Question 1

What is the Co-Active Model?

Accepted Answer

The Co-Active Model is a relational, transformative coaching framework originated in 1992 by Laura Whitworth, Henry Kimsey-House, and Karen Kimsey-House at the firm now called the Co-Active Training Institute. It rests on the founding claim that people are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole, and is structured around four Cornerstones, five Contexts, and three Principles. It is one of the most widely-taught coaching frameworks in the world.

Question 2

Who created the Co-Active Model?

Accepted Answer

Laura Whitworth, Henry Kimsey-House, and Karen Kimsey-House co-founded the Coaches Training Institute (now CTI) in 1992 and developed the model together. Phil Sandahl joined them as co-author of the canonical book, Co-Active Coaching, first published in 1998. Whitworth passed away in 2007; the Kimsey-Houses have continued to lead the development and application of the model.

Question 3

What are the four Cornerstones?

Accepted Answer

The four Cornerstones are the foundational beliefs the coach holds about the client and the work: People are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole; Dance in this moment; Focus on the whole person; and Evoke transformation. They are not techniques. They are the philosophical commitments from which everything else in the model follows. A coach who has not internalised the Cornerstones can execute every other element of Co-Active and not be doing Co-Active.

Question 4

How is Co-Active different from other coaching frameworks?

Accepted Answer

Co-Active is identity-oriented and relational, where most other named frameworks are goal-oriented or technique-oriented. It begins one layer earlier than GROW: with who the client is and what wants to emerge in their life, before any goal is named. It is more philosophical than CBT-informed coaching, more relational than performance coaching, and more structurally specified than open-ended approaches. Many experienced coaches stack Co-Active with one or more other frameworks rather than choosing between them.

Question 5

Where can I learn Co-Active?

Accepted Answer

The primary training is the CTI Coach Training Program, the institute's flagship certification path, ICF-accredited at the Level 2 (PCC) and Level 3 (MCC) levels. CTI also offers shorter intensives, the Co-Active Leadership Program, and team coaching applications. Beyond CTI's own programs, the canonical book Co-Active Coaching is widely used as a course text in other ICF-accredited curricula.

Question 6

Is Co-Active ICF-accredited?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the CTI Coach Training Program is ICF-accredited at the Level 2 (PCC) and Level 3 (MCC) levels. Graduates can pursue ICF credentialing through the standard pathways using their CTI training hours. Co-Active is one of the most widely-used routes for demonstrating the ICF Core Competencies in credentialing exams.

Question 7

What is the canonical book?

Accepted Answer

Co-Active Coaching: The Proven Framework for Transformative Conversations at Work and in Life, by Whitworth, Kimsey-House, Kimsey-House, and Sandahl. First published in 1998, currently in its 4th edition (2018). The book has been translated into more than ten languages and is used as a course text in many ICF-accredited training programs.

Question 8

What is Co-Active Leadership?

Accepted Answer

Co-Active Leadership is the institute's leadership development application of the Co-Active Model, codified in the 2015 book Co-Active Leadership: Five Ways to Lead by Henry and Karen Kimsey-House. It applies the same philosophical core — the Cornerstones, the Contexts, the emergence orientation — to leadership development rather than one-to-one coaching, and is delivered as a separate program for leaders, executives, and team contexts.

Question 9

How long does it take to become a Co-Active certified coach?

Accepted Answer

The full CTI Coach Training Program typically spans 12 to 24 months of cohort-based experiential training plus supervised practice, leading to CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach) certification. Pursuing ICF credentialing via Co-Active typically takes additional supervised hours: ACC after the basic training and 100 hours of practice, PCC after 500 hours, MCC after 2,500 hours. Most coaches view the certification as the start, not the end, of their development.

Question 10

Can I use Co-Active outside of coaching?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the model has been deliberately extended beyond one-to-one coaching. Co-Active Leadership applies the framework to leadership development; team coaching applications extend the stance to the team-as-client context; and individual elements (the Cornerstones, the listening levels, the self-management posture) are widely used in management practice, parenting, and education. The institute's rebrand from "The Coaches Training Institute" to the "Co-Active Training Institute" in the mid-2010s reflected this broader application.

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