The Positive Psychology Institute Proudly Presents
Become a Whole Person Coach
Get certified. Coach the whole person. Build a practice that lasts. This is your pathway to the Board Certified Coach credential.
Self-paced and on-demand, opening July 1, 2026.
Most Coaching Meets the Surface. We Help the Whole Person Move from Inner Fragmentation to Inner Alignment.
Strengths and goals are where most coach training begins, and ends. But every coach meets the same truth: a client can know exactly what to do and still not move, because the readiness to change has not yet taken root within them.
You want to make a real difference. You want tools that actually work when it counts, not “be more positive,” but how; not “listen better,” but how to hear what isn’t being said.
This certification is built on a single, research-grounded premise: true flourishing requires wholeness. Craft, the science of flourishing, and the depth beneath it, taught as one integrated method, always as coaching, never as therapy.
What Makes This Certification Different
Three pillars, one coherent method, plus everything you need to learn it and use it.
Pillar I
Foundations of Coaching
60 hours of the craft: the designed alliance, three-level listening, powerful questions, conversational structure, and the coaching to therapy boundary.
Pillar II
Positive Psychology Coaching
40 hours on the science of flourishing: the Sailboat Metaphor, PERMA™, strengths, resilience, meaning, and the eight wellbeing domains.
Pillar III
Depth Psychology Coaching
40 hours of the depth most programs never teach: shadow, archetype, and meaning as coaching awareness, always within ethical scope.
Credential
BCC Pathway
Built as your complete training pathway toward the Board Certified Coach credential, no master’s degree required.
Format
Fully On-Demand
Video lessons, reading guides, and instructor-reviewed reflections you complete on your schedule.
Practice
A Deep Library of Practice Materials
Every module comes with its own workbook, examples, reflection guides, and the full video lesson transcripts. Hundreds of pages, built so you learn by doing, framework by framework.
AI mentor
The AI Daimon Guides and Teaches
An expert coaching mentor trained on every evidence-based framework recognized across the academic and ICF coaching community, guiding and teaching you as you learn.
Capstone
Integration Capstone
A culminating case synthesis that brings craft, flourishing, and depth into your own whole-person coaching identity.
Continuing ed
Standalone CE
Parts II & III also stand alone, suitable for BCC continuing education, with 40 ICF CCE hours each forthcoming.
Who This Is For
This certification is built for two kinds of people who want to coach the whole person, and earn a real credential doing it.
New & Aspiring Coaches
- Start with real, recognized professional training, not a weekend certificate.
- Follow a clear pathway toward the Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential.
- Qualify to sit for the BCC exam even without a master’s degree.
- Build the craft, the science, and the depth from the ground up, no prior experience required.
Helping Professionals & Practicing Coaches
- Therapists, counselors, social workers, and educators adding coaching to your work.
- Practicing coaches who keep hitting the limits of strengths-and-goals tools.
- Add a whole-person depth layer most programs never teach.
- Use Parts II & III as advanced continuing education for your existing credential.
Are You the Right Fit?
This program rewards people who show up ready to do the work. We look for:
★
Care
A genuine desire to help people grow, and to use coaching as a force for good.
★
Integrity
Respect for the coaching to therapy boundary and a commitment to ethical, in-scope practice.
★
Action
Willingness to practice, reflect, and demonstrate skill. This is a rigorous, hands-on certification.
★
Depth
Curiosity to go beneath the surface, to work with meaning, pattern, and the whole person.
What This Program Is, and Is Not
What It Is
- A 140-hour professional coaching certification across three pillars: craft, flourishing, and depth.
- A pathway toward the Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential.
- Evidence-based: GROW, Co-Active, the Sailboat Metaphor, PERMA™, somatic presence, and more.
- A method for coaching the whole person, ethically and well.
What It Is Not
- A weekend certificate or a get-rich-quick coaching business course.
- Therapy, or a substitute for mental health treatment.
- A promise of clients, income, or guaranteed credential approval.
- Passive learning, it asks for real practice and reflection.
The Transformation
By the end of this certification, you won’t just understand whole-person coaching, you’ll practice it.
You’ll build a relationship a client trusts completely. You’ll hear what isn’t being said. You’ll recognize the moment a client knows what to do but is not yet ready, and have the craft, the science, and the depth to help them move toward inner alignment.
