FAQs & Policies

Because learning to coach is a commitment, many questions arise. We’ve gathered the questions and answers that come up most often.  

CAT – IAC Policies

There are two branches of our organization: Coach Approach Training (courses) and the Institute for Applied Coaching (credentialing). Many of the FAQ answers reflect or are informed by our policies and organizational statements, which are shared in full below the FAQ section — and linked here by topic.

• Mission Statement for Training
• Mission Statement for Our Coaches
• Vision Statement
• Inclusion & Diversity Statement
• Disability Policy
• Emergency and Illness Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Registration-Related Financial Policies
  • PAYMENT & FEES POLICY
  • REFUND POLICY
• Registration-Related Enrollment Policies
  • PARTIAL COMPLETION OF AN INDIVIDUAL COURSE
  • PARTIAL COMPLETION OF A PROGRAM OF STUDY
  • TRANSFER OF CREDITS FROM ANOTHER COACH TRAINING PROGRAM
• Unmet Expectations & Grievances
• Understanding & Agreements (signed by every registered student)
• IAC Code of Ethical Standards

Frequently Asked Questions — and Answers! 

Your Question? If you have a specific question that isn’t answered here — or if you would like to gain a fuller understanding of the potential of coaching and the power of this training program in a conversation, please reach out. 

coaching and coaching skills

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Quality and NATURE of Coach approach training

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Coachng combined with professional ORGANIZing and/or Productivity consulting

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coach training for people who are education and mental health professionals and advocates

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ADHD and Neurodiversity coach training

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deciding to start — THE options

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training costs

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coach credentialing

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CAT-IAC Policies – and More

Mission Statement for Training

We provide high quality, intensive, coach training for organizing and productivity consultants, and advocacy and education professionals. We create learning environments that are inclusive and respectful of people across differences of gender, race, class, size, culture, ability and modalities. Our training is grounded in classic coaching skills and processes (ICF). We specialize in teaching the coaching strategies that support neurodivergent clients.

We strive to create coach training that models the values that the coaching process and competencies themselves inspire. By creating training environments that affirm differences and pausing to listen to and learn from each voice in the room, we (trainers and participants) will have opportunities to grow in our understanding of community — and unlearn internalized bias.

Mission Statement for Coaches and Clients

• We advocate for individual self-awareness – specifically,  understanding what matters most to each person, how their brain learns and shows up, and what they need.
• We are aware that variations in cognitive functioning are natural. Nonetheless, many people have experienced and may have internalized the disabling and marginalizing impact of living in a society based on neurotypical needs and expectations.
• We advance client self-knowledge by offering accurate brain-based information with permission, clarity and integrity.  We encourage people to consider other sources of information and support. We maintain a ‘lack of attachment’ in these exchanges, knowing each client is the best judge of the relevance and value of offered observations and information.
• We encourage client meta-cognition and self-compassion – to learn from experimenting and curious accountability.
• We are honored to witness the liberation of individuals who have identified and connected to their ‘personal best’ ways of being, learning, thinking, accomplishing and expressing.
• We self-manage coaching power imbalances with agreements, vulnerability, transparency, collaboration and support, so each client learns to self-advocate, grow in independence, and know themself as the leader of their life journey.

Vision Statement

The coaches we nurture and the clients they serve have a dynamic role in the healing of the earth and the wholeness of her people.

Inclusion & Diversity Statement

Our mission and vision statements speak to our commitment to inclusion, diversity and healing. Pease read them. To elaborate on and extend our commitment, the following statement describes the nature of cultural and contextual competence in coach training — and serves as a guide for members of our learning and coaching community:

CAT-IAC Statement for Coach’s Cultural & Contextual Competence

Whether trainer, coach, student or client, each person’s cultural and contextual competence begins by identifying and reflecting on our own identities and differences.^[1] Learning about our own experience of systemic disadvantages and/or privilege in context of others is also critical. From this grounding, we can consider if and how our own experiences influenced or even blocked our perceptions of others’ cultural and contextual differences and experiences.

Good coaching requires trust, rapport and an understanding of WHO each client is — it is by definition inclusive and without assumptions. Understanding oneself (roots and experience) provides the necessary grounding for authentic coaching communication.^[2]

• As a coach, it’s important to develop the skills to listen for, make space for, provide support for, and coach to the needs and goals of each client in the wholeness of their experience — and to make a referral to an appropriate coach if they cannot.
• A coach’s cultural and contextual competence is demonstrated by an informed acknowledgement that there are differences (race, class, gender, brain-based differences, health abilities, etc.) in each individuals’ life experiences, capacities, and family and community cultures.
• A competent coach recognizes that each person’s experiences of/within/because of the dominant culture and its systemic biases are significant and relevant.

