Why is using an accredited coach important?

I am proud to announce that I have recently been awarded the Coach of Excellence accreditation from the Professional Development Consortium. I put my practice, Sue Lewis Coaching, through an independent third-party verification process. This ensures that the highest of standards are being achieved in all areas of the business. So, why is using an accredited and experienced professional coach important?

I’ve been an accredited coach with the CPD Standards Office – part of the Professional Development Consortium – for 7 years now. The new framework includes the four key principles which helped me to restructure my coaching business.

Delivering coaching programmes that have been assessed at Expert status is something I take pride in; it is particularly important to me to consistently offer a great coaching experience to my clients. The four key principles are;

1. My Coaching Practice has been examined to ensure that I am qualified, insured and registered with the relevant professional bodies. Knowing the policies and procedures I have in place have been benchmarked against best practice should give you peace of mind. I use a coaching practice framework to deliver excellent quality coaching sessions professionally, legally, and safely.

2. The Coaching Provision I offer has reached the highest standards in line with my values and vision. This means I consistently deliver excellent quality coaching, working together with you on whatever issues you bring to the sessions.

3. Client Satisfaction please look at my testimonials to see what my clients say about me. The assessor interviewed several clients separately and confidentially. They commented on the impact of their coaching, our coaching relationship, and their satisfaction as a client. (This bit is the most rewarding point for me!)

4. My methods for Maintaining Excellence mean that I make sure I receive excellent quality coaching supervision to help me reflect on my practice. I also take responsibility for my own continuing professional development (CPD). I keep up to date with coaching professionals and belong to a network of coaches. This helps me to keep on top of new developments in the coaching world. I can then tailor my CPD to offer them to you, as my client.

The Coach of Excellence accreditation allows me to offer CPD points/certificates. These demonstrate that I am committed to delivering a high quality, reliable and consistent learning experience. You can find out more about CPD here. Put simply, employees and members of professional bodies are often expected to attain CPD points or hours per year. They need them to maintain their chartered status or license to practice. The number of points or hours varies significantly, depending on the profession or sector. CPD points or hours are an integral part of ‘input based’ CPD schemes and can also be known as CPD Credits or merits. There are also ‘output based’ and ‘outcome based’ schemes. These expect delegates to reflect on their training or coaching and record their experience of CPD activities, rather than counting the number of hours of training received.

The Professional Development Consortium Ltd is home to the Coach of Excellence, CPD Standards Office and the Provider of Excellence accreditations along with the ongoing research project (started in 2010). The Consortium has a wealth of knowledge and research within the Learning and Development Industry. Their team of industry professionals make up their Expert Advisory Board. This contributes to the detailed and rigorous assessment process they have in place.

As an accredited Coach of Excellence, I am committed to maintaining a high standard of coaching provision. I demonstrate the outstanding processes and procedures in place to ensure clients and potential clients are getting the absolute best service delivery.