The Joy & Ethical Dignity Intensive Course
This cohort-based Joy & Ethical Dignity Intensive builds foundational coaching skills through the lens of human wholeness and well-being. Grounded in both the ICF Core Competencies and Academy of Creative Coaching founder, Dr. Pamela Larde’s research on joy and well-being, the certification pairs the rigor of a globally recognized coaching standard with a body of work concerned with what it takes to help people move beyond coping and truly come alive. Upon completion, participants earn a Level 1 Certification with a joy and ethical dignity focus, choosing between two flexible formats: an immersive 3-day weekend intensive or a 3-month series of weekly sessions.
The 60-hour program covers four modules: Joy & Ethical Dignity Coaching Foundations, Coaching for Change, Coaching for Flourishing, and Transformative Dialogue. Each module equips participants to bring dignity-centered coaching that honors the whole person into their work and prepares them to serve as catalysts for positive, lasting change in the people and communities they support. Course requirements include the following:
- 12 Independent study hours
- 3 hours of mentor coaching
- 3 hours of masterminding
- A final performance evaluation
Students who complete the The Joy & Ethical Dignity Course meet the training hours necessary to apply for a Level 1 credential through the International Coach Federation. This program does not include embedded commitment coaching.
Training Options:
3-Month Option: This training option is offered in January each year. Students meet online for all classes on Tuesday evenings (7:00-10:00 pm EST). There are no in-person meetings for this option.
The Weekend Intensive Option: This option is offered twice per year. Students meet for three days on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8am – 6pm. Intensives are offered in both in person and virtual formats.
Let’s Get Started!
Module One: Joy & Ethical Dignity Coaching Foundations
This foundational course introduces the ethical principles and core competencies vital to coaching that honors the whole person. Participants will explore how to create safe, supportive, and empowering coaching agreements while developing the skills to build trusting coaching relationships across a range of lived experiences. The course also grounds participants in the boundaries of coaching and the intersections between coaching, advocacy, and other helping professions.
- Section A: Definition of Coaching
- Section B: Ethical Guidelines
- Section C: ICF Core Competencies
- Section D: Establishing Safety & Trust
Module Two: Coaching for Change
This course highlights the role of self-awareness and social intelligence in supporting meaningful change. Participants will learn to establish trust-based relationships, recognize and work through the assumptions we all carry, and cultivate humility and curiosity in their coaching. By understanding how identity and lived experience shape relationships, coaches will be better equipped to create a transformative presence that fosters growth and resilience.
- Section A: Asking Powerful Questions
- Section B: The Creative Approach
- Section C: Whole-Person Coaching
- Section D: Radical Connection
Module Three: Coaching for Agency & Aliveness
This course focuses on helping clients move from survival toward genuine aliveness. Participants will learn to coach the whole person, working with identity, story, and lived experience as sources of strength, and to create the conditions where clients find their voice, feel seen and heard, and reclaim agency over their own lives. Drawing on research in post-traumatic growth and the study of joy, the course equips coaches to walk alongside clients as they pursue well-being, wholeness, and lasting change in their lives and in the communities they belong to.
- Section A: The Power of Being Seen and Heard
- Section B: Identity, Story & Lived Experience
- Section C: Aliveness, Well-Being & Joy
- Section D: Coaching the Zones of Agency
Module 4: Transformative Dialogue
This course focuses on the communication techniques necessary for creating meaningful transformation in any coaching environment. Participants will learn active listening, powerful questioning, and how to facilitate courageous conversations that surface what’s unspoken and help clients move forward. This module also introduces group coaching dynamics and mastermind facilitation, encouraging coaches to use dialogue as a leadership tool to build strong, connected communities.
- Section A: The Wholehearted Self
- Section B: Non-Violent Communication
- Section C: Conflict Resolution & Mediation
- Section D: Group Coaching & Masterminding
Mentor Coaching Requirements
Mentor Coaching (3 hours)
Trainees are required 10 mentor coaching hours. Seven hours of group mentor coaching are provided through the weekend intensive classes. The final three mentor coaching hours take place through one-on-one mentor hours. This meets the requirements of the ICF. Mentor coaches are provided at no additional charge by the Academy of Creative Coaching, unless the trainee chooses their own ICF credentialed mentor coach. The following is a breakdown of the four mentor coaching meetings:
First & Fourth Meeting (30 minutes)
Trainees will have an intro call and a final check-in call (30 minutes) where they will share their interest in coaching and what they hope to do gain from and do with their training in the future. Trainees will share what they believe they bring to the coaching profession as strengths and what they believe may be their greatest areas of growth. The mentee will initiate scheduling this call with the mentor coach.
Second & Third Meeting (1 hour each)
The trainee will conduct two practice coaching sessions that will be recorded, transcribed, and sent to the mentor coach 5-7 days prior to the mentor coaching call. The trainee will receive verbal and written feedback from the mentor coach during the mentor coaching call. All feedback will be based on the ICF Core Competencies and Markers. The trainee will take initiative in sending their recording and transcript, along with scheduling the mentor coaching calls with the mentor coach.
Post-weekend requirements
Group Masterminding = 3 hours
After the conclusion of the weekend intensive, the credentialing track trainees will meet for a total of five hours to mastermind around the concept of each member’s plan for coaching. Each member of the group will have the opportunity to be the point of focus for the purpose of digging deep, trouble shooting, and brainstorming for that member’s success. Guiding questions for the mastermind include:
1. Describe the plan & the goal
2. Identify strengths
3. Identify challenges
4. Action plan
5. What will you do this week? This month? This year?
Independent Study Course = 12 hours
Option 1: The Flourishing Self — This course begins with the shadows our self-beliefs cast. The beliefs we hold about ourselves shape us across every level of life, from our inner world to our relationships to the institutions we move through, and these shadows can either keep us small or reveal our resourcefulness, resilience, and voice. From there, participants explore what it means to move from languishing toward flourishing, drawing on the ethics of joy to understand the conditions, inner and outer, that allow a person to come alive and sustain that aliveness over time.
Option 2: Strategic Planning for Thriving Organizations — This course offers a roadmap, tools, and strategies for building healthier, more connected organizational cultures in businesses, schools, and non-profit organizations. Participants examine the hidden costs organizations pay when people go numb and disengage, and learn to design cultures where people can be fully present, do their best work, and thrive even through periods of uncertainty and change.
For questions or concerns about navigating the independent study course, please contact Jay Hurt at jay@academyofcreativecoaching.com
Questions? Speak with our team