All training, supervision, and practicum is completed 100% virtually and available internationally via live Zoom webinar and/or telephone conference calling.

Candidates must be

• 18 years old or older

Tip: Our training programs are ideal for professionals working directly with underserved youth, professionals leading organizations serving these populations, or those who aim to serve this audience in some capacity.

Coaching is a helping profession focused on learning and growth. Thus, it is a wonderful skillset addition for those in or interested in a career path within helping professions or education (e.g., human resources, counseling, social work, human services, leadership, nursing, teaching, public health, etc.) 

Training progression is as follows for those pursuing youth life coach certification:

Stage 1 Only – Basic Coaching Skills – for parents or teachers of tweens, teens, or emerging adults who want to learn to support and empower them more effectively through this challenging life stage but do not have any interest in a coaching specific work role.

Stages 1-2 – Certified Youth Transition Coach – for trainees with no interest in independent practice or business building. These coaches apply their newly honed skills as internal employees for schools, colleges, community-serving organizations, etc.

Stages 1-4 – Certified Youth Resilience Coach – for trainees who do serve in coaching specific work roles or want to establish a professional career as a coach. This is the best fit for those who are interested in establishing a private client base or those in leadership roles overseeing coaching staff. This program is Level 1 International Coaching Federation Accredited and Center for Credentialing & Education approved. 

Stage 4 Only – ICF Group Mentor Coaching – for coaches who will be pursuing higher credentialing through the International Coaching Federation and did not complete their 10 mentor coaching hours as part of their foundational coach training program. This is the 10 hours of mentor coaching required for the ICF ACC or PCC application. 

Stage 5 Only – Specialty Certifications – Certified Academic Resilience Coach and Certified Career Discovery Coach – for certified coaches who have already completed at least 60 hours of ICF approved training and want to add academic and career coaching specializations to their work. 

Our Stages 1-2 (Certified Youth Transition Coach) and Stages 1-4 (Certified Youth Resilience Coach) training programs have an 80% live attendance requirement. 

All live classes are recorded so that those who have an allowed absence are able to watch the recording to submit a missed class makeup summary to earn credit. 

If you were scheduled to coach the day of your absence, you would also need to complete a makeup practice coaching session outside of class. 

Life happens! Your well-being is our priority. If you need to pause your training, you can transfer to a later cohort to complete your training up to one year from the date of your withdrawal from your current cohort. 

Absolutely not. Your basic coaching skills are generally applicable to any coaching appropriate audience – teens and adults of all ages. The behavioral science knowledge you’ll gain is also generally applicable. You are practicing coaching peer trainees who are adults of all ages with various backgrounds, experiences, and cultures during your in-class training. That means, you’re learning to coach adults of all ages through this program. Because your training with us is International Coaching Federation-approved, you also qualify to obtain a higher credential through the ICF upon successful completion with us. The ICF’s designations are general professional coaching designations accepted in most coaching related roles. 

We do! Here are our options:

CE – Coaching Adolescents (Video Lecture Series) – Open to coaches certified by an ICF- or CCE-approved coach training organization who are seeking supplemental training for coaching youth and emerging adults. The complete training program consists of 16 hours of self-study training. International Coach Federation-credentialed coaches may use this training toward Resource Development CE for the maximum 16 hours of self-paced courses allowed for ICF credential renewal. See the ICF’s “self-paced courses and other self-study guidelines. Board Certified Coaches through the Center for Credentialing & Education may use these hours toward self-study CE. See the CCE’s CE guidelines. 

CE – Career Discovery Coaching (Video Lecture Series) – Open to coaches certified by an ICF- or CCE-approved coach training organization who are seeking supplemental training to coach youth through the career planning process. The complete training program consists of 19 hours of self-study training. International Coach Federation-credentialed coaches may use this training toward Resource Development CE for the maximum 16 hours of self-paced courses allowed for ICF credential renewal. See the ICF’s “self-paced courses and other self-study guidelines. Board Certified Coaches through the Center for Credentialing & Education may use these hours toward self-study CE. See the CCE’s CE guidelines. 

CE – Single 1-Hour Class Modules in Evidence-Based Coaching Methods (Video Lectures) – (Options: Introduction to Motivational Interviewing for Coaches, Positive Psychology Primer for Coaches, Mindfulness for Coaching, Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Coaching) Open to certified coaches seeking coach continuing education in evidence-based methods. These single class recordings are pulled from our live 30-week youth life coach training program.

International Coach Federation-credentialed coaches may use this training toward Resource Development CE for the maximum 16 hours of self-paced courses allowed for ICF credential renewal. See the ICF’s “self-paced courses and other self-study guidelines. Board Certified Coaches through the Center for Credentialing & Education may use these hours toward self-study CE. See the CCE’s CE guidelines. 

Basic Coaching Skills (Video Lecture Series) – Available to organizations employing staff or volunteer coaches who practice under the supervision of a coach certified by an ICF- or CCE-approved program. This series is not intended to serve as a stand-alone training or certification program for coaches. It is intended to serve as a training primer. Coaching is an applied discipline. Therefore, it is highly recommended that staff or volunteer coaches experience formal training in a synchronous setting wherein they have an opportunity to apply and develop coaching skills in practice under the supervision of a qualified coach. 

Certified Youth Transition Coach or Certified Youth Resilience Coach – We currently offer private training options for organizations with a group of 12 or more.

If you have less than 12 to train at any given time, feel free to enroll them in any of our ongoing live training cohorts with space available. 

Stage 4 Group Mentor Coaching Only – We offer a private ICF group mentor coaching option for organizations with groups of 5-10 mentees.  

Contact leah@youthcoachinginstitute.com to schedule.

If you’d like a more in-depth analysis of why we focus on evidence-based coaching for adolescents, here are some options for you:

1. Click here to read a 15-minute blog post from our Founder, Dr. Leah B. Mazzola – Evidence-based Coaching for Resilience in Teens and Emerging Adults. 

2. Click here to watch this 45-minute guest speaker talk Dr. Leah delivered at the ICF Greece Conference making the case for Resilience Coaching for Teens and Emerging Adults. The talk will give you insight into the type of learning content you’ll experience throughout your training with YCI. 

3. Schedule a complimentary Q&A call using the calendar below. 

Because we care to make evidence-based coaching financially accessible for all youth, trainees who certify through our program commit to coaching one to two pro-bono and/or severe sliding scale clients during or after training for low-income clients on a need basis. They coach their first pro-bono youth client as part of the Stage 3 training experience to secure their final exam recording submission.