ICF ACC study plan

Write a plain-language definition of each of the 8 ICF core competencies in your own words, tagging which sub-competencies belong to Domain 1.

Draft a one-page personal ethics decision checklist covering confidentiality, conflicts of interest, power dynamics, and referral boundaries.

Identify 3 personal triggers or biases that could erode ethical practice or presence, and write a specific mitigation for each.

Design and rehearse a 5-minute pre-session mindset ritual (curiosity, non-judgment, client-as-whole) and run it before 3 practice conversations.

Build a reusable coaching agreement template that captures all required elements: logistics, fees, confidentiality and its limits, coach and client roles, and success criteria.

Record 2 practice sessions in which you negotiate the agreement out loud in the opening 10 minutes.

Draft a comparison table separating coaching from therapy, consulting, mentoring, and training, with 3 distinguishing markers for each.

Deliver one clean, non-defensive renegotiation when a practice client shifts the goal mid-session.

List 6 concrete verbal and nonverbal behaviors that build trust and safety, then log real instances of each across 3 sessions.

Run 3 sessions in which you deliberately hold silence at least 3 times per session and note what the client did next.

Collect client feedback on psychological safety using a 4-question form after each of those 3 sessions.

Practice naming and acknowledging client emotion in the moment at least twice per session without moving into problem-solving.

Record and fully transcribe 2 sessions, then annotate every paraphrase, summary, and reflection you used.

Count your talk-time ratio per session and cut it to 40 percent or less by the second recording.

List 3 observations of what the client did not say aloud (hesitations, topic shifts, energy drops) and reflect one of them back to the client.

Eliminate all interruptions and finishing-the-client's-sentence habits across both recorded sessions.

Assemble a bank of 25 open, non-leading questions and label each by the awareness it is designed to evoke.

Count directive statements and unsolicited advice per session, then reduce the count to 2 or fewer in each of 2 recorded sessions.

Practice asking one question and then waiting a full 5 seconds before speaking again, 5 times per session.

Shift at least 3 questions per session from 'why did you' framing to 'what' or 'how' framing.

Co-create at least one client-chosen action step per session rather than proposing your own.

Practice designing actions that fit the client's stated learning style and available time, and confirm fit with the client before closing.

Record one full session and score yourself on every Domain 3 and Domain 4 competency marker using a 1-to-5 rubric.

Request one mentor or peer observation and convert their feedback into 3 specific behavioral changes.

Facilitate a full goal-setting conversation that ends with a measurable client-owned goal and a target date.

Build an accountability structure with one client, including how and when progress will be reviewed.

Practice celebrating client progress and eliciting the client's own evidence of growth rather than offering praise from your own judgment.

Run a closing conversation that explicitly plans for sustaining momentum after the coaching engagement ends.

Complete one timed, full-length mock exam and review every missed item back to its competency definition.

Deliver 2 full-length practice coaching sessions observed and scored by a mentor or peer against all 8 competencies.

Re-read your week 1 charter and competency map and update it with what changed in your practice.

Write a 300-word reflection identifying your 2 strongest and 2 weakest competencies with evidence from recorded sessions.