About my Qualifications

I am very pleased and proud to announce that I now hold the credential of Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF). It took hours and years of training and assessments to get here, and my training will be ongoing. My husband Rory, who has lived through all of it with me suggested that I write something about my qualifications. In his words: "I live with you Michele, and I can't work out what PCC, ICF, etc etc is all about. perhaps you should explain it to your clients."

First, why would I embark on the process of training as a coach? After all, I have a PhD, and a Master of Special Education in the area of ADHD. And anyone can call themselves a coach. In fact, before my coach training I was working, informally, as coach with people who have ADHD for years. So, why bother putting myself through 3 years of training, mentoring and assessments? The answer is simple - out of respect for my clients. There are so many people selling 'miracle cures' for ADHD - potions and programmes without any research to back them, and I like to stand out from those. I value my clients, and like them to know that I take ADHD and Coaching seriously. My PhD and my PCC combined provide them with expert knowledge on ADHD, and well-honed coaching skills, and that is important to me.

Secondly, what do my qualifications mean? Well, the degrees are easy - a Masters and a Doctorate are the highest degrees attainable, and I have completed both in the area of ADHD. In fact, I won prizes for the best research in Education for both, and was published in an internationl journal. The coaching credentials are more complicated, because there is such a huge repertoire of acronyms that people have behind their names these days. In short, the International Coach Federation (ICF) is a global body that oversees coaches worldwide. It has the following 3 tiers of credentials:

ACC - Associate Certified Coach

PCC - Professional Certified Coach (my current designation)

MCC - Master Certified Coach (which I will work towards - watch this space).

As you can see, my learning is not done. In fact Learning is one of my core values. And coaching is my passion. Lucky me - living the life I love - learning and coaching!