ICF Mentor Coaching: Complete Guide
Mentor coaching is a required component of ICF credentialing. It's where you receive feedback on your coaching practice from an experienced coach, specifically focused on developing your ICF competencies.
What Is ICF Mentor Coaching?
Mentor coaching is coaching provided by an ICF-credentialed coach who observes and gives feedback on your coaching. Unlike supervision (which is reflective) or coaching (which is client-directed), mentor coaching specifically focuses on developing your ICF Core Competencies. Your mentor coach will listen to recordings of your coaching sessions and provide detailed feedback on your strengths and development areas.
Requirements by Credential Level
All ICF credentials require 10 hours of mentor coaching: at least 3 hours must be individual (one-on-one) sessions, the remaining hours can be in group mentor coaching, and mentor coaching must take place over a minimum of 3 months. For ACC, your mentor coach must hold PCC or MCC. For PCC, your mentor must hold MCC. For MCC, your mentor must be an experienced MCC.
What Happens in Mentor Coaching Sessions
A typical mentor coaching engagement looks like this: You record coaching sessions with real clients (with their permission). Your mentor coach listens to recordings and identifies competency strengths and gaps. In individual sessions, you discuss specific moments from your sessions. Your mentor helps you understand what ICF-level coaching looks like. You set goals for competency development between sessions.
How to Prepare for Mentor Coaching
Come prepared to mentor coaching by recording practice sessions in advance, self-assessing your sessions against ICF competencies, identifying specific areas where you want feedback, and being open to honest evaluation. AI coaching practice tools can help you prepare — practice sessions with instant ICF feedback help you identify your patterns before mentor coaching, making those expensive hours more productive.
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