How to Get ICF Accredited Through Life Changes - The Academy by Nina Madden

By Nina Madden, ICF Accredited Coach Trainer (PCC) | Published 19 July 2026

If you're starting from scratch and want a clear, supported pathway to your ICF ACC credential, here's exactly how the process works through Life Changes - The Academy by Nina Madden.

If you already have some coach training and want support to apply to the ICF via the portfolio path, get in touch and we can help with a bespoke service. 

For general background on what ICF accreditation is, how it differs from credentialing, the ACC/PCC/MCC levels, and typical costs across the industry, see our ICF Coaching Accreditation FAQ. This page covers the pathway specifically as it works through our programme.

Step One: ICF-Accredited Training and Mentoring

The ICF requires at least 60 hours of accredited training for an ACC credential, split roughly evenly between live learning with faculty and independent study and practice.

Life Changes - The Academy provides 74 hours of accredited training, above the ICF minimum. And in addition Life Changes - The Academy provides accredited NLP Practitioner training as part of the programme, and additional frameworks, such as metaphors, storytelling and the Hero's Journey. 

You'll also complete 10 ICF mentoring sessions with an ICF-approved mentor coach, designed to develop your ICF core competencies through practice. Mentoring is included in the programme fee, and included in the accredited hours, with no additional cost.

If you've already trained with another provider and that training wasn't ICF-accredited, you can still apply to the ICF directly via their portfolio path. This route requires documentation, proof of hours, syllabus, materials, and if you want our support we can help. 

Step Two: Coaching Hours

You'll need 100 coaching hours in total, at least 75 of which must be paid. These hours cannot include coaching other coaches or coach trainees, and you can start logging them from day one of accredited training, though hours from before your training don't count.

Step Three: Applying With the ICF

Once your requirements are complete, you apply directly through the ICF website - the ACC route. You'll select your accredited training provider from a dropdown (Life Changes - The Academy by Nina Madden will appear there), confirm your mentoring completion with your named mentor coach, and declare your 100 coaching hours.

Step Four: The CKA Exam

The exam is 60 multiple-choice questions, delivered over 90 minutes via Pearson VUE, either online or in person. It tests your understanding of the ICF core competencies in practice. Your training, coaching practice, and mentoring are all designed to prepare you for it.

Review time is typically around four weeks for coaches trained with an accredited provider like Life Changes - The Academy. The portfolio route, for non-accredited training, takes around 14 weeks.

You can find out more or begin your training here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Nina Madden's ICF training include?

74 hours of ICF-accredited training, including 10 hours of ICF mentor coaching, and 15 hours of coaching practice, all included in the programme fee with no separate charges for mentoring.

How long does it take to get ICF certified with Life Changes - The Academy?

Most students complete their training, mentoring, assignments and assessment in 4 to 6 months. Coaching hours are logged at your own pace alongside this.

Can I coach clients while training with Life Changes - The Academy?

Yes. You can coach from day one of training, and these hours count toward the 100 coaching hours required for your ACC credential.

About Nina Madden

Nina Madden is an ICF Accredited Coach Trainer (PCC) and Accredited NLP Trainer (ABNLP/INLPTA). She is also an EMDR Therapist, and she has 19 years of experience in private practice in Kensington, London and globally. She has been coaching since 2007 and training coaches since 2012. Her ICF & ABNLP Accredited Diploma in Life Coaching and Advanced NLP is delivered through Life Changes - The Academy by Nina Madden, founded in 2017.