FAQs About the Parent Coach Certification® Training Program

Who can become PCI Certified Parent Coaches®?

Teachers, parent educators, counselors, social workers, community health workers and professionals who have an undergraduate degree and related experience working with parents.

How do I apply for admission?

The first step is to send—or fax: (425) 646-7569—your application form (downloadable here) or call (425) 401-1519 to have an Application Form sent to you via email or postal mail. After review of your application, you will hear from us about the status of your phone interview.

Do you accept everyone who applies?

We accept only qualified candidates who have successfully completed the application/interview process and who are recommended by the PCI Interview Team for entrance into the program.

When do you accept applications?

All year long. You can submit your application anytime and go through the application process, receiving your course materials several months before you actually start the Course 1 telebridge phone classes. We highly encouraged you to do this to ensure your spot.

How long is the training program?

One full year. For example, if you begin your phone classes for Course 1 in the Spring, you can expect to complete by the Spring of the following year and receive your certification a few weeks after completion of the phone classes and after all your course assignments have been graded by your instructors.

Is there any flexibility during the year-long program?

Yes. We allow our students to skip a quarter if they need to, although we do not encourage it or recommend it. Sometimes an occurrence such as illness or other extenuating circumstances make up an emergency for the student. There is no penalty or extra cost to take off one quarter and resume studies if an emergency comes up.

Why do you say the training could take up to 18 months?

The four content courses take one year (12 months to complete). Each course contains three modules (1 module per month or 1 course each quarter). Sometimes students like to have an additional 3-6 months to finish written assignments and to finish their parent coaching practicum before applying for certification. Our program is designed to accommodate them.

What do I have to do to receive Parent Coach Certification®?

You must successfully complete four graduate-level courses, four on-site workshops or their equivalents, participate in 36 content phone seminar classes, and at least 9 process phone classes on the coaching model. In addition, you must demonstrate competency through projects, tests, and assessments, and give evidence of at least 100 hours of successful parent coaching using the PCI coaching model.

What if I'm not currently working with parents, how do I find parents to coach while I'm in the program?

You can choose to participate in one of the PCI's worldwide parent coaching research studies where your clients are supplied for you.

I like working with people and I am not sure about distance learning and working alone. How can I feel supported when going through the program?

Our distance-learning training is unique and so successful because it is so very personalized. You are paired with a coaching buddy in Course 1 whom you can work and collaborate with. You also have access to senior coach mentors if you would like one. In addition, you can be coached for up to 6 sessions pro bono by a senior in our program in order to find out what the PCI model feels like from the other end. In Course 3 you are paired with a PCI graduate who is a practicing parent coach. This person acts as your supervisor/guide for the last six months of your program, ensuring that your coaching practicum is going well.

Another great way to get your "people fix" is to attend the Course On-Site Workshops. You will be blown away by the caliber of people you will meet, their energy, and the synergy we all embody when we get together.

I am confused about the workshops. How do they work?

There are four workshops—one for each course. You are encouraged to attend. If you can't, we find a way for you to receive the core content from each one.

Each year the workshop weekends are held twice, in summer and fall, usually in the Seattle area and one other location where we have a group of PCI coaches, such as Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, and Hawaii. We usually offer all four workshops during each weekend so that you are able to attend two workshops on each weekend. If you can travel at least once, that would be wonderful, too.

Each workshop is structured so that there is information sharing in the mornings and that the afternoons are devoted to practicing the PCI coaching model. Nothing can replace the actual face-to-face experience with your colleagues, so we strongly encourage attendance!

Do you help me with the marketing aspects of the business?

Yes, definitely. Upon PCI graduation, you are given Course 5, Living Your Vocation: A 12-Week Self-Directed Game Plan for Building and Sustaining Your Parent Coaching Practice. In addition, you may opt to take the phone classes associated with this course. All of this is included in your basic fee. There are no additional costs.

Once I become certified, how will I find a job as a parent coach?

Your success is our success. We have made sure that you have the marketing tools you will need to help you get the word out about your practice. This field is wide-open and there are many, many opportunities. In addition, you can choose to be placed on the PCI Web site and receive parent referrals that way.

Why should I choose the Parent Coach Certification® training program over other coach training programs?

First of all, our training program is uniquely and exclusively designed for those seeking to work with parents to support them in their parenting challenges and enhance their family lives. We are not life or business coaches. Secondly, we are the first parent coach training program in the world. Gloria DeGaetano has pioneered the field of parent coaching. Now she is defining it with the highest standards in the industry, the most comprehensive curriculum, and the most clearly focused vision and mission.

Is there a future for me with the PCI?

Upon Parent Coach Certification® most of our students move on to establish their own thriving part-time or full-time parent coaching businesses. Some do this and work for the PCI as a Course Facilitator or in other capacities. The PCI is much more than a training program. We are an Institute dedicated to being a container for the highest creative expression of our parent coaches. If your qualifications and the timing are right, you may have a future with the PCI!