If you’ve completed Co-Active Foundations: Human Being & Human Doing and Ignite the Practice, the next decision is whether to pursue full certification. Deepen the Work: Co-Active Professional Coach Certification is the stage of the Co-Active pathway where coaches build the depth of skill and volume of supervised practice that earn two meaningful credentials: the Co-Active Professional Coach Certification (CPCC) from Co-Active Training Institute, and eligibility to pursue the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
This guide walks through what the program includes, what the credentials mean, and how to choose between the two scheduling tracks now available.
Why Credentials Matter
The coaching profession continues to see global growth, and with that has come a sharper eye from clients and organizations evaluating coaches. A recognized credential communicates that a coach has met a defined standard, completed supervised practice, and been assessed by qualified professionals.
For coaches building a private practice or working inside organizations, credentialing also affects access. Many corporate coaching engagements and internal talent rosters favor or require ICF-credentialed coaches, which makes recognized training a practical asset, not only a professional one.
What coaches gain from credentialing:
- Professional credibility. A credential tells prospective clients and employers that a coach’s training has been verified and held to a professional standard.
- Market access. ICF-credentialed coaches qualify for engagements and partnerships that list recognized certification as a prerequisite.
- Career momentum. Holding both a program-specific designation and an ICF credential opens a wider range of conversations from the first introduction onward.
Credentialing reflects the kind of coach someone has committed to becoming, and clients increasingly know to look for it.
CPCC and PCC Explained
Graduates of Deepen the Work walk away with a coaching credential from Co-Active and are well-positioned to work toward another from the ICF.
The CPCC, or Co-Active Professional Coach Certification, is Co-Active Training Institute’s own designation and one of the most respected program-specific credentials in the coaching industry. It is earned upon completing the program and reflects full integration of the Co-Active model.
The PCC, or Professional Certified Coach credential, is the ICF’s mid-tier credential and one of the most recognized designations in the global coaching profession. Deepen the Work prepares graduates to pursue it: the program’s 96.5 synchronous hours, including 10.5 mentor coaching hours, plus 11 asynchronous hours, count toward the ICF’s training requirements for PCC. Graduates still complete the ICF’s own application steps and accumulate the required coaching hours, but the training foundation is in place.
The CPCC is what coaches earn from Co-Active Training Institute. The PCC is what they become eligible to seek through the ICF. Both carry global recognition in a profession where verified training and supervised practice carry real weight.
What the Program Looks Like
Deepen the Work is a five-month virtual program. Each cohort is made up of up to 27 participants, divided into three pods of learners who rotate through the roles of coach, client, and observer across the full program. That rotation is central to the design. Moving through every position in a coaching conversation builds a quality of awareness that observing alone does not produce.
Five courses, one integrated model. The program is structured around five two-day courses, each deepening a specific dimension of the Co-Active model:
- Intro. Establishes the certification-level coaching framework: the Co-Active model, the three levels of listening, the arc of a coaching conversation, and the visible coaching skills practiced across all five courses.
- Meaning. Develops the coach’s capacity to work with what genuinely matters to a client, including values, purpose, and vision.
- Choice. Builds the ability to hold the full complexity of a client’s choices, commitments, and competing priorities.
- Presence. Focuses on the coach’s own presence as a coaching tool and on working fluidly with what is alive in the session.
- Synergy. Integrates the full Co-Active model into a unified coaching practice and prepares coaches for certification assessment.
Between courses, weekly practice pods keep the learning in motion. Group and individual supervision run alongside pod work throughout the program, giving coaches personalized feedback on specific areas of developing mastery. Coaches who come in ready to work leave with a body of supervised practice that is both measurable and meaningful.
Two Tracks. Same Credential.
Deepen the Work is available in two scheduling formats: Fast Track and Flex Track. Both cover the full curriculum, are taught by Co-Active faculty, and lead to the CPCC credential. The only difference is the schedule.
Fast Track. Complete all five courses in five months on a fixed schedule, alongside a consistent cohort.
- Timeline: 5 months, fixed schedule
- Investment: $8,490 (bundle discount available with Ignite the Practice)
Flex Track. Enroll in each course individually and set your own pace, with up to 18 months to complete the four core courses, 11 weeks for certification, and up to two years from the start of certification to complete the 100 coaching hours required.
- Timeline: self-directed within the windows above
- Investment: $1,050 per core course, $6,500 for certification, or $8,490 as a bundle
If you can hold a five-month schedule, Fast Track gives you a consistent peer group and a clear finish line. If your schedule needs more give, Flex Track gives you the same program and same credential on a timeline you control. Neither is a lesser option.
Begin Your Certification Journey
Coaching is a profession where reputation travels fast, and credentials are part of what builds it. Clients researching coaches, organizations vetting practitioners, and HR leaders building internal rosters all use credentialing as a baseline for trust. A coach who holds recognized designations from both a respected training institution and the ICF enters every conversation with that credibility in place.
Co-Active Training Institute has developed coaches and leaders for more than 30 years, and Deepen the Work represents the full expression of that approach at the certification level. Coaches who are ready to deepen their practice will find a program built with the rigor, structure, and human depth that professional certification deserves.
Ready to find your cohort? View Deepen the Work dates, and reserve your spot.ย
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between CPCC and PCC? CPCC is the Co-Active Professional Coach Certification, earned from Co-Active Training Institute upon completing Deepen the Work. PCC is the ICF’s Professional Certified Coach credential, a separate application made to the ICF after meeting training and coaching-hour requirements. Deepen the Work satisfies the ICF training requirements for the PCC pathway.
Do I need to complete Foundations and Ignite the Practice first? Yes. Both are prerequisites for Deepen the Work.
What does the program cost? $8,490 for either track when purchased as a bundle. Flex Track participants can also pay per course ($1,050 per core course, $6,500 for certification).
How many hours of training do I get? 96.5 synchronous training hours, including 10.5 mentor coaching hours, plus 11 asynchronous hours of additional coaching for PCC-level preparation.