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General information

General program vision and goals

There has been an explosion of interest in coaching as a proven means of leadership development. In this growing and unregulated market, advanced training, certification and supervision can ensure your credibility, professionalism and depth and breadth of experience.

Our vision for the program is to cultivate excellence in the coaching profession by supporting each coach’s engagement with self, other and community and the deepening and refinement of coaching skills. In order to be a trustworthy guide and companion on a client’s life journey, a coach needs much more than effective techniques or specialist knowledge. Courage, compassion, clarity and calm are essential qualities of the professional coach and are needed in equal measure.

The goal of this program is to create and nurture a community of world class coaches who embody the ethos and spirit of boas’ via® coaching, who demonstrate the highest standards of the coaching core competences as defined by the ICF, who bring their own unique strengths and style to their work whilst holding each other accountable to professional standards, and whose own vocation, integration and alignment allows them to keep growing and learning through their transformational work in this complex and changing world.

Coaching approach

We view coaching as a co-creative dialogue between coach and coachee; this is reflected in the program design.

Combining faculty-led sessions with peer group action learning, the program draws on a wide range of disciplines, including humanistic psychology, neuro-linguistic programming, organizational behaviour and artistic inquiry. Coaching engages the whole human being, so as a coach you need to bring your whole self to the process. The program encourages you to discover, identify and engage your inner resources and to integrate this holistic approach into your coaching practice.

You will learn to apply the boas via® (vocational integration and alignment) model as a guide in all of your coaching dialogues. The focus of via® is on raising self awareness, exercising new skills and transcending limiting attitudes. via® coaches support and challenge leaders to define their own life work, integrate their different roles and relationships and align their personal goals with those of their colleagues, their organization, and the wider community.

Learning goals

Each module explores essential themes in leadership coaching, including coaching across cultures, non-verbal communication, the use of coaching in team and organizational development and integration of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels of leadership.

Through your participation in the program you will:

  • Increase your skills in each of the coaching core competencies as defined by the ICF (generic skills applicable to a wide range of coaching contexts)
  • Strengthen professional expertise and credibility through an in-depth knowledge of the via™ coaching model
  • Identify and refine your own coaching style and preferences
  • Explore and integrate intellectual, artistic and intuitive learning styles
  • Gain specific expertise in movement observation, somatic awareness, and the engagement of the thinking body
  • Gain insight and skill in working with cultural diversity and complexity
  • Understand how coaching can support organizational cultural change and the co-creation of coaching-based leadership
  • Discover innovative approaches to coaching outdoors in harmony with nature
  • Enhance your self-confidence and market awareness
  • Develop skills in networking and reciprocal learning with peers

To ensure high quality, this advanced development program for experienced professionals includes initial assessment, ongoing review and final assessment and certification. 

 

How to become a boas professional certification coach

boas professional coach certification™ 

 

Application

To apply for the boas professional coach certification™ - please complete our online application form. Once your application has been processed, you will receive an email indicating whether we feel that our program is a good fit with your current learning needs. If so, you will enter the second stage of the selection process, which is a 30-minute telephone interview with a member of our core faculty. To ensure an optimal learning environment, each cycle of boas professional coach certification™ has a limited number of participants. We encourage you to apply early.

 

Fee

The current price for the the complete program is $9,995. This includes teaching, facilitation, assessment, and course materials.

The program fee also includes a one-time boas license fee. The license gives boas professional coach certification graduates the right to offer boas via coaching and to purchase our via coaching tools. Eligibility to retain this licence is dependent upon successful completion of the certification process.

Participants in the program are required to be members of LIFEdance Community, which provides ongoing coach development and peer community and support. In addition, LIFEdance Community members are eligible for substantial discounts on further courses in LIFEdance Academy, including coaching supervision and mentoring. 

The current cost of LIFEdance Community membership is $47 per month or $470 per annum.  

Payment and refund

Accepted applicants receive a written acceptance letter followed by two invoices. The first invoice is for the non-refundable deposit and the second invoice is for the full course fee. If the applicant decide to accept the place, payment of the non-refundable deposit is due within 30 days of the tax date printed on the invoice. This deposit reserves a place for the applicant on the upcoming cycle of boas professional coach certification™, until 60 days before the program start date. 

In the case that boas accepts an application to boas professional coach certification™ less than 60 days prior to the program start, the acceptance letter and invoice for the full course fee are sent together. In this instance, the course fee must be received within one week of the invoice being sent. In all cases, the course fee must be received in full before a participant is permitted to attend the program.

 

see additional policies below

 

Who is boas professional coach certification suitable for?

