About the BCC
More on the Board Certified Coach Credential
About the BCC Credential.
As an Approved BCC Training Provider for 10+ years, BlueRio acknowledges that there are many quality credentials available to coaches. ICF is one, EMCC as well as a few others and of course the BCC.
Each has its own value. BlueRio is considering offering ICF courses in the future- yet one thing is important to note regarding the BCC (Board Certified Coach).
Many people will choose the BCC as it has the advantage of being more straightforward to acquire than the ICF or EMCC credential. While the exam is not easy and an applicant MUST demonstrate proficiency and proof of coaching hours, graduation from an approved training course, the path toward earning the credential tends to be shorter, less cumbersome and more affordable.
The Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE), offers the Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential.
The Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential is a mark of distinction for credential holders and a source of credibility for their clients. A BCC has met professional coaching competency standards established by CCE and subject matter experts.
The BCC certification demonstrates to the public that a professional coach has:
- Met educational and training requirements
- Passed a psychometrically sound coach-specific examination
- Obtained experience in the field of coaching
- Professional peer references
- Accountability to an enforceable ethics code
- Commitment to continuing education
The achievement of the Board Certified Coach credential solidifies the professional identity of the coach. The BCC credential is attractive to professionals who would like to provide independent third-party verification that they have achieved certain coaching competency standards.
If you are currently working or training as a counselor, social worker, business mentor, human resource professional, workforce development, non-certified life coach, career advisor, professional or even a healing professional (for example acupuncturist, reiki master) we offer several courses that are accredited as BCC training programs that may leverage your experience into an esteemed coaching credential.
For those who have already become a Board Certified Coach we offer several CEU courses as well ranging from 4 – 35 continuing education units and some include the required Ethics hours.
In terms of earning the credential and which courses to take, please know that the careers mentioned above are merely examples. You may actually come from any profession; your education will determine how many hours of training you will need to apply for the BCC Credential. Enrolling in a CCE or BCC Approved training program not only assures you have the correct educational background for taking their exam, it assures you that you are learning the foundations for professional coaching to serve your staff or clients in an ethical and responsible manner.
The CCE, BBC-Approved courses we currently offer that may suit your needs are:
- CLRC: Lead & Thrive (30, 60 and 120 hours)
- CLMC-Foundation (30 hours)
- CLMC-Military (60 hours)
- CLMC-Foundation & Focuses (60 hours)
When you meet all requirements for BlueRio graduation AND all to sit for the BCCE (exam) you may do so.
REQUIREMENTS for the BCC
Below is from their site as of July 10, 2022. Please ALWAYS check their site.
https://www.cce-global.org/credentialing/bcc
Those with Other Credentials
Must hold a qualifying current and active coaching certification. Bachelor’s degree or higher in any field of study*
A certification as defined by CCE is a voluntary process by which a nongovernmental agency or association grants recognition to an individual who has met predetermined qualifications specified by the agency or association. Such qualifications must include graduation from an accredited or approved training program, acceptable performance on a qualifying examination, and completion of some specified amount or type of work experience. The certification must require documentation of continuing education in order to renew. In most cases this requirement choice will be someone with an actual coaching credential not just a certification.
Sealed official transcript from the educational institution*
Completion of a minimum of 60 hours of professional coach training from a national or regional coach training program.
30 hours of postdegree coaching experience working with individuals, groups or organizations. Experience form completed by a professional coach, supervisor or colleague.
Other requirements + an exam as well.
- $279 application review fee.
- $40 annual maintenance fee for certificate holders.
- Optional choice of a specialty designation
- More requirements can be found at their site.
*** Degrees must be from a postsecondary educational institution or program accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. For non-U.S. degrees, please see information at the bottom of the Requirements page
Master's degree or higher in social or behavior sciences*
Master’s degree or higher in social or behavior sciences*
Automatically accepted fields are business, management, social work, marriage and family therapy, psychology, medicine, health and wellness, education, and law. Other related fields will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Sealed official transcript from the educational institution *
Completion of a minimum of 60 hours of professional coach training from a CCE-approved coach training provider.
30 hours of postdegree coaching experience working with individuals, groups or organizations. Experience form completed by a professional coach, supervisor or colleague.Sealed official transcript from the educational institution *
Other requirements as well including an exam.
- $279 application review fee.
- $40 annual maintenance fee for certificate holders.
- Optional choice of a specialty designation
- More requirements can be found at their site.
Master's degree or higher in counseling*
Sealed official transcript from the educational institution
*Completion of a minimum of 30 hours of professional coach training from a CCE-approved coach training provider.
30 hours of postdegree coaching experience working with individuals, groups or organizations. Experience form completed by a professional coach, supervisor or colleague.
Other requirements + an exam as well.
- $279 application review fee.
- $40 annual maintenance fee for certificate holders.
- Optional choice of a specialty designation
- More requirements can be found at their site.
*** Degrees must be from a postsecondary educational institution or program accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. For non-U.S. degrees, please see information at the bottom of the Requirements page at the BCC’s site.
National Certified Counselors (NCCs) or Fully State-Licensed Counselors
Must hold a current and active National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential or a full professional counselor license (e.g., LPC, LPCC, LMHC)
A copy of your current and active certification ID, certificate or verification letter. Sealed official transcript from the educational institution *
Completion of a minimum of 30 hours of professional coach training from a CCE-approved coach training provider.
30 hours of postdegree coaching experience working with individuals, groups or organizations. Experience form completed by a professional coach, supervisor or colleague.
Other requirements + an exam as well.
