ICF ACC cheat sheet

ICF definition of coaching: partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

ICF core values are Integrity, Collaboration, Respect, and Excellence; they are the reference points for interpreting the Code of Ethics when a written standard is ambiguous.

Code of Ethics structure: definitions; core values and ethical principles; ethical standards; and the ethical pledge that every credential-holder commits to.

Confidentiality decision rule: disclose client information only (a) with client consent, (b) when legally required, or (c) when there is imminent risk of serious harm, and state these limits before coaching begins.

Sponsor/third-party rule: agree in advance, in writing where possible, what the paying sponsor will and will not be told; the client must know what is shared.

Conflict-of-interest rule: disclose the conflict, then avoid the relationship or withdraw from it. Do not coach family members, close friends, or people you directly manage.

Scope rule: coaching is not therapy, counseling, consulting, mentoring, or legal, medical, or financial advice; refer out when the client needs treatment or expert opinion.

ACC eligibility: 60 hours of coach-specific education, 100 hours of client coaching experience (at least 75 paid), 10 hours of mentor coaching (at least 3 individual, over at least 3 months), a performance evaluation, and the Coach Knowledge Assessment.

Coaching mindset markers: the client is treated as resourceful and responsible for their own choices; the coach prepares mentally and emotionally, monitors personal bias and emotion, and uses ongoing reflective practice or supervision.

This domain contains three competencies: Establishes and Maintains Agreements, Cultivates Trust and Safety, and Maintains Presence.

Agreement content checklist: goals, coach responsibilities, client responsibilities, what is in and out of scope, confidentiality limits, logistics (fees, session length, duration), and how either party may end the engagement.

Session-level agreement rule: within the opening minutes confirm the topic and what a successful session would look like, and re-confirm if the client shifts direction mid-session.

Fit screening: decline or refer when the request is for therapy, crisis support, or expert advice outside the coach's competence, and agree with the client on a different kind of help.

Trust-building behaviors: show respect, learn the client's identity, context, culture and values, honor confidentiality, keep commitments, and respond to the whole person rather than only the words.

Permission rule: ask before sharing an observation, intuition, or challenge, for example 'May I share something I've noticed?', and accept a no without pressing.

Presence rule: focus wholly on the client, tolerate silence and strong emotion, work from a stance of not knowing, and keep the coach's own reactions from steering the session.

Emotional regulation: notice your own triggers and defensiveness; do not rescue, advise, or position yourself as the client's expert.

Active listening inputs: the client's words, tone, pace, energy, emotion, body language, and what the client does not say.

Reflect using the client's own words; paraphrasing into coach vocabulary risks importing the coach's interpretation of the client's meaning.

Summarize to confirm understanding, consolidate a theme, or mark a transition, never to display the coach's insight or to steer the client.

Question rules: short, open, one at a time, no embedded advice, no stacked questions, and limited chains of 'why' questions.

Leading-question test: if the coach's preferred answer can be guessed from the wording of the question, the question is leading.

Awareness-raising tools: open questions, metaphor, reframing, direct observation, intuition shared with permission, silence, and direct feedback.

Non-attachment rule: offer an insight once; if the client does not take it up, drop it and follow the client's direction.

Advice substitution rule: when tempted to advise, ask what options the client already sees, because advice transfers ownership of the answer back to the coach.

Bridge from awareness to action: ask 'Given that, what will you do?' so the client names the action rather than receiving one from the coach.

Action quality test: specific, time-bound, within the client's control, stated in the client's words, and visibly connected to the client's stated goal.

Accountability design: ask how the client will hold themselves accountable and what structure or support they want, then follow up at the next session.

Celebration rule: name specific progress or insight rather than generic praise, and keep the credit with the client.

Learning articulation: close with questions such as 'What are you taking away?' or 'What did you learn about yourself?' to consolidate the learning.

Confidence check: have the client rate commitment from 1 to 10; a low rating is an invitation to resize the action, not a prompt for the coach to push.

Credential standard difference: ACC requires the competencies to be demonstrated at a foundational level; PCC requires consistent, adaptable, deeply integrated use.

Session close checklist: confirm the client's next steps, the next session date, and any between-session agreements before the session ends.