^[1] _{Coach Approach Training (CAT) created a three-part Identity Module as part of the Neurodiversity Support & Advocacy course. There are reading assignments on different kinds of bias (history, analysis and narratives). It also includes an Identity Workbook (instruction, personal history and identify exercises, and reflection assignments) to anchor a participant on the personal journey described in the first bullet point above. The Identity Module can also be completed (by student choice or director of training recommendation) as an independent study assignment prior to applying for a coaching credential.}

^[2] _{The International Coaching Federation’s Core Competencies (revised in 2020) define the coach abilities which reflect respect for individual differences:} 

• _{1.2 Is sensitive to clients’ identity, environment, experiences, values and beliefs;}
• _{1.3 Uses language appropriate and respectful to clients…;}
• _{2.4 Remains aware of and open to the influence of context and culture on self and others;}
• _{2.8 Seeks help from outside sources when necessary;}
• _{4.1 Seeks to understand the client within their context which may include their identity, environment, experiences, values and beliefs;}
• _{4.2 Demonstrates respect for the client’s identity, perceptions, style and language and adapts one’s coaching to the client;}
• _{4.4 Acknowledges and supports the client’s expression of feelings, perceptions, concerns, beliefs and suggestions;}
• _{6.1 Considers the client’s context, identity, environment, experiences, values and beliefs to enhance understanding of what the client is communicating.}

Disability Policy

Our goal is to create a learning environment which meets the needs of each individual student. By collaborating with our students, we have created a long list of strategies to accommodate a variety of learning differences to make our program more accessible.

Emergency and Illness Policy

In order to earn the required training for certification, it is important to attend and participate in all classes. If you become ill or have an emergency and are unable to attend a class, contact your instructor immediately. If you miss a class you will be expected to read all session materials, listen to the class recording, and complete all assignments before joining your Skills Building Group and the next class. Reach out for support from your trainer and your SBG partner. If you miss more than 25% of the classes you have the option to engage the instructor at your expense to review the covered material and reflection.

Participants must be present at all Skills Building Group meetings.

Unless a delay would interfere with the learning of other participants, extensions on assignments may be requested. Petitions to the above policies are considered on a case-by-case basis and must be submitted in writing to the trainer(s) and the director of training.

Any scheduled mentor coach session (group or individual) must be attended in full or it will not be claimed as mentor coaching.

See also: WITHDRAWAL AND REFUND POLICIES (below).

Privacy Policy

CAT-IAC does not sell, trade or rent your personal information to any other companies, ever.   We are committed to providing you and your clients as much privacy as possible, considering that:  

• We reach out to potential and past students and publicize our courses and training program with our WordPress website; MailChimp email notices of upcoming courses; communication with individual prospective students through email exchanges – and online appointment reservations (Time Trade), follow-up up by telephone or Zoom conversations.
• We receive payments for course fees and credentialing application fees via e-commerce sites (SquareUp and PayPal).    
• If you register for a course we will enroll you in the technology that facilitates your learning and any follow-up communication.  We provide live virtual training with classes and practice training conducted with internet and telephone technology (Zoom, etc.); course assignments and communication at an on-line learning centers (Coaches Learning Lab) using Moodle software; and individual trainer-student communication via email and phone.
• We record all course sessions and reserve the right to use excerpts for training purposes: to train trainers, to support the learning of auditing students, and potentially (but not yet) for marketing purposes.  Except within the organization, we have not and will never use a recording with a person’s name or voice on it without their written permission.  
• We save most course forum posts and reserve the right to use excerpts for training and educational purposes.  We will never use direct quotes made by you unless we receive your written permission.  We will either credit you or not at your request.   
• Upon the completion of each coach training course, students are required to complete course evaluations  via survey software (e.g., Survey Monkey).  These are anonymous unless the individual choses to type in their name with a particular entry.  We frequently summarize satisfaction ratings from these surveys and/or use a quote anonymously.   
• Credentialing applications also have privacy concerns and protections.  Applicants are required to submit one or two coaching session recordings (for performance evaluation) as well as client coaching logs.  We require that you maintain records of clients’ name, contact info, and permissions.  For the client coaching log, you are required to code the clients name and contact info within your records and to formally stipulate that you have those records and that permission.  If we need to verify this submitted information we will contact you for that information.
• Upon request from a recognized coaching industry organization we will confirm your connection with CAT-IAC.  This comes up if you enroll in a peer coaching program or apply for a credential using training received at CAT-IAC.

Registration-Related Financial Policies

Payment & Fees

It is not an option to pay for the entire program in advance.  Our training is intensive and we want participants to be clear that they can thrive within our training format (not to discount the possibility of accommodations).

