Coaching Certification Program
Coaching Skills for All Levels
Loyola's non-credit bearing coaching program offers a range of options to suit your needs. Participants may enroll in individual courses to enhance their coaching skills, complete the first three courses for our ICF-accredited Level 1 program, or complete all five courses for our ICF-accredited Level 2 program.
Our dynamic, student-centered coaching program intertwines critical self-reflection, discernment, and principles of justice to train individuals in coaching. We view coaching as an expedition—a journey of discovery, growth, and transformation—guiding your development as a skilled "Wayfinder" as you support clients through personal and professional challenges and celebrations. The program emphasizes critical self-reflection and self-awareness, which are essential for effective coaching, helping you explore your core values, potential blind spots, and techniques such as non-attachment. You will also gain discernment, enabling you to clearly articulate the distinction between coaching and other support services, like mentoring or therapy.
Coaching Program Details
Coaching is instrumental in facilitating personal and professional transformation, marking a profound shift from one place to another. Central to this change is self-awareness—a compass serves as a pivotal coaching tool, grounding both coach and client. It enables exploration of directions and priorities, aligning core values with intentional processes to realize desired outcomes. Through compass work, coaches and clients reevaluate beliefs, behaviors, and systems, fostering substantial growth and development.
Course Details
Each of the courses in our Coaching Program includes weekly synchronous facilitated sessions with an expert coach; mentor coaching hours; portfolio building; and peer triad coaching practice. Courses are non-credit bearing.
Mindful Coaching
Explore the foundations of coaching, build a coaching mindset, learn how to notice, pay attention, and stay in the moment. Identify your own coaching philosophy, strengths, and areas for growth.
Reflective Coaching
Focus on self-reflection and critically evaluate your thoughts, beliefs, assumptions, and emotions to create an open and just approach to coaching. Develop your emotional intelligence, self-awareness, presence, curiosity, and empathy. Explore how justice, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles can be applied to coaching.
Explorer Coaching
Take a deep dive into exploring a moment, experience, interaction, or reaction. Discover how saboteurs and sages can impact clients. Practice active listening skills and staying in the moment.
Offered in the Spring of 2028 Systems Coaching
Identify patterns, habits, routines, and systems in relation to core values. Evaluate systems through the lens of justice/equity/diversity/inclusion. Identify new perspectives and possibilities.
Offered in the Spring of 2028 Catalyst Coaching
Use a strengths-based approach to define and evaluate success, performance, and effectiveness using a variety of coaching techniques.
Schedule
The Level 1 (Courses 1-3) Coaching Certification Program begins in January 2027 and ends in May 2027. Each course will be held online for 2.5 hours per week for six weeks, with additional time outside class for mentor and peer coaching. Classes will be held on Wednesday nights from 6:30-9:00pm EST. Courses 4 and 5 will be available in the Spring of 2028 for participants interested in Level 2 certification.
Meet the Coaches
The Coaching Program is led by Dr. Carey Borkoski. Keri Sutey serves as an instructor in the program. Jennifer Anderson, Vicki Jordan, and Jess Yocum serve as Mentor Coaches. To learn more about our coaches and instructors, please visit our Affiliate Coaches page.
Credential Options
Loyola Level 1 Coaching Program (Courses 1-3)
Participants will be able to immediately apply coaching knowledge and skills in various settings that include parenting, community organizing, workshop facilitating, leading, advising, teaching, and many more! This program is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Loyola Level 2 Coaching Program (Courses 1-5)
Building on the training and practice in our Level 1 program, students will expand their coaching strategies and tools to explore patterns, habits, and systems that contribute to personal and client development. This program is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Registration
Registration for our Winter 2027 Level 1 Coaching Certification program is now open!
Participants may register for courses individually, but they must be taken sequentially (Mindful Coaching, Reflective Coaching, and Explorer Coaching). Individual courses are $1200 each. The cost to register for Level 1 (Courses 1-3) is $3450. All courses are non-credit bearing. Courses 4 and 5 will be offered in the Spring of 2028 for those participants who are interested in Level 2 certification.
Noncredit professional certification programs do not qualify for federal financial aid, scholarships, grants, or need-based aid. However, we will accept professional development funding from employers. We also offer interest-free payment plan options. Please direct any questions to Katherine Keefe.
For More Information
Virtual Information Sessions will be held later this Fall to learn more about the program, meet Coach Carey and other prospective participants, and try a brief coaching activity. Stay tuned for more information!
Contact Katherine Keefe for more information or to schedule a meeting. Review our Coaching Certification Policies for additional information.
Completing my coaching certification has strengthened my ability to encourage growth, clarity, and meaningful change in others while increasing my own self-awareness.
When I joined Loyola's Coaching Course, I thought I was signing up to strengthen a practice I had already built. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the experience would stretch me in entirely new ways. The course deepened my understanding of coaching, introduced me to the rigor of ICF standards, and provided countless opportunities for real-time practice, reflection, and growth.
I use my coaching skills daily as a school leader and founder of a professional development academy for educators. Whether I’m supporting my leadership team, mentoring new teachers, guiding parents, or working with fellow school directors, coaching is now woven into the way I communicate and lead.
Loyola University Maryland's Coaching Certification Program is simply outstanding. The program has not only left me with the ICF required competencies, but all of the requirements such as mentor coaching. After completing the program, I have the confidence to continue my journey as an ICF certified coach and launch my coaching practice.