Coaching Depth and Range: ACC, PCC and MCC Sonar in Action

Coaching is sonar work — your words ripple out, and what comes back reveals where the client is ready to dive deeper.

If you’re new to coaching — or exploring ICF certification — you’ve probably heard the terms ACC, PCC, and MCC thrown around. But what do they actually mean?

These are the three professional credential levels recognized by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) — and while they’re based on demonstrated coaching skill, the real difference between them isn’t just about more hours or fancier language.

It’s about depth, range, and presence.

Think of coaching like sonar. Your questions and observations are pings. The client’s responses — their words, silence, energy, even resistance — echo back with data.

• At ACC (Associate Certified Coach), your sonar scans the surface. Coaching here is solid, structured, and action-focused. You’re picking up clear signals: goals, obstacles, next steps.

• At PCC (Professional Certified Coach), your sonar reaches deeper. Coaching here is more nuanced, with deeper listening, emotional resonance, and partnership. You begin detecting undercurrents and recurring patterns.

• At MCC (Master Certified Coach), your sonar drops to the ocean floor. Coaching here is spacious and transformational, often less doing and more being. You’re attuned to subtle shifts in meaning, silence, and identity-level truths.

And the best part?

You’re not locked into one frequency. Masterful coaches develop the range to shift between levels — scanning the surface when clarity is needed, and listening deeper when transformation is calling.

How to Choose the Right Coaching Level

Want to read more?

Subscribe to cindyhosea.com to keep reading this exclusive post.

Subscribe Now