This is more than a credential. It’s a way of working with people.
Hear It from Coaches Who’ve Done the Work
Real, verified five-star reviews from graduates, independently posted and unedited.
★★★★★
“This program was life-changing. It significantly improved how I engage with people and facilitate meaningful, lasting change.”
, Jeanne Foot, CA
Verified Trustpilot review · May 28, 2026
★★★★★
“The program was practical, well thought out, and immediately applicable. I was able to use what I learned throughout the course.”
, Jay Gundotra, US
Verified Trustpilot review · May 26, 2026
★★★★★
“The program is a gift that keeps on giving. It helped me move past hesitation, deepen my understanding, and become more capable of coaching and leading others.”
, Noé Arroyo-Williams, US
Verified Trustpilot review · May 25, 2026
★★★★★
“I benefited immensely on both a personal and professional level. The material was science-backed, practical, engaging, and immediately useful.”
, Debra Goldman, Michigan, US
Verified Trustpilot review · May 20, 2026
★★★★★
“My coaching toolkit greatly expanded as a result of this certificate program.”
, Beth Dorman, US
Verified Trustpilot review · May 20, 2026
★★★★★
“This course exceeded my expectations. I came away with a significantly larger toolkit and a much clearer sense of direction.”
, Anissa Hartman, US
Verified Trustpilot review · May 19, 2026
★★★★★
“This program added real value to my existing coaching practice. It gave me more precision, more depth, more impact, and more clarity.”
, Jean Hendry, US
Verified Trustpilot review · updated June 6, 2026
★★★★★
“I completed the course feeling prepared to begin my journey as a positive psychology coach, with the tools to keep learning, growing, and serving clients.”
, Richard Moss, PY
Verified Trustpilot review · updated June 7, 2026
★★★★★
“This certification was serious, professional, and transformational, with content that applies both personally and professionally.”
, Monica Careaga, MX
Verified Trustpilot review · May 16, 2026
Why This Training Is Rare
Most coach training teaches one model and stops. This certification brings together three fields that are usually kept apart: the craft of coaching, the science of flourishing, and the depth beneath a person’s patterns. You learn to move between them inside a single conversation, and to know which one a client actually needs.
That integration is hard to find, because few people are trained across all of it. The program is taught by a founder whose training spans a Harvard education and doctoral (PhD) work, positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, depth psychology at the C.G. Jung Institute of New England, and evidence-based coaching through the Institute of Coaching, a Harvard-affiliated organization. That range is what lets the method hold together, rather than feel like three courses stacked on top of one another.
What you take from it is simple to say and hard to do: the ability to work with the whole person, craft, flourishing, and depth, and to guide someone from inner fragmentation toward inner alignment. About the Positive Psychology Institute →
More than a Course: The Mentorship and Tools That Come with It
Enroll in the full certification and you also receive everything below, included.
The crown jewel · not sold separately
The AI Daimon, the Founder’s “Second Brain,” on Call 24/7
Trained on the same body of knowledge the founder brings to private clients who have invested six figures a year for over a decade. It draws on more than 5 million words spanning 15 years of the founder’s research and practice. Ask it anything, a foundational coaching question, how to think about introspective shadow work, or practical, step-by-step BCC exam preparation. It is the closest thing to having an expert mentor in your corner, day or night.
Not available for purchase at any price. It is offered only to support the founder’s private coaching clients, and it is yours from the moment you enroll through the day you complete the program and your certificate is issued. By design, it serves as a mentor that carries you through as much of your education as possible, within fair-use limits.
Bonus 01 · 12-month program
AI for Coaching
A full 12-month program, July 1, 2026 through June 1, 2027. Included free with the full certification; $995 for individual-course students.
$3,995 program · included
Bonus 02
Paycheck to Profits
The Coach’s Blueprint for a Profitable Practice, turn your new credential into a sustainable coaching business. Never sold separately.
$497 value · included
Bonus 03
BCC Exam Prep Course
The complete exam-prep course from BCCExamPrep.com, also built into the AI Daimon for on-demand drilling and review.
$297 value · included
That’s $4,789 in included bonuses, plus the AI Daimon, which isn’t sold at any price, all included with the full certification at $3,995.