Access to CAT training is secured by registration, on a course-by-course basis (although there are a few training packages). Payments may be made in full or in monthly instalments.

Regardless of the payment schedule a participant registers with or negotiates, it is the participant’s responsibility to make the payments on time or contact the registrar and the director of training to propose a different arrangement.

We accept payments from withing the US via SquareUp, our ecommerce site which is linked from the course description pages on our website. International registrations are made via PayPal.

In the event of hardship or emergencies, individuals may request an extended payment schedule.

At this time, we do not have scholarships or training grants, although we cooperate with participants who have secured grants for themselves. We are open to exploring a match between our needs and a prospective participant’s skills in lieu of registration fees. This arrangement has been successful in the past..

Withdrawal and Refund Policies

If you’ve registered for a course and an situation arises which precludes your participation, contact us as soon as possible.

If the withdrawal notification is received BEFORE the registration deadline date (typically 2 weeks before the first class), we will refund the registration payment minus a $100 administrative fee, plus any third party payment processing fees.

If the withdrawal notification is received AFTER the registration deadline date but before the Friday before the first class, we will refund the registration payment minus a $150 administrative fee, plus any third party payment processing fees.

If the withdrawal notification is received the day before the first class or after they have begun, we will refund the registration payment minus a $200 administrative fee, plus any third party payment processing fees. If more than one class has been held, there will also be a deduction for a prorated amount of the balance reflecting the number of training weeks remaining in the course. 

Alternately, if withdrawal notification is received before the first class, we will hold a credit for the refund amount to be used on a future registration, at the request of the withdrawing student and at our discretion. 

If the withdrawal is due to an emergency, we will consider holding a credit for the full registration or the refund amount to be used on a future registration, at the request of the withdrawing student and at our discretion.

Registration-Related Enrollment Policies

Partial Completion of an Individual Course

We do not offer credit for partial completion of a course. One must complete the entire course and all assignments to receive credit. We do work with a participant on extensions of assignment due dates.

Partial Completion of a Program of Study

The CAT Foundation Program is made up of five required courses which must be taken in order. It takes about a year to complete all five. A participant may drop out of the foundation training after any course and join a later foundation cohort, no matter how many years have passed (unless there is no room for an additional participant).

The CAT Advanced Courses are all taken à la carte (individually). None of them are pre-requisites for others. So, at the advanced (or graduate level) one may pause their training (after completing a course) and return to take another months or years later.

Upon request and at the director of training’s discretion, ”paused participants” may audit courses they have taken previously at either the foundation or advanced/graduate level at no charge.

Transfer of Credit from Another Coach Training Program

If you have a minimum of 60 hours of comprehensive coach training from another coach training program and 75 paid client hours, you may enroll in our advanced courses. This is not a formal transfer of training credits, but it is an acknowledgement of completion of a basic level of training and experience.

The motivation for taking CAT-IAC advanced courses is to gain CCE hours, to take advantage of our unique training on organizing/productivity coaching topics – and to access training to coach people who are neurodiverse (often specifically people who live with ADHD).

We require information from you on the training you have and we confirm your completion.  Upon registration, documents outlining our basic coaching models will be provided to the registrant.  The option to discuss them with a trainer or the director of training will be offered.  

Note: Our coaching models are fully consistent with ICF core competencies.  They utilize our acronyms and highlight a beginning-intermediate coaching process. 

If you have completed a Level 1 program (or 60 Approved Coach Specific Training Hours of comprehensive coach training from another coach training program), you may request credit in our program for these coach training hours. 

The motivation for gaining credit within our program for previous coach training is to be eligible to apply for one of our coach credentials without having to begin with the CAT-IAC foundation coach training program. 

A specific process is followed for consideration of training credit within CAT for previous coach training. It begins with an email inquiry and exchange, followed by a telephone conversation with the director of training.

After initial approval from the director of training, the formal request process can begin. It is outlined below and in this document: Securing CAT Coach Training Credit and IAC Credentials for Coaches Trained Outside CAT-IAC.

1. The applicant must submit the following: training completion documents; information on completed courses and their content; the program website and contact information; and a US $250 fee. ;
2. The evaluation of the request and submitted information by the director of training, plus internet research. 
3. A written report is created by the director of training on the path forward. It will define how many credit hours will be accepted — and which CAT courses can be considered complete. The report will detail what CAT courses must be addressed by the applicant and the option or options for completion: a) Listening to the course recordings, reviewing course materials and meeting with a trainer/mentor to discuss; b) Auditing the course and participating in specific assignments; or c) Registering for the course and completing it as taught. 
4. After the applicant has a chance to review the report on the designed path forward, another email or conversation finalizes the students’ options – and we move forward — or not.

