Certification Program
Become a Certified Professional Coach with Lantern Academy of Coaching.
$450One payment. Background check included.
Become the light on a client’s path.
A self-paced, online coaching certification built by a licensed counselor. Eight modules, practice on a goal of your own, and a 100-question timed final exam. You earn the certificate by passing.
- Application review
- Background check
- Identity check
- 100-question final exam
- A certificate anyone can verify
Every graduate is screened
A certificate clients can trust.
Anyone can print a certificate. Ours is earned in steps, and each one protects the clients you’ll work with.
Application review
Every application is reviewed before anyone is admitted.
Background check
Criminal history and the sex offender registry, with your written consent first.
Identity check
A photo ID and a quick selfie before every exam attempt, so the person who passes is the person on the certificate.
100-question final exam
Timed, closed book, 80% to pass. You earn the certificate by passing, not by finishing.
A certificate anyone can verify
Every certificate has a credential ID that a client can check on our verify page.
What you get
Everything in the $450.
- 60 hours across 8 modulesTaken in order, from foundations to a full coaching conversation.
- Self-paced, with a 90-day window90 days from the day your modules open. Extend another 90 days for $150 if you need it.
- Printable PDFsEvery module, plus the full course in one file, for reading and notes offline.
- Section quizzesA quick quiz after each reading, so you know you have it before you move on. Retries are unlimited.
- Your certificate and a verify pageCertified Professional Coach, Lantern Academy of Coaching, with a credential ID anyone can check.
- A business profile pageYour own page to share with clients: who you coach, how you work, and your credential.
- Set and keep your rateYou choose your session rate, and you keep all of it.
- Built-in session notesKeep your notes for each client with each booking, in one place.
- Video callsMeet clients by video from your profile booking.
- Client bookingsClients book and pay on your page. A flat $5 booking fee is added on top for the client, so your rate stays whole.
- A directory listingCertified graduates can be listed in our graduate directory.
What you build
Four things every client needs from a coach.
Clarity
So the goal is clear enough to act on.
Accountability
So a miss is named and reset, not hidden.
Momentum
So the work keeps moving in small steps.
Skill
So the conversation stays structured and the client stays in charge of their own decisions.
Who it’s for
For people who want to coach, and do it well.
This is for people who want to become coaches, including life coaches, and want a clear framework to do it well. Coaching is seeing what is possible in someone else, naming it clearly, and helping them take the next step toward it.
- You want a certificate that means you were tested, not only that you finished.
- You want plain language, accountability without shame, and a clear line on scope.
- You want to learn by doing: you coach yourself on a goal of your own in every module.
- You want to set your own pace, online, with no live classes.
Coaching is not therapy. Coaches trained here don’t diagnose or treat any condition, and they refer to a licensed professional when a client needs more than coaching. This certificate is not a license.
Curriculum
Eight modules, taken in order.
Each module has short readings with a quick quiz after each one, written knowledge checks, and a goal entry where you use the module’s skill on yourself. Every module is also a printable PDF.
- Module 1Foundations of Coaching8 hours
- Module 2Person-Centered Coaching in Practice6 hours
- Module 3Brief Directive Coaching8 hours
- Module 4Motivational Skills, MI for Coaching8 hours
- Module 5Goals, Resources, and the Rest of Life8 hours
- Module 6Accountability Systems6 hours
- Module 7Ethics, Law, and Professional Practice8 hours
- Module 8Integration and Personal Process8 hours
60 hours in all, at your own pace. See what each module covers.
How it works
From application to certificate.
Apply and pay
A short application, one $450 payment, then your consent to a background check.
Modules open
A clear background check opens your modules and starts your 90 days.
Your 90 days
Work at your own pace. Not done in time? Extend for another 90 days for $150.
Final exam
100 questions, 120 minutes, 80% to pass. A photo ID and a quick selfie before the timer starts.
Your certificate
Issued only after you pass.
Pass the final exam and you become a Certified Professional Coach, Lantern Academy of Coaching. Each certificate has a credential ID that anyone can check on our verify page, so a client can see it’s real.
A short line about who you coach and how you work, written by you.
Graduate profile
A profile page you can share with clients.
Once you pass, you can publish your own profile in our graduate directory. You set your own rate. Clients book and pay on your page, with a flat $5 booking fee added on top for the client.
- Your profile links to your credential on our verify page.
- Only certified graduates are listed.
- The directory is a place to be found. It doesn’t promise clients or income.
Tuition
One payment. Background check included.
- Your application and background check
- All 8 modules, on the platform and as PDFs
- 3 final exam attempts
- Your certificate and credential ID, after you pass
- A graduate directory profile, if you want one
- 90 days from the day your modules open
Cancel before your background check starts and we refund the full $450. Tuition and refunds
Questions
Good to know before you apply.
How much does it cost?
Tuition is $450, paid once. It covers your application, your background check, all 8 modules, 3 final exam attempts, and your certificate after you pass.
Is the background check included?
Yes. The background check is part of the $450. You don’t pay anything extra for it.
Why is there a background check?
Our graduates work one-on-one with people. Before we certify anyone, we check criminal history and the sex offender registry. You give written consent first, and if something comes up, we show you the report and give you time to respond before we decide.
How long do I have?
You have 90 days from the day your modules open, after your background check clears, to finish the course and pass the exam. Not done in time? Extend for another 90 days for $150.
How fast can I finish?
It’s up to you. There are no waiting periods between modules. A good rhythm is one module a week, about 8 weeks in all.
Are there live classes?
No. The program is self-paced and online. You work through the modules on your own schedule.
Is the program grounded in clinical work?
Yes. It was built by a licensed counselor and draws on three approaches with a long history in counseling: person-centered work, motivational interviewing, and brief directive work. Each one is adapted for coaching. You work on goals and next steps, with no diagnosis and no treatment.
What is person-centered coaching?
It comes from Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach in counseling, adapted for coaching. The client is the expert on their own life. You learn to speak plainly and hold people accountable without shame, so clients tell you the truth and keep moving. Module 2 covers it.
Eight modules, your own goal, and an exam that means something.
$450, background check included. Self-paced and online, with a certificate issued only after you pass.
Apply now