and Integrative Wellness Academy, help train you in business and gain clients.
- How long certification takes: Some programs offer certification in as little as three days, while others last up to two years. Longer programs usually mean more education and more hours of practice, which ultimately mean more expertise that you can market as a selling point to your services.
- How much it costs: Certification programs often cost thousands of dollars. The ones featured here range between $1,200 and $14,000 for both live and online training programs, although one short, self-guided course costs $160 for around seven hours of training.
The Difference Between Coaching and Therapy
If you’re looking for or want to become a therapist, it’s important to note that life coaches and therapists are not the same and life coaching should not be used to substitute mental health therapy. Life coaching can, however, complement therapy and is a good resource for individuals who do not have any mental health conditions or concerns.
According to Gordon, “a life coach helps you set and achieve goals important to you. They also can assist with problem-solving, provide accountability, and help with skill building. A therapist, on the other hand, addresses mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, helps you understand and manage emotions, and discusses issues that are bothering you. Without proper training, a life coach cannot provide therapy or mental health advice and should always refer a client with signs of depression and anxiety to a therapist.” If you’re looking for a therapist, we’ve tested and reviewed the best online therapy services.
Most Comprehensive: Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching
Pricing & Essential Info
- Cost: $13,995 for the full program or $2,995 for a basic certification—plans start at $350/month and discounts are available; $495 for one-day workshop
- Length: 3-day modules spaced out across 7 months, plus online education; one-day workshop
- Who It’s For: Coaches who want to expand their offerings
Pros
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Three different credentials earned through one program
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Live sessions and online program
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Extensive library of online resources and tools
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One-day workshop available
What Sets It Apart
I like the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) because it offers three different certifications:
- Certified Professional Coach (CPC), ICF’s basic certification
- Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP), which qualifies you to perform energy-based assessments of your clients’ perception of and approach to their personal lives and careers (similar to a Myers Briggs or Enneagram personality test)
- COR.E Dynamics Specialist in one of four “niches:” Life Coach, Executive Coach, Health & Wellness, and Sports & Performance, which gives you additional expertise in these coaching areas that you can advertise to clients
To me, this is where iPEC really shines—no other company I researched offers three separate certifications with one program. So if you want the most bang for your buck, this is your best bet.
“Overall, I am a big believer in continuing education and being well-versed in the fields you want to coach in,” says Gordon, “and if there is additional credentialing available in those areas consider pursuing it.”
iPEC’s program consists of three-day training sessions once every three months and over 320 hours of online coaching education, including 200 ICF-accredited training hours to give you a boost once you graduate from the program. Clearly, iPEC knows that the more practice you have, the better a life coach you’ll be.
Plus, if you’re interested in dipping your toes into the life coaching world but can’t commit to the length or the price of the longer program, iPEC offers a one-day foundational skills workshop for $495.
I love that you can choose to participate in the training sessions online or in-person (in various locations across the country, including New York, Atlanta, Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, and Austin), making iPEC’s program highly accessible. And besides these three-day trainings, every other part of the certification program is available online in the form of self-study materials like e-workbooks, on-demand webinars, and 1:1 virtual coaching with a mentor—providing even more accessibility.
Best Three-Day Program: Certified Life Coach Institute Life Coach Certification
Certified Life Coach Institute
Pricing & Essential Info
- Cost: Coaching 101: $1,295; Coaching 102: $1,495. You can bundle both 101 and 102 for $2,495. Payment plans are available.
- Length: Three days of immersive intensive training
- Who It’s For: People looking for quick certification
Pros
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Whole program is only 3 days
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Offers follow-up course for further training
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Great introduction to the basics of coaching
What Sets It Apart
For quick, easy, and affordable life coach certification, Certified Life Coach Institute is in a league of its own. I love that here, you can get an ICF Accredited Foundational Certification in just 33 hours, spread across a three-day training. This training, called Coaching 101, is “a life coach foundations and skills class that teaches the core ins-&-outs skills necessary to be a professional life coach,” according to the website. Translation: come here for the basics, leave with a real-life certification.
But the Certified Life Coach Institute doesn’t stop there. If you’re looking for more in-depth training, the company also offers a Coaching 102 certification, for graduates of Coaching 101 or for anyone with 30 ICF contact learning hours. I especially appreciate this low barrier to entry, which makes it easy for just about anyone to get a more advanced certification.
This additional three-day program is 37 hours, compared to 101’s 33, and provides “hands-on peer-to-peer coaching, guided by seasoned CLCI faculty who provide personalized feedback, pro-level tools, and strategies to elevate your coaching practice.” Translation: personal attention from professionals to help you build your business.
The downside? You only get 70 hours of training at the most, which doesn’t compare to the hundreds of hours included in other certification programs. Though for some, this might also be its appeal. If you want to jump head-first into a life coach certification, the Certified Life Coach Institute might be the pool you want to dive into.