- $229 (NCC) application review fee.
- $279 (non-NCC)application review fee.
- $40 annual maintenance fee for certificate holders.
- Optional choice of a specialty designation
- More requirements can be found at their site.
*** Degrees must be from a postsecondary educational institution or program accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. For non-U.S. degrees, please see information at the bottom of the Requirements page at the BCC’s site.
Doctoral degree in social or behavioral sciences*
Doctoral degree in social or behavioral sciences*
Automatically accepted fields are business, management, social work, marriage and family therapy, psychology, medicine, health and wellness, education, and law. Other related fields will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Sealed official transcript from the educational institution *
Completion of a minimum of 30 hours of professional coach training from a CCE-approved coach training provider.
30 hours of postdegree coaching experience working with individuals, groups or organizations. Experience form completed by a professional coach, supervisor or colleague.
Other requirements + an exam as well.
- $279 application review fee.
- Optional choice of a specialty designation
- $40 annual maintenance fee for certificate holders.
- More requirements can be found at their site.
*** Degrees must be from a postsecondary educational institution or program accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. For non-U.S. degrees, please see information at the bottom of the Requirements page at the BCC’s site.
bachelor's degree or higher in any field of study*
Bachelor’s degree or higher in any field of study* Sealed official transcript from the educational institution *
Completion of a minimum of 120 hours of professional coach training from a CCE-approved coach training provider.
30 hours of postdegree coaching experience working with individuals, groups or organizations. Experience form completed by a professional coach, supervisor or colleague.
Other requirements + an exam as well.
- $279 application review fee.
- Optional choice of a specialty designation
- $40 annual maintenance fee for certificate holders.
- More requirements can be found at their site.
*** Degrees must be from a postsecondary educational institution or program accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. For non-U.S. degrees, please see information at the bottom of the Requirements page at the BCC’s site.
Applicants with at least 2,500 hours of coaching experience within five years or more and a bachelor's degree or higher in any field*
Bachelor’s degree or higher in any field*
Sealed official transcript from the educational institution *
2,500 hours of postdegree coaching experience over a period of five years or more working with individuals, groups or organizations. Experience form completed by a professional coach, supervisor or colleague.
Completion of a minimum of 30 hours of professional coach training from a CCE-approved coach training provider.
30 hours of postdegree coaching experience working with individuals, groups or organizations. Experience form completed by a professional coach, supervisor or colleague.
Other requirements + an exam as well.
- $279 application review fee.
- Optional choice of a specialty designation
- $40 annual maintenance fee for certificate holders.
- More requirements can be found at their site.
*** Degrees must be from a postsecondary educational institution or program accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. For non-U.S. degrees, please see information at the bottom of the Requirements page at the BCC’s site.
EXPLANATION
DESIGNATIONS:
Per the website June 2023:
CCE offers BCC applicants the opportunity to apply for specialty designations. These specialty designations are voluntary accompaniments to the BCC credential that emphasize an area of expertise. The four specialty designations include the following categories:
Executive/Corporate/Business/Leadership Coaching is a set of evidenced-based methods and strategies used by business professionals to assist executives, leaders, and managers in achieving business goals and developing themselves, their organizations, and their employees.
Health/Wellness Coaching is a set of evidence-based methods and strategies used by health, fitness, and mental health professionals to assist clients in setting and reaching sustainable, self-determined health and wellness goals.
Career Coaching is a set of evidence-based methods and strategies used by career professionals to assist clients in the behavioral change process that will facilitate positive results in career exploration and decision-making.
Personal/Life Coaching is a set of evidence-based methods and strategies used by a variety of professionals to assist the client in creating and designing future-based goals for personal development or change, and solutions for any or all aspects of life.
In order to apply for one or more of these specialty designations, an applicant must submit a Designation Experience Form to verify 30 hours of coaching experience in the specialty designated, a Designation Endorsement Form to verify coaching competence in the specialty designated, and a $30 specialty review fee per specialty designation.
This can be done via your online gateway after you have been approved for your BCC credential:
https://www.cce-global.org/credentialing/bcc/designations
The following text comes directly from the CCE’s website as of July 10, 2022:
An Explanation of the Differences in BCC Requirements
Why the differences in requirements?
Subject matter experts performed a gap analysis, which revealed a significant crossover in counseling and coaching competencies. These experts compared coaching competencies gathered from more than 19 professional coaching textbooks and periodicals with counseling competencies measured by the National Counselor Examination (NCE).
The subject matter experts identified overlapping portions and independently verified that NCCs and fully state-licensed counselors have met many competencies through a rigorous measurement and credential verification process. To obtain a Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential, NCCs and fully state-licensed counselors are required to obtain coach-specific training to cover the educational gap related to the differences (or “gap”) between coaching and counseling competencies.
Why are there different requirements for other social sciences?
Since CCE develops and administers the NCE, CCE was able to evaluate the overlap in coaching and counseling competencies. CCE would apply credit for overlapping competencies for other social sciences, such as social work and psychology, if CCE could verify that those competencies were covered in the respective credentialing verification processes. Credentialing bodies for other social sciences disciplines are welcome to contact CCE to assist in providing a similar gap analysis (e.g., between psychology and coaching).
FOR APPLICANTS with NON-U.S. DEGREES
Applicants with non-U.S. degrees: If you earned your degree(s) outside the United States, you will need to have the degree(s) evaluated by an international transcript evaluation service and submit the results of the international degree equivalency evaluation with your application to CCE. CCE accepts evaluations completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO); Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE); International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF); and World Education Services, Inc. (WES).