Kids Life Coach Accreditation: a need or a want?

A short while ago, a client asked me about my qualifications to coach their child. I blinked. Hesitated for a brief second and then went on to explain. 

My hesitation was not because I didn't like the question, but because I have been coaching children since 2003 and I have only ever been asked this question twice. Once at the beginning of my career and now over two decades later. 

This has got nothing to do with me and my qualifications or my accreditations, but everything to do with this parent who is wise, articulate, educated and...mistrusting. You see, they have had bad experiences with ICF-accredited coaches. They told me they don't trust in the "system" designed by default to protect the consumer by assuring them that coaching standards have been met. In fact, they mentioned a very high profile figure that you will all know...that didn't work ethically. They felt sceptical and wanted verification. 

So how did I answer this client?

I told them that accredited coaches lose clients every day. Not because they’re bad but because they never get past needing to be accredited. You see, when you reach a certain standard of coaching guided by your own ethical framework and ongoing professional supervision, accreditation doesn't mean a thing. It is just window dressing designed to validate those who feel the need to belong. 

This is the part I didn't tell this parent. Kids Life Coaches who understand their worth. Kids Life Coaches who believe in the coaching system they are using. Kids Life Coaches who work beyond just checklists. They don't need validation from an accrediting body. Some WANT it, but they don't need it. 

Here’s what I have heard from experienced Kids Life Coaches who are the ones who NEED accreditation to validate their ability:

"My sessions seem boring to the kids but parents love me."

"I'm not seeing any change in the children I coach."

"I follow your Play Based Coaching framework perfectly Zelna, but something's missing."

On paper, these Kids Life Coaches show up as  flawless. In reality, something feels off for them. They have done my Kids Life Coach training and they have had results BUT the one thing they need is missing. Not because my Play Based Coaching System® is not adequate, but because they don't believe in themselves. Most of all they feel they NEED to verify their worth. 

Coaching excellence isn’t about credentials.

It’s about depth.

My Kids Life Coach Certifications teach process (and more!). The truth is that children don’t enjoy process. They engage when they feel seen, heard and understood. This only happens when a Kids Life Coach is fluent in the language of childhood which is play! This is something I cannot teach, which is why we encourage all of our students to be sure our training is for them. You see, if you aren't comfortable stepping out of old fashioned, traditional adult life coaching models then you need to think again as to whether our Play Based Coaching System® is for you!

 So how do you get depth without an accreditation? How do you answer a parent that asks about your qualifications? Most of all, how do you manage to give a good answer with confidence like I did?

I was specifically asked what accreditation I have as a coach and where I studied.

My answer.

I have never enrolled in any Life Coach training and I don't believe accreditations are necessary. I did not tell the parent that Kids Life Studio® is accredited with ACCPH and a member of the World Federation of Mental Health. I also didn't say I am a honorary fellow of the Global Policy Institute at Queen Mary University London and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. 

I simply said I started coaching in 2003, with heart and intuition. I built a Play Based Coaching System® now used by coaches in over 45 countries and counting. I spoke about our global network of coaches who meet weekly for professional supervision and best practices sessions. I spoke about how unregulated the field is and how we have been setting the ethical standards since 2009 when I first started training Kids Life Coaches. I made this about US rather than ME. I sang the praises for our global network doing amazing work around the world and how for us this is not just a solo job but a calling. 

I have multiple degrees. I can call myself a Teacher. I can call myself a Child Psychologist. I can call myself a Life Coach. I can call myself anything I want...but what I really am is a Secret Parent to children. I sit on the picture frame and am able to look at the whole picture when parents are often stuck in the picture. I see blind spots and I am not afraid to point them out with compassion and through a solution focused lens. 

So how do you get to my level of coaching where you are able to fluently state your worth? How do you become confident articulating your purpose when it comes to coaching children? 

