History of Erickson College

Marilyn Atkinson Ph.D,  the founder of Erickson College, was part
of the gestalt movement in the ‘60s and spent time with Fritz Perls, and then in
the ‘70s with Virginia Satir. She explored a lot of different spiritual paths -
Sufi and Buddhist teachings included.  She worked with the primal approach
to psychology and was very much interested in the whole rise of the commitment
frame in large personal workshops where people were able to commit to taking
control of their lives and moving forward.

Dr. Atkinson was particularly attracted to the work of Dr.
Milton Erickson, an American Psychiatrist and hypnotherapist, who was noted for
amazing results with patients.  He had a brilliant inquiring mind, and, was
the foremost of  the expert therapists studied by the early students of the
NLP community.  Erickson had evolved a number of precepts which, while at
first hearing were surprising to some people, and in some contexts shocking to
others, actually turned out to be true.  Many of Erickson’s  precepts
which when applied both in and outside of hypnotherapy, were highly effective in
counseling.

Professional Coaching Ramblings


because i can
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Answers the questions: Why certification, then, IAC or
ICF







My main reason for supporting independent certification is to promote a
consistent (not SAME) standard for coaching.




The profession, with its growing pains, has become diluted in many ways. I’ve
heard from too many people who have had experiences with coaches who lack an
understanding of what mastery in the profession means. The dissatisfied clients
say things like, “Why did I hire a coach? They didn’t do anything for me that I
couldn’t do for myself” and “All the coach ever did was say ‘what do you think
you could do’”. Whether or not that’s completely true, when that threatens to
become the common perception of coaching, the profession runs the risk of
obsolescence and/or considered a just a fad.




Now, at the same token, I know coaches who are incredible and dedicated to
mastery and will choose to not pursue certification.(Dan, I have a feeling you
are in this category.) Personally, as a rebel at heart, I would prefer that
certification remain optional, at the discretion of the individual coach.




So my decision to become certified and be involved in certification process,
is to be an advocate for the coaching profession with the hope that these
pursuits will assist in educating the public as to what to expect, or even
demand, from coaching.




I realize this did not answer the ICF vs. IAC debate, so here’s my “nutshell”
answer to that:




Which organization best aligns with your philosophy? Find out and make an
informed decision based on your values and your needs.




For me it was IAC from the beginning, as the IAC standards, requirements and
principles honored me as the professional I already was, while challenging me to
gain to highest level of coaching skill that I could. I felt welcomed and
encouraged to get involved as an equal. Someone recently told me they saw the
IAC as the Apple™ of certification organizations. I agreed. With the IAC it’s
not difficult to feel like you are, or can be, an integral part of the evolution
of the organization as well as the profession.

What is unique about
Adler coach training?

At Adler, we believe that a combination
of six criteria makes Adler Coach Training Programs unique and effective: depth,
breadth, applied learning, experiencing your own coaching, in-person contact,
and quality of facilitators and mentors.

· The depth of the
Adler program comes from its connection with theories of human change that have
been tested and proven successful for over a century.

· The breadth of
the Adler program comes from including the broadest spectrum of coaching
principles and approaches. Graduates have the freedom to explore many specific
techniques because they have this broad foundation. They also have the
flexibility to modify techniques to fit different situations because, through
our program, they understand the principles underlying specific techniques.

· At Adler we
stress experiential, hands-on, applied learning. We believe you must use the
skills to own them. From day one of the Foundations Course, and throughout the
Certificate program, you will coach under the supervision of faculty so that you
will DO coaching as well as KNOW coaching.

· Our approach to
coaching skills training includes your own one-on-one individual coaching
sessions. This gives you a taste of being coached, as well as encouraging you to
set your intentions before and to set up an action plan after the training.

· Adler’s training
is mainly face-to-face, with teleclasses and distance learning as supplements.
We feel that nothing can replace personal contact as an aid to learning.

· The faculty at Adler is first-rate!
We invite you to talk with any one of them to find out for yourself. Contact our
staff by calling 602-493-1886 or email contact@adlercoachsw.com to set up an
appointment.

*This 120 hour NLP Coach Certification
Training Program has been approved as 120 hours of
Approved Coach Specific Training Hours ("ACSTH") by the International Coach
Federation(ICF). The Approved Coach Specific Hours designation is awarded to
programs that meet professional standards for the coach training programs
established by the ICF. Graduation from an ACSTH program will meet the ICF's
requirements for individual coach certification for
student contact learning hours for the number of hours of the program. ACSTH
Approval does not warrant or guarantee the effectiveness of the training or the
student's ability to build a successful coaching practice. The individual
applicant must take the ICF's portfolio exam to obtain their credential.

This program is offered solely for personal enrichment,
recreational and avocational purposes. Coaching is not a licensed profession or
vocation in the State of California. Participants who complete the program will
have completed 120 hours of training in a program approved by the International
Coach Federation.

THE IAC COACHING
MASTERIES™ OVERVIEW

The purpose of the IAC Coaching Masteries™
is to provide the basis and standards for a truly independent certifying body,
without allegiance to any coach training schools or organizations. Our goal is
to create a vehicle for evaluating effective coaching in the moment.
Specifically, the IAC certification focuses on masterful coaching skills that
are observable and can be measured by our certifiers during recorded, half-hour
sessions with two different clients.

The IAC Coaching Masteries™
were developed by an international team of coaches with the aim to produce clear
standards and measures for what constitutes the highest level of coaching, and
that can be understood in any culture around the world.

Below is a description of the Masteries
including the Titles, Definitions, Effects and Key Elements. The links (for
members only) provide a listing of the Distinctions, Effective Behaviours,
Ineffective Behaviours, Measures, Common Mistakes Coaches Make and Indicators
the Coach Understands the Mastery for each Mastery that are used to assess the
level of coaching mastery that happens within a coaching session.

The complete IAC Coaching Masteries E-book
is available to IAC Members here and can be purchased on-line by non-members for
$27.