Coaching is an essential component of successful change implementation. Designed to meet the unique needs of child welfare professionals and agencies seeking to develop professional coaching programs for their employees, the Butler Institute Academy of Professional Coaching will train you to work as a professional coach who is ready to design and implement impactful coaching relationships in support of a skilled child welfare workforce.
Your program hours will qualify toward additional certification through the International Coaching Federation, the leading international credentialing organization for coaches. You can expect an enriched learning environment with:
Instruction by professional certified coaches
Blended experiential classroom and virtual exchange learning
Engaging interaction with a cohort of professional peers
Rigorous and comprehensive classroom learning interactions
65 hoursThe program blends synchronous and asynchronous learning. Upon completion, you’ll gain 65 hours of professional coach training and achieve certification as a Trained Professional Coach (TPN) by the Butler Institute for Families.
Program Overview
You can attend the four-month academy on the University of Denver Campus, or we can provide the academy at a location that’s convenient for you and your colleagues. The program blends in-person and self-guided learning. Upon completion, you’ll gain 65 hours of professional coach training and achieve certification as a professional coach by the Butler Institute for Families.
Would you like to attend and need some help convincing your boss that it's worth the investment? We've created a customizable email that you can send to your boss for the academy.
In this in-person classroom session, you’ll explore the purpose and goal of coaching and clarify how coaching differs from and intersects with mentoring and consulting. You’ll also learn about the mindset, approaches, skills and ethics of professional coaching as you assess your readiness for coaching, coach your peers and begin to discover your unique coaching style.
This in-person classroom session focuses on the process and practice of coaching. You will leave with knowledge of the flow of a coaching relationship—from the initial coaching session to closing the coaching relationship. You’ll have multiple opportunities to observe and practice coaching skills and strategies as well.
Apply your coaching knowledge, skills and strengths. In this in-person classroom session, you’ll take the lead in facilitating learning experiences among your peers. You will revisit the foundational essentials of coaching practice and share your new coaching knowledge and experience with the class.
Starting in 2023,all Academy of Professional Coaching (APC) students are required to complete 10 hours of mentor coaching. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) has made this a requirement for all ICF-accredited coach education/training programs.
Mentor coaching consists of coaching and feedback in a collaborative, appreciative and dialogued process, based on observed or recorded coaching sessions. The process of mentor coaching provides professional assistance in achieving and demonstrating coaching competency and capability.
All mentor coaching will take place during the APC course timeline. Participants will engage in 7 hours of group mentor coaching, and 3 hours of one-on-one mentor coaching. All mentor coaching will be conducted by one of the APC faculty, who are credentialed by ICF at the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) level.
“Try-it” exercises help coaches-in-training to put key learnings into practice between classroom training modules. These exercises offer opportunities for you to practice your coaching skills outside the classroom. You’ll receive weekly “Try-it” assignments that will take no longer than one hour to complete. You will discuss assignments during the following classroom session.
All Academy of Professional Coaching (APC) students will be required to complete 6-hours of 1:1 coaching experience, outside of classroom time. This coaching experience must be completed prior to receiving your certificate of completion/certification from the APC.
"New ideas and concepts were presented in a way to encourage student participation. I am now more cognizant of my thoughts, feelings and the coaching relationship."
Academy of Professional Coaching Participant
Interested in scheduling a coaching academy at your location?
We strongly encourage the addition of coaching implementation advising and/or virtual learning circles. Although these aren’t required for Butler Institute or International Coaching Federation certification at the Approved Coaching Specific Training Hours level, both of these experiences provide coaches-in-training with invaluable consultation, practice support and feedback from professional certified coaches and their peers.
Program Requirements
Each cohort requires at least eight students at any location. We offer the program in English only at this time.
To schedule an Academy at an off-campus location, we require completion of a standard service agreement between your group/organization and the University of Denver. We also require a list of names—including contact information, professional degree and human services experience — for each participant. Our coaches can assist with the application process.
The Butler Institute is part of the University of Denver, which is owned by the Colorado Seminary. Butler offers this Academy to agencies seeking to train/certify their own employees or to collaborate with other agencies in close geographic proximity to train/certify their collective employees. To schedule the Academy, agencies will enter into a contract with the Colorado Seminary with proposed milestone payments due upon signature, prior to the first delivery, following the classroom deliveries and, if applicable, following any supplemental services.
Agencies are responsible for ensuring participant attendance. To schedule the Academy, agencies will enter into a contract with the Colorado Seminary; the standard contract language allows contracts to be terminated by either party with 30 days written notice. In the event of early contract termination, reimbursable costs will be limited to those milestones completed at the time of termination and a pro-rata share of milestones in progress, including any un-cancellable obligations. We are aware that many agencies working in child welfare will have local, state or federally required termination provisions that may result in negotiated cancellation requirements.