The answer lies in the question. Coaching excellence starts from within but it also involves a few layers that need to be scaffolded. This is why our Level 1 - 4 Kids Life Coach Certification gets results for our students. It's not a weekend crash course, or a week at a retreat venue with no follow up or follow through. It's about undoing the layers of faulty beliefs that may inhibit your ability to coach ethically and sustainably. It is about building a solid foundation of theory so that the practical experience can be added with confidence.

Which of these layers of coaching excellence do you have in place? I have all 5...and I got there by doing the work. No accreditation nor training will get you there. My Kids Life Coach certification training is robust and it qualifies people to speak confidently about neuroscience. It also gives a solid proven programme that is measurable and works BUT without all of these 5 things in place your results will be mediocre at best even with my guidance and support. 

1️⃣ Do you have technical fluency?

→ Are you able to execute my Play Based Coaching frameworks I teach without thinking?

→ Every coach I train has this and this is non negotiable. 

2️⃣ Do you have human connection?

→ Are you able to listen beyond the child and the parent and their words to what's unsaid?

→ Do your clients feel understood, not processed? Not analysed? Not therapised? 

3️⃣ Do you have pattern recognition  

→ Are you able to spot the recurring loops your clients can't see themselves? 

→ Do you coach the root, rather than only focus on the symptoms? 

4️⃣ Do you have intuitive timing?

→ Are you able to adapt and be flexible by knowing when to push and when to hold space?

→ Do your pauses create more breakthroughs than your questions? 

5️⃣ Do you have invisible mastery?

→ Do the children you coach show transformation and can you measure it?

→ Is being authentic part of your intervention? 

The best Kids Life Coaches I have trained rarely talk about my Play Based Coaching framework. This is because my training prepares them on a subconscious level to make this a non negotiable. It simply becomes who they are and how they show up. They believe in the process so they don't focus on that. 

They show up with intuition and intellect and this is a winning combination! 

 This is where most novice coaches (and those who have done quick fix trainings!) get stuck. They think certifications are something to be collected. They memorise models rather than see a framework like my Play Based Coaching System® as a guiding light. They perfect their techniques but forget about their heart. They offer only surface level insights to parents and children because they see themselves as needing verification and more experience.  

Coaches who reach mastery stop asking "What needs to be fixed or done to show results?" They become fluent in asking "What does this child need to feel understood?" They realise real change happens in the spaces between words and that play is the vehicle to immersive coaching moments. This takes skill, practice and a deep belief in your own ability. 

 Coaching is never about the words themselves. That certificate of accreditation on your wall isn't proof of your excellence. In fact, my Kids Life Coach Certification is the most comprehensive there is but it only proves you can follow a system. I can't get you to transform someone until you feel the shift within yourself. 

Most poorly trained Kids Life Coaches who take the easy route, get stuck with their technical fluency and they struggle with human connection. These are caught and taught which is why all of our students are allocated a personal 1-1 mentor to offer support in their own personal growth. 

Is a Kids Life Coach Accreditation a need or a want? This is best answered with the help of a network of coaches who have done the work and are getting results. This is not something you get, it is something you shift within yourself. If you're not yet there...that's okay! This is why we offer our membership opportunity which gives access to our global network and ongoing professional supervision and best practices sessions.

Rome was never built in a day and nor was a world class Kids Life Coach. It takes grit, determination and a team to support you! You don't need to do it alone and you certainly don't need to validate your worth. Which is why when our certified coaches without the credentials that I have get asked what qualifies them...they can confidently say. 

I am accredited by Kids Life Studio® which is the leading organisation in the field of Play Based Coaching®. This is not a NEED, but a WANT! A no brainer to me! When you have a support network with a track record and a founder with heart, passion and the qualifications...all you need is to show up, use the systems provided and with our mentorship and support, the rest will follow! Promise!

Don't believe me...read what some of our students have to say here!

I WANT you to be exceptional at coaching, so reach out to our team if you WANT ethical training, mentorship and support! You can also click here to complete an application and setup a time to speak with me! I look forward to supporting you in your coaching journey! Remember, the answer is always in the question...