Inside the Certification
One hundred forty hours, three parts, one coherent method. Twenty-eight modules that build the craft of coaching, the science of flourishing, and the depth beneath a person’s patterns.
Part I · Foundations of Coaching · 60 hours
01
The Coaching Landscape and the Relational Container
Define what coaching is and is not, and build a relationship the client can trust completely.
02
The Co-Active Framework, Motivation, and Adult Development
Coach the whole, resourceful person, and understand how adults actually change.
03
Listening, Presence, and Somatic Intelligence
Listen at depth, use silence as an instrument, and read the body in the room.
04
Structuring the Conversation: GROW, Readiness, and the Science of Goals
Give a conversation a spine and design goals that actually move.
05
The Integrated Toolkit
Cognitive, solution-focused, and strengths tools, and how to choose for the client in front of you.
06
Professional Architecture: Ethics, Supervision, and Practice
Ethics, the referral protocol, supervision, and the business of a real practice.
Part II · Positive Psychology Coaching · 40 hours
07
An Introduction to Positive Psychology
The field, the science of wellbeing, and the Sailboat Metaphor that unifies the program.
08
Balancing Life Domains
Attention, values, and need fulfillment, and how to help clients balance the areas of a life.
09
Emotional Intelligence
Working with feelings and emotions as information, and building emotional skill with clients.
10
Meaning and Valued Living
Purpose, values, and the meaning side of flourishing, and how to coach toward what matters.
11
The Science of Self-Acceptance
Self-compassion and acceptance as a foundation for lasting change, within coaching scope.
12
Maximizing Strengths
Identify and apply signature strengths so clients build on what is already strong in them.
13
Realizing Resilience
The skills that help clients recover, adapt, and grow through difficulty.
14
Positive Relationships
Connection, support, and the relationships that sustain wellbeing.
15
Motivation and Goal Achievement
Autonomy, motivation, and goal design that actually moves a client forward.
16
Putting It All Together
The practical application: integrating the toolkit into a coherent, ethical coaching practice.
Part III · Depth Psychology Coaching · 40 hours
17
The Ego-Self Axis and the Alchemical Vessel
Build the trustworthy container that makes depth work safe, and the relationship between the everyday self and the larger self.
18
Suffering, Meaning, and Depth Positive Psychology
The meaning side of flourishing, and how to work with what a client reaches for.
19
Disidentification and the Inner Orchestra
The competing parts inside a person, from psychosynthesis and Internal Family Systems, and how to help a client lead them.
20
Persona, Life Cycle, Senex and Puer
The masks we wear, and the pull between the old and the young inside us, read across the seasons of a life.
21
Shadow Work and Somatic Tracking
Recognize disowned material as it surfaces, and track the body signals that show where it lives, within scope.
22
Alchemy, Symptoms, and the Living Image
Read a symptom or recurring image as information, and work with it as metaphor rather than diagnosis.
23
Projections and the Magical Other
What clients place onto partners, bosses, and mentors, and how to bring it back into their own hands.
24
Dreamwork and Embodied Imagination
Use image and metaphor inside a structured coaching conversation, without interpreting the psyche.
25
Autonomous Complexes and Historical Hauntings
The charged patterns that take over a person under stress, and how naming them loosens their grip.
26
Synchronicity and the World Soul
Meaningful coincidence as a source of insight, held lightly and ethically inside coaching.
27
The Wounded Healer, Ethics, and Referral
The dynamic between a coach’s own wounds and the work, and exactly when to pause and refer.
28
Individuation, Synthesis, and Practice Integration
Bring it all into a coherent, whole-person practice, plus the integration capstone that ties the three parts together.
Compare Your Paths
Take one course, or the full certification. Here is what each includes, and who it suits.
| Foundations$1,495 | Positive Psychology$1,995 | Depth Psychology$1,995 | Full Certification$3,995 · best value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course hours | 60 | 40 | 40 | 140 |
| The craft of coaching (Foundations) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Positive psychology and the Sailboat | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Depth psychology and the Oak | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Daimon, through your studies | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paycheck to Profits | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BCC Exam Prep Course | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI for Coaching, 12-month program | add $995 | add $995 | add $995 | ✓ |
| Integration capstone and full BCC pathway | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ideal for | New to coaching | Adding the science of flourishing | Experienced coaches going deeper | Anyone serious about the BCC credential |
The Investment
A professional-level credential, offered at its lowest introductory price during this enrollment.