Unmet Expectations & Grievances

We endeavor to maintain an inclusive and respectful learning community and class environment. We are continually learning how to strengthen this effort as trainers and staff. We are also constantly integrating new students into our courses and community. Sharing our inclusive values can be challenging. And the regular influx of new people offers ongoing opportunities to learn more about embracing diversity.

To start this integration, each new student receives a copy of our Understanding & Agreements document to review and sign (see below). In that document we introduce students to our inclusive culture and value of mutual respect.

We also ask students to advocate for themselves, whether about personal emergencies, struggles keeping up with the pace of the training, confusion or overwhelm, different learning needs, unmet needs or expectations, inadequate training information, or incidents of miscommunication or disrespect.

We are a small training company (approximately 12 graduates each year). Trainers are familiar with organizational values and procedures, including embracing diversity and supporting students with learning challenges. If any confusion or exchange with a student is not simply resolved with mutual satisfaction, the director of training is advised with a request for guidance, support or intervention.

The path we invite students to follow begins (as appropriate and comfortable) with communication with 1) the person involved in the miscommunication, 2) with the trainer on miscommunication or problems with the course or training, 3) and then with the director of training, who has an ‘open-door’ policy.

We invite students to communicate with their trainers by

• Coming early to class or staying late after it.
• Posting concerns in the Student-Initiated Forum (part of each course)
• Responding to the question in their weekly Skills Building Report: “Any question for your trainer(s)?”
• Using the telephone and email contact info for the trainers in the course overview.

We also require students to complete an anonymous on-line evaluation after each course. (Students can identify themselves if they’d like.) It covers feedback on the value of different elements and delivery formats in the course — and feedback on the trainers. The evaluations are first reviewed by the director of training, then shared with the trainers with an eye to strengthening their efforts and revising the course.

Outreach to the director of training can be by phone or email — and be initiated by students or trainers. Director of training response includes scheduling a conversation within 48 hours, listening carefully to all parties, finding additional education if useful, and collaborating to create resolution. These efforts are relevant on three levels: 1) Relief, met needs, learning and/or resolution for the student; 2) Clarity, learning and/or greater support for the trainer and director of training; and 3) Strengthening of organization-wide policies, revision of communication, and deepening of training for the director of training, trainers and staff.

If a participant is dissatisfied with the offered solutions, they may request one of the the following courses of action, pending approval of the director of training:

• Withdrawal from the training and a refund of registration fees (based on the timing and provisions in the Refund Policy at the discretion of the director of training.
• Withdrawal from the course with an option to retake the course at a later time with a collaborative agreement and reduced registration fee (from no additional charge to a proportionate fee).
• Completion of the course with a mentor trainer, as available.

Regardless of the resolution for the participant, the staff will continue to process and learn from each complaint.

Understanding & Agreements

Before beginning their first CAT course, each registered student must sign and return the U&A document. This agreement stays in force for each individual throughout their CAT training.

ADD LINK TO U&A PDF.

IAC Code of Ethical Standards

The Institute for Applied Coaching is the credentialing half of the CAT-IAC organization. The Institute for Applied Coaching credentials are first and foremost coaching credentials, but each is named to indicate an area of expertise. Each coach has experience in one or more fields and each has chosen to empower the clients that come to them (with, for example, organizing, productivity and/or neurodiversity challenges) by coaching, rather than advising. The IAC Code of Ethical Standards reflects the dual nature of these credentials by requiring adherence to ethical standards of the industries they operate within.

IAC CODE OF ETHICAL STANDARDS

1. I will respect the needs and processing styles of my clients.
2. I will strive for excellence as an IAC credentialed coach.
3. I will develop the knowledge and skills required to serve my clients and strive to keep current with relevant information.
4. I will offer services only in areas for which I am qualified, and will accurately represent my expertise, qualifications and certifications in all communications and circumstances.
5. I will refer a client to other professionals if the client’s needs are best served by another professional, or if the client requires additional support.
6. I will maintain strict confidentiality with all client information unless authorized by the client in writing, or required by law, or in situations where they or someone else may be in serious danger.
7. I will respect the intellectual property of others and will not use or share proprietary information without permission.
8. I will safeguard these ethical standards and report violations to the IAC.
9. I acknowledge that a breach of the IAC Code of Ethical Standards will result in sanctions, including a revocation of my certification status.
10. I agree to honor my ethical and legal obligations to my clients, colleagues and the public at large.
11. I will comply with the International Coaching Federation Code of Ethics, as well as those of any organizing, productivity and/or coaching institutions of which I am a member (e.g., NAPO, BCPO, POC, AAPO, ICD and/or PAAC).