One of the most valuable elements for me when I trained as a Co-Active Coach was the individual sessions with different experienced coaches, who gave me feedback on the recorded sessions I sent them, and helped me improve as a coach. They called it "supervision" and the coach who accompanied me "supervisor". When years later I participated in the design of the Dialogic Coaching Certification Program at the Francisco de Vitoria University, of course we included this practice in the program and also called it "supervision". You can't imagine my surprise when soon after, through speakers from the United Kingdom and the American winds of the ICF, other meanings of the word supervision began to reach me. It turns out that, according to these other places in the world, what we were doing was not supervision, but mentor coaching. And that supervision was a totally different kind of coach development support... Wow!

You may ask, is it so important to call something one way or the other? In the case of coaches, aren't we simply looking for an accompaniment to do better, to be more professional, to grow and to get certified?  

It may be because of my training as a philologist, or because I have had to learn to express myself correctly in several languages other than my mother tongue, but for me the precise meaning of words is something that matters to me. 

And although I was in for a surprise, the distinction I discovered under the seemingly uniform layer of the word supervision made a lot of sense to me. It all fit together much better. So what was the big difference? 

Mentor Coaching: Feedback on competencies

Mentor coaching is a feedback conversation, based on the observation of a real or recorded session, where the mentor, from a place of greater expertise, shares with the coach being mentored his or her observations regarding the use of the coaching competencies demonstrated in the observed session. The coach will become aware of which competencies he/she is deploying effectively and which others need to be further refined, and how he/she can do so, in order for his/her coaching to have a more transformational impact on his/her clients. The focus of mentor coaching is on competency excellence and the development of coaching "technique". It is also a requirement for obtaining an ICF credential, or for renewing the ACC.

I think it might be valid to include mentor coaching within the larger scope of supervision. But to stay only with this part would be to leave out something very important and beautiful. What then is coaching supervision?

Supervision: A meta-perspective of your practice

The European Mentoring and Coaching CouncilEMCC), another major association of coaches, defines supervision as "a safe space for reflective dialogue with a qualified supervisor, who supports the practice, development and well-being of the supervisee". The supervised coach brings situations from their practice with clients about which they have concerns, and the supervisor facilitates a reflective dialogue and collaborative learning about the case, so that the coach can "see" what they did not see before: patterns in their own coaching, how they interfere as a coach in a particular process, external influences that are replicated in the coaching relationship in the form of a parallel process, etc. Just as in coaching, where we help the client to discover something new about their situation or themselves, so does the supervisor, but with a focus on the coach's professional practice. In addition to bringing cases from their ongoing coaching processes, the coach may also talk about ethical dilemmas, explore their self-care needs for fitness to practice, or how to continue to grow as a coach on a personal and business level.

This is reflected in the supervision objectives articulated by EMCC:

    • Ensure that the supervisee maintains appropriate professional and ethical standards.

    • Facilitate the development of the supervisee's professional practice.

    • Support the well-being of the supervised person.

We work with the supervised coach's account, instead of session recordings, and we do not evaluate their alignment at the competency level. 

As you can see, supervision work encompasses the coach as a whole, and provides valuable and much-needed support for professionals whose job it is to sustain the transformation process of their clients. 

ICF also recognizes the value of coaching supervision, and has developed the Coaching Supervision Competencies. It considers supervision as a valid source of continuing education to renew a credential. Supervision is only required to apply for the credential as a team coach (ACTC). There is also a Community of Practice in Supervision and the "ongoing exercise of reflection to improve one's own coaching" is listed under the new Competency 2 "Embodies a coaching mindset" in the most recent competency model. However on their rating scale, Mentor Coaching is arguably above and mandatory for an individual credential. You can read more about ICF s position on Supervision here.

For EMCC , on the other hand, and coaches who want to become accredited or renew their credential with this association, receiving regular supervision is a requirement and evidence of ethical and responsible practice.

Who can be a mentor coach or supervisor?

Who can we turn to for mentor coaching or supervision? Coaching program trainers are experts in the development of competencies in the participants of their programs, and have always accompanied them to reach a professional level in accordance with the competency standards. ICF requires the mentor to have a credential equal or superior to that of the coach being mentored, and in the case of ACC, the mentor must have renewed his or her credential once, to guarantee at least 3 years more experience than the mentee. ICF also offers through its Learning Portal a training for assessorsACC BARS PCC Markers Assessor Training) that proposes an evaluation system based on indicators that would show the presence or absence of coaching competencies in a recording. For those who want to be mentors, understanding this evaluation system is very useful to focus the work with their mentees. 

Being a coaching supervisor requires specific training, where the supervisor acquires the competencies and methodology to be able to perform this job. EMCC has a specific credential for supervisors, the ESIA. The ICF does not currently offer any seals in this area. In addition, it is important that the supervisor is accredited as a coach and has supervision for his or her own work. 

Requirements Mentor Coaching Supervision
Obtain credentials ICF10 h requirement to obtain credentials 

EMCCnot a requirement

 ICFnot a requirement (only for ACTC)

EMCCRequired 1 hour per quarter 
Renewals ICFSource of continuous training for renewals (max 10h)

EMCCSource of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) hours

 ICF: Source of continuing education (Core Competencies) for renewals (max 10h)

EMCCRequired 1 hour per quarter 
# hours 10 hours: Min. 3h individual, max. 7h in groups Minimum 4 h/year or 1h/35h of coaching
Requirements Mentor Coach Requirements:
- Be an ICF certified coach
- Minimum ACC who has renewed credential 1 time (3 years ACC)		 Supervisor Requirements:
-Have training as a coach supervisor, or in other disciplines (social services, therapists).

Nadia Peeters