The program is for experienced professionals wishing to enrich, deepen and refine their coaching practice. This includes:

  • independent consultants
  • in-house coaches and consultants
  • managers with coaching responsibilities
  • clinical and organizational psychologists
  • educators engaged in adult learning

Each student learning team is put together carefully through a selective process, to create a special masterclass environment for learning and growth. Participants usually have lived in several different countries and worked worldwide; they typically speak several languages, have corporate experience with holistic approach and interests. The program is delivered in English and all presentations and written documentation is in English. However, due to the international nature of the faculty and the participant groups, there are often opportunities to practise coaching in other languages. Whilst most participants have a Masters qualification or PhD, our recruitment process is designed to bring diversity and complementarity into each learning team. 

The following pre-requisites are required:

  • substantial and demonstrable relevant work experience
  • experience working with public, private or voluntary sector organizations
  • evidence of understanding the nature of the program and its fit with his/her own professional learning and development needs
  • a professional ethos and personal qualities that will support excellence in coaching

These pre-requisites are assessed by the faculty on a case-by-case basis.

 

Benefits

boas professional coach certification™ will benefit you, your organization, and your coaches.

Your benefits:

  • Strengthen professional expertise and credibility
  • Discover and refine own coaching style and preferences
  • Join a community of world-class coaches
  • Learn, apply, reflect on and combine new methods
  • Explore and integrate intellectual, artistic and intuitive learning styles
  • Invest time to explore themes in depth
  • Develop generic skills applicable to wide range of coaching contexts
  • Experience dance, music, rhythm and voice work in your learning
  • Develop core skills for movement observation and well-crafted questions
  • Enhance self-confidence and market awareness
  • Network and share experience with peers
  • Discounted metavision™ - boas approach to professional coach supervision

Organization benefits

  • Gain access to a pool of skilled coaches with a common approach
  • Nurture a culture of feedback and creative dialogue in the workplace
  • Raise awareness of cultural differences and non-verbal communication
  • Benefit from immediate application of new learning on the job
  • Raise the quality standards of the organization’s leadership coaching
  • Benefit from quality assurance through our rigorous assessment Improve talent retention through a deeper understanding of human needs
  • Develop leadership coaching capacity that addresses the whole person
  • Learn from the most advanced applications across different industries
  • Discover how to integrate coaching with organizational processes
  • Purchase ongoing coaching supervision at competitive rates
  • Gain access to innovative tools and processes

Future coachee benefits:

  •   Align individual and shared goals
  •   Renew motivation and focus
  •   Clarify personal and professional purpose
  •   Improve life balance
  •   Integrate personal and professional roles
  •   Increase vitality and flow of energy
  •   Enhance ethical congruence
  •   Engage the thinking body
  •   Sharpen decision-making
  •   Gain new awareness of the transforming potential of leadership

 

Content

You will learn to apply the boas viaTM (vocation integration alignment) model as a guide in all of your coaching dialogues. The focus of viaTM is on raising self awareness, exercising new skills and transcending limiting attitudes. viaTM coaches support and challenge leaders to define their own life work, integrate their various roles and relationships and align their own goals with those of their colleagues, their organisation and the wider community.

Each module explores essential themes in leadership coaching, including coaching across cultures, nonverbal communication, the use of coaching in team and organisational development and integration of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels of leadership. The boas professional coach certification includes VIA coaching, ACCORD, Transcultural competence, Embodied Wisdom, Coaching Core Competencies, Mentor Coaching, Observed Coaching, a Case Study, Exam Preparation and Final Assessment.

The full course provides:

  • In-depth education in VIA, providing a powerful and unifying model for all your coaching (with certification or recertification if wished)
  • Extended training in four further Boas Tools for Transformation, as they apply to coaching (details below)
  • Weekly 90-minute practical workshops, with feedback on your coaching based on direct observation of you in action 
  • Weekly 30-minute webinars providing conceptual frameworks, insights and information to guide and refine your coaching 
  • Ten hours of Mentor Coaching (seven group mentoring hours plus three individual 1:1 mentoring hours)
  • Ten self-directed learning sessions providing a fresh look at the updated ICF Coaching Competencies
  • Two self-directed learning sessions on Coaching as a Profession
  • Two 75-minute Skill Review and Refinement workshops
  • A full assessment in both Boas VIA coaching and the updated ICF Core Competencies, with written feedback provided 
  • Everything you need if you wish to apply for an ACC/PCC/MCC coaching credential (dependent on your coaching hours) or renew a credential

To ensure high quality, this advanced development programme for experienced professionals includes initial assessment, ongoing review and final assessment and certification. 

