Hiring a Life Coach: Accreditation vs. Certification – What Really Matters

In today's wellness - driven world, it seems everyone knows someone who's a "life coach" the term has become so common that it's easy to assume all coaches go through the same training or hold the same qualifications. But that's not always the case.

If you're thinking about hiring a life coach, it's worth pausing for a moment to understand what accreditation and certification really mean – and, more importantly, what actually matters when it comes to finding the right coach for you.

Accreditation vs. Certification – What's the Difference?

These two words often get used interchangeably, but they mean very different things.

Accreditation refers to the approval of a training program by a governing or organization. Think of it as the program itself being recognized for meeting certain professional standards – like the International Coaching Federation (ICF) or the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)

Generally, achieving accreditation involves completing mentoring hours, submitting recordings of actual coaching sessions, and accumulating up to 100 or more coaching hours, contingent upon the accreditation level. Furthermore, the accreditation process requires passing a challenging final examination that evaluates best-case scenarios.

Certification, on the other hand, refers to the individual coach who has completed a specific course or program. Some certifications are backed by an accredited organization, while others are not. In other words, a person can be a "Certified Coach, without having completed an accredited program.

A certification program may range from an intensive weekend session to a more extended duration, depending on the specific certification type. However, generally, certifications do not offer the same level of training or practical coaching experience as an accreditation does.

This distinction matters – but only to a point

Why Credentials Don't Tell The Whole Story

Here's where my personal view comes in. After more than three decades, working with clients in the health and wellness world, I've learned that credentials alone don't define a great coach or personal trainer.

Life Coaching isn't about who's the most talented, credited or licensed. It's about who you connect with the most.

This service is an intimate, trust - based relationship that requires honesty, vulnerability, mutual respect.

Your opening up areas of your life that may never have been discussed out loud before. For that reason, chemistry and compatibility matter far more than the name of the school on someone's wall.

Here's something to consider:

• There are more practitioners worldwide in 2025, up from about 190 200,000 in 2022 – a 13% increase in just a few years.

• Coaching and therapy serve different purposes: therapy helps clients heal, while coaching helps clients grow. Coaches focus on personal development, accountability, and goal setting, not mental health, diagnosis or treatment.

• In the US, there is no law requiring life coaches to be licensed. Unlike therapist who must be licensed, trained and regulated to diagnose or treatment, mental health conditions – life coaching remains largely unregulated.

With so many people now entering the coaching field, understanding these distinctions can help you make a more informed choice about who you let in your inner world.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Life Coach

Rather than solely emphasizing credentials, consider posing questions that provide insight into a coach's methods and values.

• What kind of training or background do you have?

• How do you approach goal setting and accountability?

• What types of clients or challenges do you typically work with?

• What does success look like in your coaching process?

• How do you continue to grow in your own personal and professional life?

Their answers will tell you far more than a title ever could.

The Right Coach For You

There's no universal standard for what makes someone the right coach - some people want a structured, goal orientated approach. Others need a safe space to process life, transitions, loss, or reinvention.

My philosophy has always been simple: you are the expert of your own life – my role as a coach is to help you uncover what's already within you.

So YES, credentials are important, but they're only one piece of the puzzle. What truly matters is how you feel in the room or on the screen with your coach. You should feel both comfortable and challenged, guided yet empowered.

When connection clicks transformation naturally follow follows

A Final Thought

Before you commit to working with any coach -

It's a good idea to ask yourself one very important thing: Am I coachable?"

Because no matter how skilled experience or intuitive a coach may be, they can't do the work for you.

True growth happens when you show up willing to reflect, take action, and stay open to change. That's when the magic of coaching becomes life – changing.

If you're ready to explore what a supportive, growth centered, coaching relationship could look like, I'd be honored to connect.

Angelese 🌺