Best Health-Focused: Health Coach Institute Dual Life and Health Coaching Certification
Health Coach Institute
Pricing and Essential Info
- Cost: $7,950 upfront or a 12-month payment plan of $662.50 per month
- Length: 6-month online program
- Who It’s For: People who want dual certification in life coaching and health coaching
Pros
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Dual life and health coach certification from just one program
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Program based on psychology and neuroscience
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Comprehensive program with four niche “pillars”
What Sets It Apart
Can’t decide between becoming a life coach and becoming a health coach? At the Health Coach Institute, you can do both, with just one program. The Health Coach Institute offers two certifications in one: Certified Health Coach and Certified Life Coach. While a life coach can provide guidance on general wellbeing, such as making decisions, breaking bad habits, and setting and achieving goals, health coaches focus in particular on physical and mental health and supporting clients in their health-related concerns.
I love that you don’t have to compromise with this program—the Health Coach Institute recognizes that there are overlaps between life coaching and health coaching, and it doesn’t make you choose between them.
Plus, two certifications for just under $8,000? Sign me up!
I really appreciate the wide scope of training you’ll receive at the Health Coach Institute. There are four “pillars” included in this program’s comprehensive health and life coach training:
- Holistic Nutrition for Coaches, so you’re qualified to help clients with eating issues
- Habit Change Coaching Method, so you’re qualified to help clients recognize and alter harmful habits
- Personal Growth (the Life Coach Certificate), so you’re qualified to provide basic life coaching to your clients
- Proven Marketing and Simple Business Systems, so you’re prepared to build your private coaching business based on tried-and-true methods
With training in these four main coaching skills, you’ll be prepared for just about any issue you might come across in your coaching career.
The Health Coach Institute’s 100% online program is self-guided—the website says to expect to spend four to five hours a week on your coursework for six months. To me, that seems doable for just about anyone that’s dedicated to getting certified. And once those six months are up, you’ll have two separate certifications for your efforts: a health coach certificate and a life coach certificate.
Best for Career Development: Integrative Wellness Academy Master Integrative Life Coaching Program
Integrative Wellness Academy
Pricing and Essential Info
- Cost: Cost: $2,499 for Master Integrative Life Coaching course with two payment options: a 6-month payment plan at $416.50 per month and a 3-month payment plan at $833 per month
- Length: Six months
- Who It’s For: Current certified life coaches who want to expand their skills and practice
Pros
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“Master” (advanced) certification
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Teaches a range of high-level coaching techniques
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Covers a wide variety of topics including health and wellness, career and finance, and relationship coaching
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Dual enrollment in both basic and master courses possible
What Sets It Apart
In my opinion, if you’re a life coach, it’s always a good idea to pursue extra training in order to keep up your skills and knowledge. You owe it to your clients to be the best at what you do.
That’s where the Integrative Wellness Academy comes in. If you have already taken IWA’s Integrative Life Coaching course and are looking to take your coaching practice to the next level, try out IWA’s six-month Master Integrative Life Coaching (MILC) course.
I appreciate that this MILC course teaches “advanced” life coaching techniques such as Grief Recovery, Trauma Coaching, and Energy Work—training in these additional specialties makes you even more qualified to help your clients with these difficult challenges.
The MILC course also provides training in the “five coaching specialties:”
- Integrative life coaching—building on the basics
- Integrative relationship and family coaching—skills to help couples and families tackle problems and work together
- Integrative career, finance, and performance coaching—skills to coach clients who are having money troubles or challenges at work
- Integrative health and wellness coaching—skills to help clients who are struggling with health issues or who want to develop better wellness habits
- Integrative self-development and spiritual coaching—skills to support clients who want to explore their spirituality and focus on self-improvement
“I think the more focused your coaching practice, the better it is for you and your clients,” explains Gordon. “You have probably heard the popular phrase: jack of all trades, master of none. That said there are some areas of coaching that might overlap like self-improvement and wellness coaching. In these situations, it might be worth it to pursue additional certifications.”
This course also provides tools and resources to help you learn and develop your “business of life coaching skills,” including how to expand your practice and start group coaching. To me, this is one of the best offerings from this program; not only does it increase your life coaching skills, but it also readies you for the practical application of those skills and prepares you to build your business. Because without clients, what good is a life coach certification?
Here, you might be saying wait: I don’t have my Integrative Life Coaching certification from IWA. Never fear—IWA offers dual enrollment, so if you enroll in the full-payment option for MILC, you get the ILC course at no extra charge (a $1,200 value).
My only criticism? The Integrative Wellness Academy is not an ICF-accredited curriculum. But I think that what it does offer in terms of skills and resources still makes it worth recommending.
