Coaching Academy

The Coaching Academy Class of 2019.
The intention of the RIHEL Coaching Academy is to develop confident and capable coaches who support others with maximizing their personal and professional potential. Through a comprehensive training experience, participants are prepared to effectively practice professional coaching.
The RIHEL Coaching Academy provides an accredited and robust eight-month coach training experience that prepares participants with the skills and practices essential to providing an effective and valuable coaching experience. The program is limited to 18 participants per class and is open to both graduates of one of RIHEL's comprehensive leadership programs, OR anyone who has completed an introductory coaching workshop and has experience being coached by either a peer or professional coach.

OUR COACHING PHILOSOPHY
At the Regional Institute for Health & Environmental Leadership (RIHEL), we believe that Coaching is the art of being a strategic thinking partner. It is both a communication skill and a development tool for oneself or others.
One of the basic philosophical underpinnings of coaching is that individuals are creative, resourceful and whole. They don’t need fixing. In fact, more often than not, they have the answers to the challenges they face within them. A good coach can help individuals evoke those answers and become aware of possibilities, working alongside them to set goals and craft action plans. Coaching is a collaborative effort that expands a person’s capacity to take effective action.
The context for coaching is a dialogue. It is an ongoing partnership or a sustained alliance between a coach and a person being coached to enhance learning, growth and effectiveness. It is a one-to-one relationship in which the focus is on developing the individual, challenging and supporting that person to become more effective, and to reach their own highest levels of competence and ability. Coaching is about unlocking a person’s potential in order to reach new levels of performance. It’s about helping people learn, rather than teaching them.
It is important to note that coaches don’t develop people per se; rather, they guide individuals to develop themselves. Coaches serve as a catalyst for development. A coach is a respectful yet truthful listener, and an unbiased accountability partner. A major role for a coach is to ask good questions that elicit new awareness, knowledge, wisdom or strategy from the person being coached.

Key Elements
- 86 hours of coach-specific training (accredited by the International Coaching Federation for 86 Approved Coach Specific Training Hours)
- 29 training modules
- 5 observed coaching sessions with personal feedback
- 10 hours of mentor coaching
- A small class size (max 18 participants!) with individualized guidance and instruction
- Interterm assignments
- An online learning management and learning community platform
- Coaching tools and resources
- Optional Coaching Practicum

The 2023 class has been postponed. A new schedule will be posted in May 2023.

Curriculum
The program is delivered through a combination of in-person and video-conference sessions. All program sessions are presented in English.
The Coaching Academy curriculum develops the coach in the following areas:
- Setting the foundation for the coach (roles, ethics, and competencies)
- Knowing yourself, working with others, and being your best self as coach
- Core coaching skills and competencies
- The framework of a coaching conversation
- Setting the foundation with the client
- Essential practices for effectively managing coaching
- Introducing others to coaching
- Bringing closure to a coaching relationship
Learn more about the specific curriculum modules here (PDF).
Schedule
The 2023 program is scheduled to be delivered through a combination of in-person and virtual sessions. Participants must attend ALL program sessions to receive a complete program certificate.
The 2023 program has been postponed. A new schedule will be announced in May 2023.
Requirements
The Coaching Academy is limited to 18 participants per class and is OPEN TO:
- Graduates of one of RIHEL’s comprehensive leadership programs:
- Advanced Leadership Training Program (ALTP)
- Advanced Physicians Leadership Program (APLP)
- Leadership for Healthy Community Design (LHCD)
- Primary Care Movers and Changers (PCMAC) program
- OR, anyone who has completed the following requirements:
- The RIHEL Introduction to Coaching workshop (or an equivalent training)
- Experience being coached by either a peer or professional coach (see RIHEL's personal coaching services)
The intent of the above requirements is that this is not a participant's first exposure to coaching. That all participants come into the Coaching Academy with at least some introductory familiarity with coaching. If you have any questions about these requirements or feel that your situation is a special exception, please use the contact form at the bottom of this page to reach out to the Coaching Academy Director.
TIME COMMITMENT. Participants must commit the time required to complete assignments and participate in all of the training sessions.
- The sessions take place in person or via videoconference using Zoom.
- Assignments between sessions include readings, self-assessments, on-line discussions, coaching practice, brief reports, and reviewing recorded coaching sessions.
TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES. Participants must have access to the hardware and software to participate in distance learning. The program cannot assume any costs for the computer and communication systems used by participants.
COVID VACCINATION. All participants must have received all available COVID vaccinations, including at least one booster.
CONSENT TO PROGRAM POLICIES AND AGREEMENTS. All participants must consent and commitment to the 2023 RIHEL Coaching Academy Policies and Agreements.
Tuition
Tuition for the 2023 Coaching Academy is $6,800* and includes:
- all program instruction
- 10 hours of mentor coaching
- performance evaluation of one coaching session recording
- snacks and lunch at all in-person sessions
- student notebook
- additional program materials**
- online learning management and learning community platform
- access to Zoom video conferencing
*Tuition is subject to change for future programs.
**Program materials for virtual sessions will be provided electonically by RIHEL. Participants are responsible for printing those session materials as needed. Other program materials include two books, which participants are responsible for acquiring themselves:
- The Extraordinary Coach: How the Best Leaders Help Others Grow by John H. Zenger and Kathleen Stinnett. Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education (2010).
- Coaching Questions: A Coach's Guide to Powerful Asking Skills by Tony Stoltzfus. Publisher: Coach22 Bookstore LLC (2008).
Transportation expenses to and from the in-person sessions are the responsibility of the partcipant.
Payment
The tuition must be paid in advance of the program start date. Arrangements can be made for an individual payment schedule upon request. Please use the contact form at the bottom of this page to inquire about an individual payment schedule. RIHEL accepts payment by check, ACH, or credit card. All payments will be in U.S. dollars.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Coaching Academy 2023 registration cancellations must be made a minimum of 15 business days prior to the first date of the program to be eligible for a full refund. Cancellations made less than 15 business days before the course are not eligible for a refund. Written notice of cancellation shall be effective on the date the withdrawal is received by RIHEL. Refunds will be made within 45 days following receipt of cancellation or withdrawal requests.
Modifications to registration, including substitutions of participants or transfer of course dates, must be completed at least 10 business days before the first date of the program. Program changes will be allowed as long as there are spots available.
Please use the contact form at the bottom of this page to request a refund, cancellation, or modifications to your registration.
Faculty

Leanne Jeffers, MPH, PCC
Director, Coaching Academy
Program Director, Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership


Sarah Roberts, MHA, PCC
Mentor Coach, Coaching Academy
CEO, Clarity Matters Consulting LLC


Curt Drennen, PhD
Guest Faculty, Coaching Academy
Healthcare Operations and Response Branch Supervisor; HPP Program Manager, CO BH Disaster Coordinator,
CDPHE Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response

Armando Herald, ACC
Guest Faculty, Coaching Academy
Drinking Water Local Assistance Unit Manager,Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Franco Marini, MA, CNL
Guest Faculty, Coaching Academy
Adjunct Professor, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver

Beth Roome, MA, ACC
Guest Faculty, Coaching Academy
Founder, Switchback Institute and Executive Director of the Switchback Foundation