Continuing Education & Professional Development
Take the next step in your career with our range of self-paced and live elective courses at the Youth Coaching Institute. These offerings are ideal for youth-serving professionals, schools, agencies, parents, and certified coaches seeking to enhance their skillsets and learn how to coach your teenager, support teens with attitude, and expand their ability to help teens build confidence, motivation, and mental resilience.

Empower Youth With Effective Coaching Techniques
As a mentor, youth advocate, teacher, or other youth-serving professional, you are already interacting and making an impact in the lives of today’s youth. However, mentoring youth can be challenging when you don’t feel you have the expertise and formal skills necessary to guide them down the right path.
Developing your coaching skills can help you:
Enhance how you serve youth in your profession
Help teens make better career decisions
Guide teens in building self-esteem, motivation, resilience, and engagement
Improve your classroom management skills
Discover positive interventions for youth mental health
Foster strong relationships and trust with teens
Effectively manage and resolve conflicts among young individuals
Developing these coaching skills through our programs empowers you to make a more profound and positive impact in the lives of the youth you work with.
Explore Our Elective Course Offerings
Our elective courses are globally accessible through Zoom and online platforms, perfect for professionals who want to build practical, scalable tools for coaching adolescents and young adults. Whether you’re focused on body image issues in teens, building communication skills, or teen depression awareness, we have a training that meets your goals.
Individual Lectures
Self-Study
These 1-hour lectures provide continuing education for coaches, covering diverse topics like Motivational Interviewing, Positive Psychology, Parent Coaching, Mindfulness, and more.
Coaching Adolescents
Self-Study
Designed for certified coaches seeking specialization in coaching tweens, teens, and young adults, this course focuses on adolescent development and resilience building.
Lifestyle Medicine for Adolescents
Self-Study
This course equips coaches with the skills to address health and wellness issues through lifestyle interventions, covering topics like health and wellness goal setting, nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and techniques for sustaining wellness change.
Have Questions? Schedule a Q&A With Us.
Whether you have some coaching experience under your belt, want to better serve youth in your profession, or are exploring a profitable and fulfilling career choice, we’re here to guide you on the best path forward. Fill out our contact form or schedule a live 20-minute Q&A to learn more.

Global Access to Learning
Embracing the diversity and needs of trainees worldwide, our courses are delivered entirely online. This global approach not only breaks geographical barriers but also fosters a rich, multicultural learning environment. Wherever you are in the world, you can join our community and benefit from our comprehensive coaching programs.
Why Choose the Youth Coaching Institute?
Evidence-Based Approach
Our curriculum is grounded in research on adolescent development, motivation, and wellness coaching. We focus on adolescent interventions that enhance self-perceptions, engagement, and positive behaviors while reducing challenges.
Community of Social Change Agents
At YCI, we are dedicated youth advocates, educators, and life coaches focused on helping the next generation thrive. Having transformed from our adolescent struggles into thriving adults, we are committed to guiding the youth through their journeys into successful adults.
Flexible and Virtual Learning Environment
Our virtual coaching certifications accommodates even the busiest lifestyles and is designed for professionals across the globe, ensuring a seamless learning experience. We offer both live and self-paced courses.
International Coaching Federation Accreditation
Stand out in the field of youth coaching with our internationally recognized certifications. The ICF is one of the highest-regarded coaching certification organizations, known for its stringent education and rigorous credentialing.
Reach Out to Us to Learn More
Have questions or want to speak with a member of our team? Schedule a meeting or reach out to us directly, and we’ll be happy to assist you on your coaching journey.
EXCELLENT Based on 53 reviews Mary Bloser2025-07-12 I can't say enough about YCI. If you really want to learn how to coach, this is your program! It really breaks down the fundamentals and teaches you how to coach in a pure fashion. I'm not even done with the program and my confidence in my coaching has grown enormously. Also, I love how the program is so current and research-based around coaching techniques and adolescent science. The YCI staff are kind and very professional. Lynn Faitrouni2025-06-30 Highly recommended! This experience was genuinely life-changing, it helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect, both personally and professionally. I felt seen, supported, and deeply encouraged every step of the way. Jeannie Sorensen2025-05-29 I just finished the Coaching Adolescents course and absolutely loved it. The scope, depth and utility of the information is outstanding and I feel far more prepared to coach youth than I did before taking the course. Thank you for putting this together in such a thoughtful, fluid way and grounding each segment in research. I will be recommending this course every chance I get! Marija Durakovich2025-05-29 The Certified Youth Resilience Coaching program has exceeded my expectations and has definitely been worth the investment. Recalling Dr. Leah's words at the start of the program that ''this program will also change you in your personal life'' I can definitely attest to that. This was my first exposure to coaching and it has solidified my plans to start a private practice coaching youth (in Europe where I reside). The YCI is in terms of professionalism, organization, feedback, and practical experience top-notch (this is coming from a person who graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and is a fanatic when it comes to loyalty, organization, and experiential learning). Tyshonna Delaney2025-05-13 My experience with The Youth Coaching Institute has been nothing short of life-changing. The training was thoughtfully designed, truly aligned with the development of coaches, and provides resources and community for coaches. The instructors were not only experts in the field, but also incredibly supportive and engaging throughout the process. I successfully and confidently completed YCI feeling fully equipped to support youth in meaningful, strengths-based ways. The community of fellow trainees was also inspiring—diverse, passionate, and deeply committed to making a difference. Whether you're new to coaching or looking to specialize in youth development, YCI is a great organization to support your goals. I highly recommend it to anyone serious about empowering the next generation. Shyla Mathews2025-04-08 I have just completed CYWC with Dr Leah and Team! Highly recommend this training if you are looking at starting your coaching journey. The pacing of the programme is well planned with all the materials prepared well and very informative. Learnt so much and Dr Leah is very responsive to all my questions. Анна Крбашян2025-03-09 I recently completed the coaching certification course, and I couldn’t be happier with my experience! Dr. Leah is an amazing instructor—professional, supportive, and incredibly knowledgeable. From the very first session, I could tell I was in good hands. The course was engaging, and I loved every minute of it, even though I wasn’t sure what to expect at first. The material was well-structured, and Dr. Leah’s teaching style made it easy to understand even complex concepts. I also appreciated the supportive learning environment, where all my questions were answered thoughtfully and thoroughly. I’m so glad I found this course and feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn from Dr. Leah. I’m excited to start my coaching journey and would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to become a certified coach! Valerie Shaw-Gavel2025-01-23 I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from my experience with YCI. It took one class and I was completely invested. Dr. Leah is knowledgeable (due to academia and life experiences) and has a tremendous passion for coaching that trickles down through her students. I learned more about myself throughout this course than I did in 4 years of college. The way the classes are taught, through peer conversations, video coaching sessions, reflections and coaching practice the takeaways come very easy. She works hard to meet people where they are directly and kindly. I will continue my connection with YCI and Dr. Leah in the future because I truly feel I am part of a "coaching family" now. Darrin Olmscheid2024-11-28 Dr. Mazzola and team were wonderful. Approachable, communicative and provided instruction that was research based yet provided practical strategies and resources one could use the very next day! Grateful for this experience Mehroo Turel2024-10-09 Thank you, Dr. Leah B. Mazzola for creating this exceptional program. Your shared experiences, deep insight and understanding of young minds, backed by research and tools, made this program easy to learn and highly practical to use. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this field.
Youth Coaching Expert Insights
Discover a library of free expert resources exploring the youth coaching landscape, the experiences of adolescents today, and opportunities to strengthen your approach.


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Make a lasting impact through professional development. Build your capacity to support teenagers and young adults with skill, insight, and compassion.