Best for Master Certification Prep: Institute for Life Coach Training Professional Certification
Institute for Life Coach Training
Pricing and Essential Info
- Cost: $7,700
- Length: 1.5-2 years
- Who It’s For: Coaches who want to prepare for higher level of certification
Pros
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An intensive and comprehensive training program
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Elective courses included in price
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Completion meets requirements for Level 2 Certificate of Completion and Professional Certified Coach
What Sets It Apart
Already a life coach but want to keep learning and growing in your skills and credentials? The Institute for Life Coach Training (ILCT) is our favorite program for you. An Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) by the ICF, ILCT’s Professional Certified Coach program is a straightforward credentialing path for life coaches who want to reach a higher level of coaching certification.
The best thing about this course, in my opinion, is the time commitment. This program requires 130 total hours of participation, including 88 hours of required courses and 42 hours of electives, across the span of one and a half to two years. No other program I researched gives you this much time to complete its courses, making it highly accessible to even the busiest people. And this makes sense, considering this program is designed for life coaches who are already practicing—even someone with a full-time coaching career can take part in this program in their (potentially limited) free time.
Besides giving you plenty of time to complete your 130 hours, you can choose your own electives and really design the program to cater to your specific interests, further setting this course apart from its competitors. And being able to advertise that you are trained in specific topics or niches can help set you apart from your competitors.
What the program lacks in total hours it makes up for in experience and expertise—to qualify for the Professional Certified Coach requirement, you’ll have to have 500 hours of coaching experience and pass ICF’s Coach Knowledge Assessment examination. Since coaches are generally not required to pass any kind of exam in order to become certified (unlike mental health professionals like therapists and psychologists, who must take exams to be licensed in the states in which they practice), this PCC program stands out to me by requiring its participants to be held to a higher standard than in other courses. And by the end of it, you’ll be a Professional Certified Coach recognized by ICF.
Best for a Career Change: Coach U
CoachU
Pricing and Essential Info
- Cost: $6,395; early bird rate of $5,995 if purchased at least 45 days before program
- Length: One 6-day intensive or two 3-day intensives
- Who It’s For: People who want basic life coaching skills (including those switching careers)
What Sets It Apart
Looking to make the leap into coaching, either full time or part time? Want to learn to incorporate life coaching skills into your non-coaching career? Either way, Coach U has you covered.
Coach U offers a “Core Essentials” (CE) Professional Coach Training Program that focuses on basic coaching skills and the incorporation of those skills into your current or prospective business, making it ideal for those who want to switch careers or build up their current professional endeavors with a coaching-based approach.
The CE course covers a wide variety of topics that are helpful for anyone switching careers and taking the leap into coaching, including:
- The “science and art of coaching”—insights into best practices for life coaching
- Development of coaching skills “to incorporate into other positions or professions”—expanding your career with coaching skills
- Training with “an emphasis on core, foundational skills”—making sure you get the basics
- Preparation to “become well-trained and masterful credentialed coaches”—doing the best work you can
The CE course is only 78 hours total, and can be taken as a 6-day intensive or two 3-day intensives. However, because the course itself is so short, there is extensive pre- and post-course work. I personally think this is a great approach: instead of relying on a mere 80 hours of training, this course asks you to be invested in your own education and to literally do the work.
This course qualifies you for an ACC (Associate Certified Coach) credential recognized by ICF, but Coach U also offers a second, follow-up training program called Professional Essentials (PE) that qualifies you for PCC ICF certification. This course can only be taken after the CE course is completed, and it costs the same.
Best for Personal Development: Life Purpose Life Coach Certification from Udemy
Udemy
Pricing and Essential Info
- Cost: $174.99
- Length: 6.5 hours of video (7 hours and 16 minutes total content)
- Who It’s For: Coaches who want to focus on life purpose with minimal training
What Sets It Apart
Sometimes, helping others helps you help yourself too—and this is certainly the case with the Life Purpose Life Coach Certification offered by Udemy. With a specific focus on helping your clients find their life’s purpose, the Udemy Life Purpose Coach course is short, affordable, and accessible.
With this unique focus, both you and your clients can benefit from this niche program. Learn how to support others in their search for purpose with what Udemy describes as a “proven, step-by-step system,” use this information to offer new services to your existing coaching clients, and obtain valuable resources in the form of workbook materials that both you and your clients can benefit from.
Another thing I love about this course is that it is not time-sensitive, nor does it ask you to commit to certain days or times for training. In fact, the videos are entirely on-demand, and you have lifetime access to all the materials. This guarantees that you can keep your skills sharp and your practice up-to-date.
A few things to note about this program, though. While exceptionally affordable—costing only $174.99, as compared to the thousands of dollars you can easily drop on other trainings—you only gain access to about seven hours of materials, and there is no live training involved at all. In addition, though it advertises that this course is “accredited,” it is not accredited with ICF. Instead, once the course is completed, you’ll receive an official life coach certification from Transformation Academy. But despite not being accredited with ICF, I still recommend it based on its niche focus and affordability.
