Life Coaching Certifications

DISCLAIMER
By registering for Transformation Services’ certification program, you are acknowledging that
Transformation Services, Inc. is not legally responsible for the actions of any of the coaches who take
this course.

Our Certifications: Transformation Services, Inc. offers this certification program, as all life coach
training companies do, as an official recognition and confirmation of completed training on the part of
the student. The value and validity of Transformation’s training programs is evidenced by
Transformation’s solid reputation in the personal development industry, the decade of experience in the
coaching industry by both of Transformation’s instructors, Transformation’s commitment to using and
teaching industry best practices, and the strong psychological foundation of all material and coaching
strategies used by Transformation, based off the education and training of coach Joeel A. Rivera, M.Ed.
who has a Masters Degree in Counseling and Education and is completing the dissertation for his Ph.D.
in Psychology.

Subject Matter Specific: Transformation Services, Inc. offers niche life coach certifications as subject-
matter-specific life coaching training tools. Although each training program contains a great deal of
insights, tools and industry best practices for life coaching in general, a single niche certification is not
intended to be a complete life coaching training program. A Master Life Coach certification is awarded
to students who complete our 3 core niche programs (Life Purpose Coach, Happiness Coach, and Goal
Success Coach), as well as our foundational coach training program, Life Coaching: A Complete Guide.

Accreditation: In the United States there exists no official accrediting institution or governing body in
the life coaching industry. There are no regulations or required certifications to practice life coaching.
Each coach is recommended to seek education and training to the degree he or she feels necessary, with
the goal of being competent and professional. We are not aware of any requirements in other countries.
It is recommended that any coach who is concerned regarding this matter seek advice from his/her state
or country.

Life Coaching vs. Therapy: Life coaches must be aware of and strictly adhere to the appropriate role of a
life coach. Life coaches are not licensed health care providers or therapists and must not provide
medical advice, engage in patient diagnosis, or practice therapy. They do not treat or otherwise counsel
those with mental illness.

Life coaches are obligated to refer clients in need of mental or physical health therapy to an appropriate
licensed professional.

While counselors or therapists often deal with a patient’s mental/emotional conditions and/or
processing trauma, a life coach never addresses such issues. The role of a life coach, in its most simple
form, is to encourage, coach and/or act as a facilitator of a client’s self-reflection, decision making,
planning for the future, and creating life changes. While clear boundaries exist between coaching and
therapy, due to the legal obligations and requirements for practicing therapy, there are many
similarities. Both therapists and coaches work one-on-one with clients in an ongoing relationship.
Certain psychological principles and theoretical frameworks are used in both therapy and coaching in
order to facilitate positive life change.

Under no circumstances should a life coach refer to themselves as a therapist, refer to what they do as
therapy, or practice as a mental health counselor or therapist without the required Master’s level degree
and license.

Coaching Ethics and Standards: Although there are no official legal ethical guidelines for life coaches,
the industry standard is to follow the guidelines set forth for therapists and psychologists. We cover
these standards in our course Life Coaching: A Complete Guide. You can read more about these
guidelines below:

• American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/

• American Counseling Association: http://www.counseling.org/docs/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-
ethics.pdf?sfvrsn=4