Join the Movement to Transform Education

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines life coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. In a beneficial coaching relationship, the client is honored as the expert of their life and work, and it is believed that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole. The role of a life coach is to provide support to enhance the resources, skills, and creativity that the client already has within.

Academic Life Coaching is the flagship program of Coach Training EDU. It was the first program that John Andrew Williams designed both as a coach for high school and college students as well as a training program accredited by the ICF. You can check out CTEDU’s other program offerings here.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, life coaching is defined as “an advisor who helps people make decisions, set and reach goals, or deal with problems.” At CTEDU, we acknowledge the latter half of that definition while eliminating the aspect of the definition that refers to coaches as advisors. Instead, we see coaches as students of their clients, with the purpose of asking meaningful questions to help their clients find the answers they need to achieve their goals. 

Academic Life Coaching takes traditional coaching concepts and applies them to students in an effort to help them develop the skills and tools they need to be successful both academically and socially. Topics like time management, study skills, and self-efficacy are address when coaches work with students.

If you enjoy working with students of all ages to help them define their academic and larger life goals and desired to dedicate your time to the success and well-being of these students, you would make an excellent Academic Life Coach. If you’re still not sure, consider asking yourself these questions: 

• What do I want to achieve by becoming a life coach?
• What kind of client will most benefit from my help?
• What topics am I most interested in addressing with my coaching practice? 

We are currently redesigning the coach directory on CTEDU. In the meantime, please contact us. We can usually give a recommendation of a few coaches for you to connect with.

An Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) is a thorough, comprehensive coach training experience that adheres to the International Coaching Federation’s standards and requirements for certifying coaches. Coach Training EDU offers three ACTP programs, including Wellness, Executive, and Academic Coach Training. 

The training was developed in the US and uses US-based terms for secondary, undergraduate, and post-graduate terms. However, the core training–empathy, active listening, and curiosity–which leads to empowering students and clients to make more mindful and creative actions transcends nationality. In addition, Coach Training EDU also offers an Inclusion and Diversity course, which is highly recommended and has had a powerful impact on participants’ awareness and understanding of challenging issues. CTEDU and the ALC training program actively embrace an inclusive culture with awareness of the mechanics of privilege and celebrating diversity

Academic Coaching focuses on being the student of your client. Instead of providing direct advice or teaching, academic coaches focus on asking their students questions that elicit deeper learning and understanding. Academic coaches trust in the natural intuition and internal resources of their students to help them come to their own conclusions. That said, there may be times that academic coaches need to provide information, such as information that their students don’t already know or have access to. In these moments, coaches provide the information, and without telling the student what to do, ask them questions to help them determine what they want to do with the new information they’ve been provided.

Yes! Coach Training EDU offers three specific areas of specialization: Executive, Wellness, and Academic coaching. 

Coach Training EDU is the official parent company of Academic Life Coaching, which is one of four programs CTEDU offers.

We have been training coaches since 2009, when we started out as the Academic Life Coach Training program.

Since 2009, we have trained over 3,000 coaches globally.

The University of Oklahoma has sent nearly 80 advisors and faculty through the ALC program. Other universities include: Portland State, Southern Alaska University, New York University, New York University Abu Dhabi, Texas Tech University, and University of Boulder Colorado to name a few.

We offer a ton of resources for coaches beyond graduation from our program. 

• Coaching Pods: Signing up for a coaching pod will pair you with two other CTEDU coaches looking to sharpen their coaching skills. With your pod, you can determine the frequency at which you meet to practice.
• Power Hours: Bi-weekly sessions that focus on a specific topic and allow coaches to practice their coaching tools in breakout sessions with a partner. 
• Workshops & Webinars: Throughout the year, we offer several workshops and webinars for our coaching to community to learn from. Topics include everything from business building to working with specific niche clients.