ICF Mentor Coaching Course Skills Development Programme 41 Hour

This module introduces the professional identity of the mentor coach. In particular, participants explore the transition from being a coach to becoming a mentor coach and learn how the focus changes from the client’s agenda to the coach’s coaching performance.

At the same time, the module clarifies the difference between mentor coaching, coaching, supervision, training, consultancy and assessment. Participants also learn how to support a mentee’s growth without becoming overly directive or turning the process into teaching or evaluation.

Key Mentor Coaching Identity and Professional Role Topics:

• What is a mentor coach?
• The difference between coaching and mentor coaching
• The difference between mentor coaching and supervision
• The difference between mentor coaching and training or consultancy
• The role of the mentor coach in credential preparation
• Supporting the mentee without taking over their learning
• Protecting the mentee’s unique coaching style
• Recognising the risks of advice-giving and over-directing

This module explores the professional competencies that guide effective mentor coaching practice. Moreover, participants learn how mentor coaching requires both a strong coaching foundation and additional skills related to feedback, assessment, learning design and group process management.

Alongside these skills, the focus is on understanding mentor coaching as an ethical and developmental relationship. As a result, participants learn how to create a safe learning space, establish clear agreements, support skill development and provide formative feedback.

Key ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies:

• The structure of ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies
• Ethical foundations in mentor coaching
• Creating a shared learning space
• Establishing and maintaining the mentor coaching agreement
• Managing the mentor coaching process
• Supporting mentee development
• Formative appraisal and developmental feedback
• Group mentor coaching competencies

In this module, participants learn how to listen to coaching sessions as mentor coaches. While a coach listens to the client, a mentor coach listens to the client, the coach and the competency evidence within the session.

Participants then learn how to observe whether the coach is demonstrating ethical practice, partnership, active listening, powerful questioning, awareness building and learning support. In this way, the module helps participants develop the ability to move from opinion-based feedback to competency-based observation.

Key ICF Core Competencies for Mentor Coaching:

• Listening as a mentor coach
• Observing ethical and professional practice
• Assessing the clarity of the coaching agreement
• Recognising active listening and client-centred language
• Identifying powerful questions and awareness-building moments
• Observing how the coach supports learning and growth
• Noticing advice, analysis, interpretation and directing
• Connecting session moments with ICF Core Competencies

This module helps participants understand how coaching performance develops across different credential levels. However, the focus is not on judging the coach, but on recognising the level of coaching maturity demonstrated in the session.

From this perspective, participants explore the general differences between ACC, PCC and MCC level coaching, including structure, partnership, depth, presence, simplicity and transformation. They also learn how to discuss level differences with mentees in a way that is honest, supportive and developmentally useful.

Key ACC, PCC and MCC Coaching Level Topics:

• Understanding credential level differences
• ACC level: structure and foundational coaching skills
• PCC level: partnership, depth and client-led discovery
• MCC level: mastery, simplicity, presence and transformation
• Recognising advice, direction and analysis risks
• Speaking about readiness without making guarantees
• Supporting the mentee with realistic and encouraging feedback

More specifically, this module focuses on one of the most important mentor coaching skills: listening for evidence. Therefore, participants learn how to move away from personal preference and instead observe specific coaching behaviours, client responses and competency indicators.

In practice, the module introduces practical methods for listening to session recordings, taking time-stamped notes, identifying strong evidence, recognising development opportunities and selecting the most useful examples for feedback.

Key Coaching Session Observation and Evidence Topics:

• Evidence-based session observation
• The difference between opinion and evidence
• Listening to a session in stages
• Taking time-stamped observation notes
• Identifying strong competency evidence
• Identifying development evidence
• Recognising missed opportunities
• Linking evidence to coaching competencies
• Preparing observation notes for feedback

Above all, feedback is at the heart of mentor coaching. For this reason, participants learn how to provide feedback that is clear, respectful, honest, developmental and useful.

Building on this foundation, participants practise giving feedback that recognises strengths, names development areas and offers practical next steps. They also learn how to avoid judgemental language, reduce defensiveness and help mentees reflect on their own coaching practice.

Key Mentor Coaching Feedback Skills:

• The purpose of feedback in mentor coaching
• Balancing appreciation, observation and development
• Giving feedback without judgement
• Separating the coach from the coaching behaviour
• Supporting mentees who become defensive
• Writing clear written feedback
• Giving verbal feedback in a supportive way
• Creating feedback that leads to practical growth

This module teaches participants how to design a structured one-to-one mentor coaching process. Importantly, mentor coaching is not just a conversation about a recording; it is a professional development process with clear agreements, goals, confidentiality, feedback methods and progress review.

Throughout the process, participants learn how to conduct an initial meeting, define the mentee’s goals, manage session recordings, use observation forms, create development plans and complete a final readiness review.

Key One-to-One Mentor Coaching Process Topics:

• Designing the mentor coaching journey
• Initial consultation and goal setting
• Establishing a mentor coaching agreement
• Working with session recordings
• Confidentiality and recording consent
• Using session observation forms
• Creating a mentee development plan
• Mid-process review
• Final readiness review
• Clarifying that credential outcomes cannot be guaranteed

Similarly, group mentor coaching requires more than placing several coaches in one room. Instead, it requires skilled facilitation, psychological safety, confidentiality, fair participation and competency-based discussion.

Within this setting, participants learn how to manage group learning, guide feedback conversations, keep the group focused on evidence and create a safe space where coaches can learn from each other’s sessions.