Faculty

Sara Boas is the Founding Director of boas and the director of training for the boas professional coach certification™. Her via™ coaching model forms part of a full set of tools for transformation which are used to transform leadership in business, the public sector, research institutions, NGOs and the arts. She has coached and taught leaders from over 60 countries and is a regular speaker and member of the associate faculty at the London Business School, the Center for Creative Leadership, the Université Libre de Bruxelles and other providers of leadership education. At the heart of Sara’s work is her commitment to honest, creative dialogue. She accompanies and guides individuals with international leadership responsibilities as they learn how to survive their success and grow to the next level of impact and fulfilment. Sara’s work combines insights and methods from psychology, anthropology, organizational behaviour, neuro-linguistic programming, movement observation and philosophy of science. Other sources include dance, yoga and martial arts. Her work is shaped by diverse wisdom traditions and her love of wild nature..

Linda Spencer.....

 

Programme Assistants

Graduates of the programme have the option to continue their own coach development through their presence as assistants in the programme. Programme assistants do not teach or provide formal feedback, but they themselves receive feedback from the programme faculty.

Guest faculty

Past guests have included Robert Dilts, co-founder of Neuro-Linguistic Programming; Susannah Darling Kahn, co-director of the ‘School of Movement Medecine’; Philippe Rosinski, author of ‘Coaching Across Cultures’, Nonviolent Communication expert Godfrey Spencer, and Josie Fenton, creator of Lodestone’s nature-based coaching.

 

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boas professional coach certification™

 

additional policies

1a disability/discrimination/DEIJ statement

2 code of conduct

3 payment/fees policies

4 refund policy

5 transfer of credit policy

6 participation/attendance/illness policy

7 partial completion policy

8 complaint/grievance policy

9 statement on ethics, integrity, transparency

10 ethical marketing agreement

11 enrollment agreement 

 

1a General Disability Policy

boas partners supports individuals with disabilities and is committed to providing disabled individuals access reasonable accommodations. In addition, boas partners prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and ensures equal opportunity for all qualified individuals with disabilities. boas partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in compliance with all local, state/territory, and federal laws.  

Our goal is to create a learning environment which meets the needs of each individual student. We are able to accommodate a variety of learning disabilities to make our program more accessible. Please contact Laura Mayer at [email protected] before enrolling to determine if your needs can be met.

1b DEIJ Statement

As members of the ICF community, boas partners ascribes to the core values of integrity, excellence, collaboration and respect. The foundation of these values is a shared commitment to diversity, inclusion, belonging and justice. We will place diversity, inclusion, belonging and justice at the forefront of every decision we make at boas partners. As we continue the journey toward our vision, we will recommit ourselves to valuing the unique talents, insights and experiences that every coach and client brings to the world.

1c Non-Discrimination Policy

It is the policy of boas partners that:

Recruitment and hiring of all personnel is conducted without discrimination against any individual with regard to race, age, religion, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or veteran status.

All staff and personnel will not discriminate against any employee or participant because of race, age, religion, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or veteran status.

All individuals are welcome to participate regardless of race, age, religion, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or veteran status.

All employees, students, and other participants should be able to enjoy an environment free of discrimination and harassment. This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination or harassment in the areas of race, age, religion, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or veteran status. boas partners does not and will not tolerate conduct by any employee, student, volunteer, contractor, visitor, or vendor which unreasonably interferes with an individual’s ability to learn in a welcoming environment. 

Participants who wish to report discrimination are encouraged to follow the grievance policy outlined below. boas partners will promptly investigate all claims and reports of inappropriate conduct. 

2 Code of Conduct

Participants are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner during all sessions. This includes, but is not limited to:

Arriving on time to all sessions.

Attending all live sessions and mentor coaching sessions (see participation, attendance and illness policies below.)

Having your camera on for virtual live sessions.

Participating fully in all sessions and mentor coaching sessions. This includes being prepared for the session, involving yourself in discussions and activities, assuming responsibility for your learning, and contributing to the learning of others.

Engaging in discussions with integrity and honesty.

Being respectful of your fellow participants and instructors, including silencing your cell phone, not texting, and other disruptive behaviors.

Embracing diversity and inclusion while respecting the dignity and humanity of others.

3 Payment/Fees Policy

All registrations are secured on a first-come, first-served basis. Your registration in a course is dependent upon receipt of full payment. We accept payment through our website (currently Stripe and PayPal). All payment will be in US currency. 

3a Registration Modifications

Modifications to registration, including substitutions of participants or transfer of course dates, must be completed at least seven days before the program date. Participants may contact boas partners  to modify their registration at [email protected]. Course changes will be allowed as long as there are spots available.