Introductory enrollment
$6,995 list price
$3,995
The complete Whole Person Coaching Certification, all three pillars, the capstone, and your full pathway to the BCC credential (no master’s degree required).
- All three courses, Foundations of Coaching (60h), Positive Psychology Coaching (40h), Depth Psychology Coaching (40h)
- Video lessons, reading guides, workbooks, and instructor-reviewed reflections
- The integration capstone and certificate of completion
- Lifetime access to your enrolled materials
- The AI Daimon, the founder’s second brain, on call 24/7 for the duration of your studies (fair-use limits apply)
- BCC Exam Prep Course from BCCExamPrep.com, a $297 value, included
- Paycheck to Profits, the practice-building program developed for the Institute
- Early, discounted access to the AI for Coaching program (launching July)
Prefer to Start with One?
Each course stands on its own at the introductory price. Continue any time, every hour counts toward the full certification.
Pillar I
Foundations of Coaching
The professional craft of coaching. Meets the 60-hour BCC training requirement for those with a qualifying master’s.
Enroll →Pillar II
Positive Psychology Coaching
The science of flourishing through the Sailboat Metaphor and the eight wellbeing domains.
Enroll →Pillar III
Depth Psychology Coaching
The depth lens most programs never teach, shadow, archetype, and meaning, within scope.
Enroll →The full certification costs less than the three courses purchased separately, and only it carries the integration, the capstone, and the complete BCC pathway. A monthly payment plan is available at checkout.
A Note from Our Founder
“I built this program for people who want to coach the whole person, to guide others from inner fragmentation toward inner alignment. If that’s you, I’d be honored to teach you.”
Our founder and lead instructor: a Harvard Business School Executive Fellow, doctoral-level cognitive neuroscientist, Board Certified Coach, and 2024 Everest summiteer. Read more about us.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the program start?
Foundations of Coaching opens July 1, 2026, and the program is otherwise fully on-demand and self-paced, so you can begin immediately and move at your own pace. The one exception is Depth Psychology Coaching, offered as a live cohort this time only, weekly sessions every Thursday at 6:00 PM ET, from July 2 through the end of September, 2026. You can enroll any time while seats remain; after this run, Depth Psychology is available on-demand like the rest.
Tell me about the live Depth Psychology cohort.
It is the first and only live run of Depth Psychology Coaching: weekly sessions every Thursday at 6:00 PM ET, from July 2 through the end of September, 2026. Live seats are capped at 30 to keep the room intimate, and the live room is filling; the cap applies to the live room only, and on-demand enrollment is unlimited. If you enroll in the full certification, you start Foundations and Depth Psychology at the same time: Foundations at your own pace and Depth Psychology once a week. There’s no need to finish Foundations first; that weekly rhythm alongside self-paced Foundations is ideal for newcomers going for the full credential. Past participants in our live Positive Psychology cohort found the real-time input invaluable; after this run, Depth Psychology will be available on-demand only. It is designed as an asynchronous course, so this cohort is recorded live and your hours count whether you attend live or watch later. This is the only time it will ever run live, so if you want to start now, join even if you can only make a handful of sessions live and complete the rest at your own pace.
Is the program accredited for the BCC and ICF?
Not yet, and we want to be straight with you. We are not yet a BCC-approved provider; the program is in the accreditation process with the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), the body behind the Board Certified Coach (BCC). It is on track to be finalized before any student completes the program, so the hours you complete are designed to apply toward the BCC training pathway once the designation posts. If you are already a Board Certified Coach, the hours can also be applied as Continuing Coach Education (CCE) toward maintaining your credential, provided they meet the criteria the BCC accepts as CCE. See the official BCC page for what qualifies. ICF CCE credits are also being prepared. The BCC credential also requires at least a bachelor’s degree, documented coaching experience, and passing the BCC examination.
How long does the certification take?
It’s fully on-demand, so you set the pace. Each course is structured in 10-hour modules; many learners complete a single course in a few weeks and the full 140-hour certification over several months.
Do I need to be an experienced coach to enroll?