Key Group Mentor Coaching Skills and Processes:

• The difference between individual and group mentor coaching
• Creating psychological safety in the group
• Establishing group confidentiality
• Managing time and participation fairly
• Facilitating group observation
• Keeping feedback evidence-based
• Working with different credential levels in one group
• Managing judgemental comments
• Supporting quiet or defensive participants
• Conducting group debriefs

At this stage, this module introduces participants to the logic of behavioural assessment tools and markers used in credential-related coaching evaluation. However, the aim is not to reproduce official assessment materials, but to help participants understand how to listen consistently and developmentally.

With that distinction in mind, participants learn how to use markers and behavioural indicators as a guide for feedback, not as a tool for labelling or scoring the mentee. Meanwhile, the module explores calibration and the importance of separating personal coaching preferences from competency evidence.

Key ACC BARS, PCC Markers and MCC BARS Topics:

• Understanding the purpose of BARS and markers
• Behaviour-based observation
• Minimum skills requirements
• The difference between scoring and developmental feedback
• Calibration in mentor coaching
• Avoiding personal preference as an assessment standard
• Using official sources responsibly
• Supporting mentees without making assessment guarantees

Above all, ethics is central to mentor coaching because the process involves the mentee, the mentee’s client and the wider professional context. For this reason, this module helps participants understand the ethical responsibilities involved in working with recordings, feedback, confidentiality and role boundaries.

Equally important, participants learn how to handle recording permissions, protect client privacy, manage power dynamics and clearly separate mentor coaching from teaching, supervision, consultancy and assessment.

Key Mentor Coaching Ethics, Boundaries and Confidentiality Topics:

• Ethical responsibilities of the mentor coach
• Confidentiality in mentor coaching
• Client consent for session recordings
• Safe handling and storage of recordings
• Power dynamics in feedback conversations
• Role boundaries between mentor coach, trainer, supervisor and assessor
• Giving difficult feedback ethically
• Supporting mentees who are not ready for credential submission
• Maintaining professional integrity

This practical module gives participants the opportunity to apply what they have learned. In practice, participants listen to sample coaching sessions, collect evidence, prepare feedback and practise mentor coaching conversations.

Meanwhile, the practice laboratory helps participants develop their own mentor coaching style while receiving peer and trainer feedback. However, the aim is not perfection, but professional growth, ethical awareness and skill development.

Key Mentor Coaching Practice and Development Skills:

• Listening to sample coaching recordings
• Competency-based note taking
• Preparing written feedback
• Practising one-to-one mentor coaching
• Practising group mentor coaching facilitation
• Receiving peer feedback
• Receiving trainer feedback
• Reflecting on personal mentor coaching style
• Identifying strengths and shadow risks
• Creating a personal development plan

Finally, the final module supports participants in gathering their learning into a professional mentor coaching portfolio. In this way, the portfolio demonstrates that the participant can design a process, observe a session, provide feedback, create a development plan and reflect on their own mentor coaching practice.

To conclude the learning process, participants complete final reflection activities and identify their next steps as developing mentor coaches.

Portfolio elements may include:

• Mentor coaching agreement sample
• Session observation form
• Written feedback sample
• Mentee development plan
• One-to-one mentor coaching reflection
• Group mentor coaching reflection
• Personal mentor coaching development plan
• Ethics and confidentiality checklist
• Learning reflection

Overall, this is a 41-hour online certificate programme delivered by MentalSea Academy®️.

As part of the learning experience, the programme includes teaching, guided discussion, session observation, reflection exercises, feedback practice, group learning and portfolio development.

Upon completion, participants receive a certificate of completion after meeting the programme participation and completion requirements.

In terms of completion, this programme is designed as a developmental learning experience. Therefore, participants are expected to engage in discussions, complete reflection exercises, practise feedback skills and prepare portfolio materials.

Completion may include:

• Active participation in training sessions
• Session observation exercises
• Written feedback practice
• One-to-one mentor coaching simulation
• Group mentor coaching simulation
• Reflective learning notes
• Mentor coaching portfolio tasks

However, this programme does not guarantee any ICF credential result. For this reason, participants are responsible for checking the latest ICF requirements directly through official ICF sources before making any credential application.

In particular, the MentalSea Academy®️ approach combines professional coaching standards with practical mentor coaching application. However, the programme is not limited to theory; it helps participants build the actual language, structure and confidence needed to support other coaches.

Beyond theory, participants learn how to listen deeply, observe accurately, speak honestly, give feedback respectfully and hold a developmental space where mentees can grow without losing their own coaching voice.

Ultimately, this programme is ideal for coaches who want to move into a more advanced professional role and contribute to the development of other coaches with clarity, integrity and skill.

Importantly, this programme is designed for educational and professional development purposes. Therefore, it is not presented as ICF accredited, ICF approved or ICF certified unless separately confirmed in writing by Mental Sea Academy®️.

Since ICF credential, mentor coaching and accreditation requirements may change over time, participants should always review the latest official ICF information before making any credential-related decisions.

Please contact us for details and registration.

FOR DETAILED INFORMATION:

MENTAL SEA ACADEMY INTERNATIONAL

162, 168 Regent St., London W1B 5TB

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 4602 66 70

WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7770 319 835

E-Mail: info@mentalsea.co.uk

Web: www.mentalsea.co.uk

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Develop the skills, confidence and professional presence to support other coaches in their growth.

From there, join the Professional Mentor Coaching Certificate Programme by Mental Sea Academy®️ and learn how to observe coaching sessions, provide competency-based feedback and design ethical mentor coaching processes.

As a next step, start your journey as a professional mentor coach with Mental Sea Academy®️