4 Refund Policy

Cancellation of a course must be made a minimum of 30 business days prior to the course to be eligible for a full refund. Cancellations made less than 7 days before the course are not eligible for a refund. Written notice of cancellation shall be effective on the date the withdrawal is received by boas partners. Refunds will be made within 10 days following receipt of cancellation or withdrawal requests.

5 Transfer of Credit Policy

At this time, we are not able to accept partial course credit from other organizations or programs. Even if you have completed a Level 1 program, you must enroll for the entirety of a Level 2 program. Individuals with questions about this process should contact Laura Mayer at [email protected].

6a Participation Policy

Success in our program requires full commitment by all participants. By enrolling in this course, participants agree to being fully present during all sessions and participate to the best of their ability. This includes arriving on time, abiding by the code of conduct, and engaging in course activities.

6b Attendance

In order to provide you with the minimum required training hours for certification, it is important that you are present at all course meeting.

If you have an emergency or become ill and are not able to attend a coaching session, please contact your instructor and Laura Mayer at [email protected] immediately. You will be expected to complete the session materials, review the session recording, and complete a coaching session outside the live session to make up for the missed session.

If you need to miss more than 6 hours of the course, you will have the option to work with the instructor to cover the missed material at your own expense or register for another course. If you miss more than 2 hours of mentor coaching, you will need to arrange and pay for individual mentor coaching sessions to complete the required 10 hours of mentor coaching to satisfy the International Coaching Federation requirements.

Petitions to this policy are considered on a case-by-case basis and must be submitted in writing to the instructor and boas partners.

6c Course Engagement

Our courses are designed to be interactive and engaging for our participants. It is therefore an expectation that you participate in course activities, including dialogue with the course instructor and peers, mock coaching activities, and experiential learning exercises. If you are unable to participate in an activity, please inform your instructor as soon as possible. Please refer to the code of conduct above for additional details.

6d Illness Policy

In order to provide you with the minimum required training hours for certification, it is important that you are present at all course meetings. If you have an emergency or become ill and are not able to attend a session, please contact your instructor and Laura Mayer at  [email protected] immediately. You will be expected to complete the session materials, review the session recording, and complete a coaching session outside the live session to make up for the missed session. See attendance section above for additional information.

Please do not attend any in-person sessions if you are ill, and especially if you have been exposed to or have tested positive for covid or another contagious illness.

Petitions to this policy are considered on a case-by-case basis and must be submitted in writing to the instructor and boas partners.

7 Partial Completion Policy

boas partners will offer credit for partial completion of a course. The number of hours awarded will depend on the number of hours of curriculum received. If you are interested in receiving partial credit for a course in which you are currently or were previously enrolled, please contact Laura Mayer at [email protected] no more than 30 days after the course has ended. Please include details about the course in which you were enrolled, the number of credit hours you are seeking, and any additional relevant information. If approved, you will receive a certificate of credit from boas partners indicating the number of training hours completed.

Individuals with questions about this policy are encouraged to contact Laura Mayer at [email protected].

8 Grievance Policy

boas partners seeks to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to attempt to solve any grievances in a timely and fair manner. Participants have the right to file a grievance regarding presentation or content, facility concerns, or instructor/faculty behavior. All grievances will be addressed to the best of our ability to prevent further problems. A process for filing grievances can be found below:

A participant should first attempt to resolve the issue directly with the educator/trainer, staff, or participant with whom they have an issue. If participants are not comfortable approaching the individual, they can proceed to step 2.

If participants are not comfortable approaching the individual with whom they have a grievance, or are unable to resolve the issue directly, participants should submit a written grievance to the program manager within 10 days. The program manager will review the issue and talk to the student within 10 days of receiving the complaint. The program manager will work with all parties involved to resolve the issue.

If a participant does not feel the issue is resolved, a written request for an appeal should be sent to Laura Mayer at [email protected] for review. This appeal should include the original complaint and reason(s) the participant is unsatisfied with the resolution attempt(s).

Appeals are reviewed and a written response will be provided to the participant within 20 days. All appeal decisions are final.  

9 Statement on Ethics, Integrity, Transparency

As an ICF Accredited provider, boas partners adheres to and emphasizes the International Coaching Federation Code of Ethics. The ICF Code of ethics describes the ICF core values, ethical principles, and standards of behavior for all ICF professionals. Meeting these ethical standards of behavior is the first of the ICF core coaching competencies. You can read more about the ICF Code of Ethics here.