No. Part I (Foundations of Coaching) starts at the true fundamentals and builds the craft from the ground up. Parts II and III layer on afterward. The sequence is designed so a motivated newcomer becomes a credential-ready, whole-person coach.
Can I really pursue the BCC without a master’s degree?
Yes. The only degree the BCC requires is a bachelor’s, and that bar is set by the credentialing body, not by us. With a bachelor’s, the full 140-hour certification is your complete pathway and puts you well past the training hours the BCC asks for. And if you already hold a master’s in a related field, including an MBA, the BCC asks for fewer hours, so Foundations of Coaching alone may qualify you. Confirm your own pathway against the official BCC requirements, since it depends on your degree and background.
Is this therapy training?
No. This is coaching, taught with a relentless coaching to therapy boundary. You learn to recognize patterns, meaning, and depth material and work with them as a coach, with clear referral signals for anything that belongs to a licensed clinician.
Can I use the courses in my existing practice?
Yes. Parts II and III stand alone as advanced continuing education, suitable for BCC continuing-education requirements today, and each is slated to carry 40 ICF Continuing Coach Education hours (ICF CCE accreditation in progress).
Is there a payment plan?
Yes. A monthly payment plan is offered in addition to the one-time tuition, available for the full certification pathway and the AI for Coaching program. You’ll see the options at checkout.
Will this guarantee me clients or income?
No, and any program that promises that should worry you. This certification gives you the craft, the science, the depth, and a recognized credential pathway. What you build with them is up to you.
Our 100% guaranteed refund policy
Your enrollment is backed by a 100% money-back guarantee. If the program is not the right fit, contact us within your first week and we will refund you in full. See our Refund & Cancellation Policies.
What’s the weekly time commitment?
Plan on roughly 3 to 5 hours a week of video, reading, and reflection. Because it’s fully on-demand, you set the rhythm around your work and life.
Are there prerequisites?
None. A motivated newcomer can begin with Part I and build the craft from the ground up; Parts II and III layer on afterward.
Who teaches the program?
It is taught by our Harvard-Educated PhD founder, with training in positive psychology, depth psychology, and evidence-based coaching. About Us →
Can I use this inside my organization?
Yes. Many learners lead workshops and coach teams inside their companies. The frameworks are designed to adapt to your context, ethically and in scope.
What is the AI Daimon, and what can it do?
The AI Daimon is an always-on learning companion trained on the body of knowledge behind this certification, effectively the founder’s “second brain.” Ask it anything, from a foundational coaching question to how to approach introspective shadow work to practical BCC exam preparation. It supports your learning and practice and is not a substitute for professional, legal, or clinical advice. Access runs for the duration of your studies and concludes once you complete the program and your certificate is issued, by design it is a mentor meant to carry you through your education, not a permanent subscription. Fair-use limits apply.
Does the AI Daimon help with the BCC exam?
Yes, it is prepared with our BCC exam-prep material (the same content as the BCCExamPrep.com course included with enrollment), so you can study, drill, and review on demand. It supports your preparation and does not guarantee a result.
Ready to Coach the Whole Person?
That threshold is real. Your clients will keep arriving at it, knowing what to do, not yet ready to move. The only question is whether you’ll have the craft, the science, and the depth to help them through.
Introductory pricing for a limited time. Prefer one course? Foundations of Coaching is $1,495; Positive Psychology and Depth Psychology are $1,995 each, introductory, down from $2,495. Each individual course includes the AI Daimon and Paycheck to Profits (never sold separately). The BCC Exam Prep course and complimentary AI for Coaching access are reserved for the full certification.
The Whole Person Coaching Certification is an independent program of the Positive Psychology Institute, a division of Unbound Education, Inc. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) or the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Completion supports a pathway toward the Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential; the BCC requires at least a bachelor’s degree, documented coaching experience, coach-specific training, and passing the BCC examination (review the official BCC requirements). ICF Continuing Coach Education (CCE) accreditation for Parts II and III (40 hours each) is in progress and not yet final. This is a coaching education program, not therapy or clinical training. Introductory pricing is available for a limited time and may change without notice. This program is backed by a 100% money-back guarantee within a 7-day window from the date of purchase; after that, enrollment is final. See our Refund & Cancellation Policies.