Professional Christian Coaching Institute’s TOP 10 Distinctions

What Distinguishes PCCI From All Other Coach Training Schools?

1. PCCI provides all live training, via telebridge, enabling real-time feedback, Q&A, role play demonstrations, case presentations, and supervision of your practice-coaching.

You will have two ICF-certified coaches as instructors in your introductory course, The Essentials of Coaching, enabling you to hear the skills you read about being modeled live in the virtual classroom.

Our classes are taught on a high-definition telephone bridge line, so you can literally attend from anywhere in the world – even from a remote mission field, via Skype.

2. PCCI training is at the college-graduate level, involving core texts that are foundational in professional coaching.

Our instruction is based upon a European model of adult education with no written papers or tests, and no grades given. You will read several of the classics in this field followed by live discussion and lecture on the material, supervised and unsupervised practice-coaching in a telebridge lab setting, journaling exercises to personalize the material, and live coaching demonstrations. 

From a Learning Theory perspective, this is an extremely holistic approach to instruction – reading, journaling, lecture, Q&A, role play, case presentation, peer labs using a structured ICF observation form, and live supervision of practice in class.

Such a comprehensive style has been proven to train in a whole-person manner, incorporating both hemispheres of the brain and dramatically increasing comprehension & integration.

You will experience a transformational process within your being, as well as in your skills for doing.

3. PCCI integrates a distinctly Christian worldview throughout, as presented in our foundational text, Christian Coaching, by Dr. Gary Collins.

All of our instructors are strong in the Faith and take a mainline, non-denominational approach to the Truth of Scripture and the importance of Christian values & morality in all areas of life. 

We honor and incorporate your faith - training Christians to become professional coaches, not training coaches who happen to be Christians.

A passage that beautifully expresses our view of the role of a Christian coach is Proverbs 20:5, "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out."

We equip you to draw out the deep waters of purpose from people's hearts, serving both Christian & non-Christian clientele, without imposing your worldviews or agendas upon them.

4. The majority of PCCI students secure paying clients prior to completion of their first (introductory) course.

We firmly believe that “the real learning of anything begins when you start doing it”, so our training encourages a tremendous amount of hands-on learning from the beginning.

For more than 10 years we have conducted exit surveys and found that more than 50% of our students secure paying clients before completion of our introductory course. 

Because of this, you are able to grow your private practice and increase your income while taking additional coursework over time  in an ‘a la carte’ fashion. 

At PCCI, your training costs are truly an investment – many students recoup their entire tuition costs by securing private clients before their coursework is even completed.

All of our course tuitions are moderately priced and have extended payment plans available. We will even individually tailor a payment plan to meet your budget, if necessary. 

Partial scholarships are available for anyone with special financial needs.

5. PCCI offers business development & marketing classes to get you earning a solid income – fast.

Our highly-acclaimed course, The Accidental Entrepreneur, has been privately contracted by entire denominations and teams of coaches because of its strength in launching successful coaching practices.

Effective Marketing in the 21st Century will equip you to mine the connections you already have while opening up new worlds of prospects through informed use of the Web.

The International Coach Federation (ICF) demonstrated in 2007 through their PricewaterhouseCoopers survey that full-time coaches were averaging an income of $82,000/year. Our business model trains you to meet and exceed that average. Honestly.

We also provide ongoing business support through The Christian Coaches’ Power Lunch, our bi-weekly live telebridge community and password-protected online discussion group. 

We are firmly committed to the financial & business success of our PCCI family.

6. PCCI provides a wide range of advanced specialty classes, enabling you to brand & niche yourself in the marketplace.

Advanced courses include some of the hottest niches in coaching, such as Leadership Coaching, Career Coaching, Group Coaching, and Coaching for Spiritual Formation, with new courses added every year.

7. PCCI offers certification (CPLC) only after true competence has been demonstrated – no ‘rubber stamps’ here.

Many training programs offer 'certifications' of highly questionable value, requiring little to no supervised practice or evaluated skill.

Our Certified Professional Life Coaches (CPLC) have demonstrated proficiency in four core courses – The Essentials of Coaching (30 hrs.), Coaching Skills Development (20 hrs.), Coaching Skills Mastery (20 hrs.), and Ethical Practice & Liability Risk Management (6 hrs.)

Additionally, they have been mentor coached at least 5 clock-hours by an ICF-certified coach (PCC or MCC) and have passed oral examination by two of our ICF-certified coaches.

Our certification carries real weight – you will be CONFIDENT as a coach because you are COMPETENT as a coach.

8. All PCCI instructors are ICF-certified and our training is aligned with ICF standards & code of ethics, the 'gold standard' of this profession.

Students can apply for ICF certification after completing our training (and meeting ICF practice and supervision hours) through the ICF Portfolio Application process.

9. PCCI’s founder & president, Christopher McCluskey, is a pioneer in the field and has been called by many the 'Father of Christian Coaching'.

Chris McCluskey established the world’s first distinctly Christian coach training program accredited by the ICF (through a previous institute) and is a founding board member of the Christian Coaches Network, the first professional association for Christian coaches..

A best-selling author and popular keynote speaker, he has been interviewed in numerous books & magazines including Christian Coaching by Dr. Gary Collins, Therapist as Life Coach by Dr. Patrick Williams, Christian Counseling Today magazine, Psychotherapy Networker, Focus on the Family publications, Marriage Partnership, ChristianityToday.com, Ladies Home Journal, Marriage & Family Journal, Psychotherapy Finances, Christian Coaching Magazine, and many others.

Chris is a prominent voice shaping our profession, serving on several boards and frequently presenting at national and international conferences. He has authored or co-authored all PCCI curriculum and assembled here the largest faculty of ICF-certified Christian coaches in the world.

Dr. Gary Collins states, “More than any other person, Christopher McCluskey introduced me to coaching and has been a prime encourager as I have taken formal training, grown as a coach trainer, and written this book.” (Christian Coaching: Helping Others Turn Potential Into Reality, © 2001, 2009, p 246.)

10. PCCI’s motto is “Raising the Standard”, and we mean it.

We are raising the standard of Jesus Christ in the arena of this profession, and we are raising the standard of professionalism among coaches who bear the name of Christ.