
Consistency, precision, and efficiency for ICF coaching competency assessment. Built by the team at Youth Coaching Institute. Designed for coaches, training programs, and mentor coaches who take quality seriously.
Explore Critara at Critara.proCompetency evaluation is at the heart of everything we do in the coaching profession. It determines who earns credentials, whether training programs meet accreditation standards, and whether coaches are truly equipped to serve their clients well.
The problem is that the current process is time-consuming, inconsistent, and difficult to scale.
Critara was built to change that. Developed by Leah Mazzola, PhD, PCC, NBC-HWC, BCC, Founder and CEO of Youth Coaching Institute, Critara translates the ICF Core Competency framework into an AI-assisted evaluation workflow that supports consistent, evidence-based, and scalable assessment.
Critara was not built by a tech company that learned coaching from the outside. It was built by a credentialed coach, behavioral scientist, and ICF program accreditation expert who has lived the evaluation problem firsthand.
The result is a platform grounded in the actual language, standards, and nuance of ICF competency assessment, not a generic AI tool repurposed for coaching. Every feature reflects the way evaluation actually works inside an accredited program.
Whether you are preparing for your ACC, PCC, or MCC credential or working to develop your skills between supervision sessions, Critara gives you objective, competency-level feedback on your coaching sessions before it counts.
Mentoring and supervision require your full presence and professional judgment. Critara handles the administrative weight of session evaluation so you walk into every mentoring conversation with structured, competency-level feedback already in hand. The paperwork is done. The developmental work is yours.
Critara gives ICF-accredited programs a consistent, defensible evaluation framework that works across evaluators and cohorts. Your team evaluates with greater confidence. Your graduates credential at higher rates.
Assessments are mapped directly to the ICF Core Competency framework so feedback is always grounded in the actual credentialing standard.
Critara applies the same evaluation criteria across every session so results are defensible and comparable across evaluators and cohorts.
Every evaluation produces a structured, competency-level report that mentor coaches and supervisors can review, refine, and deliver. The documentation is ready before the conversation begins.
Coaches preparing for ACC, PCC, or MCC can use Critara to get objective, evidence-based feedback on their sessions before submission.
Training organizations can track evaluation trends across cohorts to identify where coaches excel and where targeted development is needed.
Every plan includes access to an AI assistant grounded in ICF competencies, ethical standards, behavioral science, and youth coaching best practices.
Every Critara plan includes access to an AI coaching assistant built specifically for the work you do, not a general-purpose chatbot with a coaching prompt layered on top.
Ask about any coaching challenge and get strategies grounded in the ICF Core Competencies, ethical standards, psychology, neuroscience, adolescent well-being science, and lifestyle medicine. Never advice that crosses into therapy, consulting, or mentoring.
The assistant asks targeted follow-up questions and offers focused insight, not walls of text. It works the way a thoughtful colleague would.
Working with clients ages 10 to 30? The assistant draws on the YCI Youth Coaching Competencies to provide age-appropriate, developmentally informed strategies.
Built with ICF referral-to-therapy guidelines. If a situation falls outside the scope of coaching, the assistant helps you navigate the conversation responsibly.
Critara was developed by Leah Mazzola, PhD, PCC, NBC-HWC, BCC, Founder and CEO of Youth Coaching Institute, and built on a foundation of 13+ years running an ICF-accredited coach training program. It reflects the evaluation problems that credentialed coaches, mentor coaches, and accreditation reviewers encounter every day, and it was designed to solve them.
Critara is actively being developed for coach training programs, individual coaches, and evaluators. Visit the Critara website to learn more, explore features, and get on the early access list.
Explore Critara at Critara.proEXCELLENT Based on 65 reviews Posted on Google allison reynolds I cannot say enough good things about this coaching program. As an MSW student who works directly with incarcerated youth, I found this program to be incredibly deep, meaningful, and professionally valuable. It added so many tools to my toolbox and truly equipped me with the skills I need to better coach, support, and empower the youth I work with. This program gave me a deeper understanding of resilience, personal growth, and how to help people recognize their own potential, especially those who have faced adversity. The material was powerful, practical, and immediately applicable to the work I do every day. What also makes this program stand out is that it not only teaches you how to become a stronger coach, but also how to grow your business and supports you in building the professional foundation needed to do this work well. That combination of skill-building, personal development, and business guidance makes it incredibly valuable. Honestly, this program felt like it was on the level of one of my graduate classes in terms of building my professional skill set. It was thoughtful, well-developed, and such an important class. I would recommend it not only to anyone working with emerging adults, but to anyone who wants to better understand, support, and help human beings of any age grow, heal, and build resilience. I highly recommend it. Also, Dr. Leah is AMAZING!Posted on Google Daniela Pacher I could not recommend YCI more! The program is extensive, thorough, professional, enjoyable and practical. The people are lovely, and the entire experience was worth every penny for those seeking input on their path to helping young people.Posted on Google Sara Rossi Raccagni I decided to train with YCI because it was the only one with a solid scientific basis, which I believe is crucial from an ethical perspective. I completed both the Youth Resilience Coach and Youth Health Coach programs. It was the best investment I could have made: the instructors are highly trained and do know how to create the ideal environment for continuous growth.Posted on Google Fabio Friscia I highly recommend the services of YCI to anyone interested in improving their skills to coach young people. Between the material and the classes, their offer is absolutely stellar! I am giving just 5 stars because giving a hundred is not possible!Posted on Google Shahnaz Bonadurer I am very glad that I had the chance to take the Youth Well-being course at the Youth Coaching Institute. Being part of this community, meeting like-minded people, engaging in peer coaching experiences, and having access to many great resources, tools, videos, and meaningful conversations made a real difference in my coaching journey.Posted on Google Leslie C. Newbold Dr. Leah Mazzoula’s course at the Youth Coaching Institute is truly exceptional. It’s clear how much care and expertise went into creating a program that’s science-based, evidence-backed, and incredibly supportive. I highly recommend it to anyone working with teens, parents, or anyone looking to grow as a coach and human being.Posted on Google Heather Mooney Incredibly grateful that I was strongly recommended to attend this program by another YCI alum (the amazing Cyndy Etler "the teen life coach"). After completing my coaching certificate I *totally* get why Cyndy insisted I attend YCI when I shared the intentions of becoming a coach! It's been instrumentally helpful in a multitude of ways and much more of a mindset shift than anticipated. All of the instruction, coaching practice and mentoring has been integral to my success as a coach. Appreciate the ongoing positive regard, growth mindset, and perpetual support for our continued coaching development as we navigate the various pathways for our careers.Posted on Google Robert McClellan I entered this program hopeful, but unsure of what to expect. It exceeded my expectations in so many ways. The training was thorough, supportive, and engaging. I feel equipped and eager to continue this important work! Highly recommend.Posted on Google Claire Gatonby I work extensively with the youth and found the YCI Youth Coaching course very insightful and valuable. The combination of theory and practical with tips on how to use this in meaningful interactions was highly beneficial. I would recommend this course.Posted on Google Kody Hersh I appreciated YCI's model of independent self-study combined with live classes for coaching practice and discussion. The content of the self-study materials has been really helpful for me as a youth professional in refreshing my knowledge of adolescent development, and learning how to use that knowledge to provide effective support as a coach. Program leaders are gifted and knowledgeable, and admin staff provided prompt and skilled support.
Discover a library of free expert resources exploring the youth coaching landscape, the experiences of adolescents today, and opportunities to strengthen your approach.