Mark Your Calendar!!

NEXT  ACP INTERNATIONAL MEETING: April 18, 2006, in Oak Brook

CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES:
Do I need one and, if so, which one?

5:45pm Networking  6:30pm - 8:30pm Meeting Right Management Consultants, 1415 W. 22nd Street, 12th Floor    Oakbrook, Illinois Cost: FREE for members.  $20.00 for guests and visitors.

  A light supper will be available so please R.S.V.P. to Jennifer Noll at chicago@acpinternational.org

Please put this April meeting on your calendar, it promises to be a lively discussion of a critical topic: CERTIFICATIONS and LICENSES.  In essence it is a continuation of the very lively discussion we had at our February meeting on the differences between career coaching, executive coaching and counseling.

There are so many certifications or licenses available to our members to enhance professional credibility. The amount is staggering, and the designations confusing to many.  Sometimes it is hard to decipher the “alphabet soup” of letters that one can claim on a business card.  In addition to the conventional educational degrees of Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD’s there are a myriad of  additional certifications and licenses in career coaching, executive coaching, transition coaching, life coaching, and counseling.  These certifications and licenses are offered by many organizations that are for profit, not for profit and government.

• What do they mean?
• What are the differences between them?
• Who confers these designations and which of these entities is legitimate?
• What are the requirements and costs to become and stay certified or licensed?
• Does one need to have one to be credible in the marketplace?
• What does a potential client require?
• What are the ethical and legal implications of practicing without an appropriate certification or license?