Facilitates Client Growth 🌱 ICF Core Competency #8

ICF Core Competency 8, Facilitates Client Growth, is described as the "other bookend" to agreement setting. While setting the agreement clarifies the desired outcome, facilitating growth anchors the learning and awareness gained during the session into explicit choices and forward movement. Key Takeaways: Thinker-Owned Actions: True growth occurs when actions and "homework" emerge from the thinker’s owned insights rather than being assigned by the coach. If actions aren't thinker-owned, follow-through often fails when the thinker faces stress. Internal Accountability: Effective accountability focuses on what resources or internal values (such as integrity or specific character strengths) the thinker can use to hold themselves accountable, rather than making the coach the primary accountability partner. Acknowledge, Don't Just Celebrate: The 2025 ICF update shifted the language from "celebrates" to "acknowledges" thinker progress. This emphasizes recognizing the hard work and insights throughout the session rather than just offering "rah-rah" cheers at the end. Integration Over Goal Completion: Growth is not merely about completing a goal; it is about integrating awareness into the thinker's life and situation. Interwoven Competency: Facilitating growth shouldn't be siloed at the end of a session. Insights can be anchored as they emerge throughout the entire coaching conversation. Practical Reflections for Coaches: Do you equate growth solely with action, or do you allow for growth through reflection and sitting with insights? How much time do you dedicate to closing a session to ensure insights have truly "gelled"? Are your questions at the end of a session genuine inquiries or just "checkbox" questions? I would love to hear your thoughts and reflections. Like, share and comment. I will respond! Thank you! Ready to elevate your coaching? I have many free resources available on my learning platform. Feel free to go browse and see what resonates for you. https://academy.lyssadehart.com Lyssa deHart, LICSW, MCC, BCC, is the author of StoryJacking: Change Your Dialogue, Transform Your Life; the Reflective Coach, and Light Up: The Science of Coaching with Metaphors. She is the host of the Coaching Studio podcast, is a Confidence Coach, Certified Mentor Coach, Coaching SuperVision Partner, ICF PCC Assessor, and coaching educator. Using her understanding of the ICF Core Competencies, combined with her knowledge of Neuroscience, Lyssa works with Professional Coaches to expand their capacity to partner with their clients through how they show up and hold the space for those with whom they work. Happy coaching! ✨💖✨ Lyssa deHart, LICSW, MCC, BCC 00:00 Intro ICF CC#8 01:45 Thinker Agency 02:13 Learning & Insights 04:30 Partnering 05:14 2025 Update 06:56 Acknowledgement 07:55 Agency, Autonomy & Growth 08:09 Join the Monthly Coaches Q&A 08:47 Traps 11:17 PCC Assessors Are Listening For 14:38 Homework? 15:25 Practical Reflections