About Certification Support

When you start out on a new career path, it’s important to have support. In today’s online education world, we have so many choices and ways of learning. The good news is we can participate in programs and training from anywhere in the world and we don’t have to sit in a traditional classroom anymore.

But in many cases, the personal element has disappeared. So you have to be cautious, because you don’t want to just be enrolled in some online program with thousands of students and little real personal support.

You want the best of both worlds – to be able to learn on the go and take advantage of technology but also feel like you are in a real classroom and can get support from real people. So what should you look for?

What Quality Support Looks Like

One thing to be aware of is that support can be masked as group calls or group training where there are 100s of people on the line and you can’t ask personal questions. Or it might show up as a Facebook group where you’re with a large number of new coaches with very little personal support.

When we talk about effective support, we mean a personal, hands-on type of connection.

There are four things to look for when determining if a program has true levels of support.

1. Personal Support

This mean customized, one-on-one support that allows you to get all of your questions answered. With this kind of support, you are personally coached and mentored through learning challenges. You want this kind of personal support so you’ll be guided every step of the way and won’t just become a number in the crowd.

2. Personal Application 

You can be given all of the training and information, but if you don’t have a way to apply it you won’t really learn it. When it comes to coach training, it’s important to go through a practicum where you get to work with a mentor and practice coaching clients. By doing this, you’ll be fully prepared and confident when you are coaching your own clients after graduation.

3. Self-Growth Support

When you go through this kind of intense training, you’re going to need support with your own health and mindset. You’ll need to push yourself to evolve so that you can then help your own clients grow too. Self-growth can be challenging, though, so having that kind of personal support will help you overcome and grow much faster.

4. Community

When you have a community, you surround yourself with like-minded people who are walking the same path you are. They’re there to cheer you on and support you at every stage of your growth. A good community also includes people who are a few steps ahead of you and can reach back to show you how to get where they are. You want mentors and experienced coaches who can inspire you and share their best practices.

Over the years, at the IAWP we’ve seen how providing a community like this helps our Wellness Coaches thrive from supporting each other to create more success together.