Additionally, boas partners commits to acting with integrity and transparency. We hold ourselves and our participants to the highest level of integrity and strive to be as transparent as possible by explicitly stating measures being taken to provide programs in an ethical manner. We do not believe in using manipulative or dishonest sales tactics and strive to provide a safe and ethical sales process. Further, we work to provide fair and equitable pricing for all programs to ensure access and quality of coaching education.

10 Ethical Marketing Agreement

boas consulting, LIFEdance Academy and LIFEdance Community provides full disclosure in promotional material, in print and electronic format, about the services and resources accessible to enrolled participants and the degree to which what is purchased is sufficient to achieve the learning outcomes declared by the program syllabi and curriculum descriptions. Information made available to students addresses what is, and what is not incorporated in boas consulting, LIFEdance Academy and LIFEdance Community programs based upon associated ICF program requirements, including the number of training hours, type of training hours, and available mentor coaching hours.

boas consulting, LIFEdance Academy and LIFEdance Community offers accurate and congruent descriptions between the written word and live interactions with provider personnel with regard to program elements, benefits, expected outcomes, expenses and access to resources and personnel to successfully satisfy program requirements.

As an ICF Accredited provider, boas consulting, LIFEdance Academy and LIFEdance Community adheres to and emphasizes the International Coaching Federation Code of Ethics. The ICF Code of Ethics describes the ICF core values, ethical principles, and standards of behavior for all ICF professionals. Meeting these ethical standards of behavior is the first of the ICF core coaching competencies. Students can read more about the ICF Code of Ethics in the course materials.

Additionally, boas consulting, LIFEdance Academy and LIFEdance Community commits to acting with integrity and transparency. We hold ourselves and our participants to the highest level of integrity and strive to be as transparent as possible by explicitly stating measures being taken to provide programs in an ethical manner. We do not believe in using manipulative or dishonest sales tactics and strive to provide a safe and ethical sales process. Further, we work to provide fair and equitable pricing for all programs to ensure access and quality of coaching education. 

11 Enrollment Agreement

We treat people and information with respect and care and expect you to do the same.

While recognising that our interactions and the culture we co-create arise spontaneously as an expression of shared values, we request your explicit agreement to some basic principles of conduct, as well as private data collection/storage/use. 

The purpose of this is to help us to respect your individual needs and preferences, and to ensure that we can protect the emotional safety and dynamics of the our groups and learning community.

In relation to my participation in my participation in LIFEdance Academy programs...

 âś“ I agree to treat people and information with respect and care.

 âś“ I agree to contribute to a climate of emotional safety and inclusion. I understand that LIFEdance Academy welcomes and values diversity.

 âś“ I agree to avoid self-promotion, spam messages, or posting and sharing links (unless requested by the LIFEdance faculty or administrators).

 âś“ I agree to respect everyone's privacy. I understand that being part of this learning group requires mutual trust, and that authentic, expressive discussions may be sensitive and private. What's shared in the group should stay in the group.

 âś“ I agree to LIFEdance / boas making video and audio recordings of training modules and coaching sessions, and print and electronic copies of written materials, including assignments, assessments, course work, and other relevant data.

 âś“ I agree to such data being collected and stored in both digital and analogue form.

 âś“ I agree to data being used by LIFEdance / boas in current and future research for use in academic and professional publications, for educational or other applications, in both print and digital media.   

 âś“ I would like research publications to replace my name with a pseudonym and change my identifying details.

 âś“ I understand that the research may give rise to the development of products or services that have commercial value and which are the intellectual property of the researcher and I acknowledge these intellectual property rights.   

 âś“ I agree to data collected being used by LIFEdance / boas in future marketing.   

 âś“ I agree to LIFEdance / boas sharing my contact details with other participants and alumni of LIFEdance / boas training programs . 

 âś“ I certify that the information provided through this form is true and accurate.

 

 

Additional details


The boas professional coach certification includes VIA coaching, ACCORD, Transcultural competence, Embodied Wisdom, Coaching Core Competencies, Mentor Coaching, Observed Coaching, a Case Study, Exam Preparation and Final Assessment.

The program includes 125 total program hours, to be completed through online workshops, synchronous webinars, self-study, peer coaching, feedback on coaching, and assessments. In total, half of the program hours are live and synchronous, and the other half are self-paced. 

The current session dates are January - September 2023. Sessions will be conducted in English through an online course website and online video sessions. Individual coaching and assessments may also be completed in French.

Prerequisites include an application and interview to determine fit.

Questions? Contact us at [email protected].

Program Facilitator: Laura Mayer, [email protected]

Director: Sara Boas, [email protected]Â