Institute of Coaching (IOC), McLean Hospital
The scientific home of professional coaching: a research institute and professional association based at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, founded in 2009.
- Type
- Professional Accreditation Organization
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- United States
About
The Institute of Coaching (IOC) is the leading research and professional community organization at the intersection of coaching science, leadership, and healthcare. Based at McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a member of Mass General Brigham, the IOC is dedicated to building the scientific foundation of the coaching profession through rigorous research, continuing education, and a global practitioner community.
The IOC does not operate coach training programs in the conventional sense. It is not an ICF-accredited training provider and does not offer initial coaching credential pathways. Its role in the field is different and more foundational: it is the intellectual hub for coaching science. Through research grants, an annual conference, practitioner membership, and ICF-approved continuing education, the IOC provides the evidence base and credibility infrastructure on which the broader coaching profession increasingly depends.
For coaches, IOC membership represents a specific kind of institutional signal. It says their practice is informed by and connected to peer-reviewed science, not just practitioner tradition.
At a glance
Founded — 2009, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Co-founders — Dr. Carol Kauffman (Founder and Co-Chair), Margaret Moore (Co-Founder; Board Chair, 2021 to 2024), Dr. Susan David, and Dr. Phil Levendusky (in memoriam)
Type — Professional association and research institute (not a coach training program provider)
Based at — McLean Hospital, Mass General Brigham; Harvard Medical School affiliate
Members — 5,000+ in 75 countries
Website — instituteofcoaching.org
Funding origin — $2 million founding gift from the Harnisch Foundation (2009)
ICF relationship — $575,000 five-year ICF collaboration (2021) to expand coaching research and practitioner access
History
The IOC was founded in 2009 through a $2 million philanthropic investment by the Harnisch Foundation, which had identified rigorous, peer-reviewed research as the most important missing element in the maturing coaching profession. McLean Hospital, already a world leader in psychiatric research and a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate, provided the institutional home and scientific infrastructure.
Dr. Carol Kauffman, an assistant professor of psychology in Harvard Medical School's Department of Psychiatry, became the founding Director and now serves as the Institute's Co-Chair. Margaret Moore, founder and CEO of Wellcoaches, joined as co-founder, bringing her experience as the leading figure in health and wellness coaching to the organization's governance and direction; she served as the Institute's Board Chair from 2021 to 2024. Dr. Susan David (organizational psychologist, Harvard Medical School faculty member, and author of Emotional Agility) joined as co-founder, contributing expertise in emotions research and psychological flexibility to the IOC's research agenda. Dr. Phil Levendusky, a clinical psychologist and senior leader at McLean Hospital, also joined as co-founder; his institutional role at McLean was foundational to establishing the IOC within the hospital's research infrastructure. Levendusky is honored in memoriam on the IOC website.
Since its founding, the IOC has awarded more than 38 Harnisch research grants totaling over $800,000, built a global practitioner community of 5,000+ members across 75 countries, delivered 14+ annual Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare conferences, and in 2021 entered a formal five-year collaboration with the ICF, which committed $575,000 to expand the IOC's research grant program and deepen the connection between coaching science and credentialed practice.
Programs and offerings
Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare Conference — The IOC's flagship annual event, developed in partnership with McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Attended by executive coaches, leadership professionals, clinicians, and healthcare practitioners. The conference is accredited for up to 15 ICF CCE hours (Core Competency and Resource Development), as well as CE credits for psychologists (APA-approved), social workers (NASW-MA), and healthcare professionals. The conference covers coaching science, AI in coaching, wellbeing-centered leadership, organizational applications, and live coaching demonstrations.
Professional membership — The IOC Professional Association membership provides access to the IOC's coaching resource library, research publications, webinars, learning events, and the global practitioner community. Membership is available to coaches, leaders, and professionals who use coaching skills. Several partner organizations, including CTI and Wellcoaches, offer discounted IOC membership to their graduates as part of their program benefits.
Research grants — The IOC awards approximately $100,000 per year in Harnisch research grants to qualified researchers studying coaching efficacy, leadership development, health and wellness coaching, and related fields. The program has produced the most concentrated body of peer-reviewed coaching science in existence.
Webinars and continuing education — The IOC CoachX Conversations series and regular webinars provide ICF CCE-approved continuing education for credentialed coaches seeking credential renewal hours grounded in current coaching science.
What makes the IOC distinctive
The IOC's distinctiveness is institutional, not programmatic. No other organization in the coaching field occupies the Harvard-McLean affiliation position, and that affiliation carries a specific meaning: the research produced under its banner is held to clinical and academic standards that most practitioner-led coaching research does not achieve.
For coaches, this matters in two concrete ways. First, the IOC's research provides the evidence base that justifies coaching's clinical and organizational applications, evidence that coaches increasingly need when engaging corporate, healthcare, and institutional clients who require more than practitioner testimonials. Second, IOC membership connects practitioners to that research community, providing a credential of scientific engagement that is distinct from, and complementary to, any particular training program or ICF credential.
The Margaret Moore / Wellcoaches lineage adds a specific strand of health and wellness coaching science to the IOC's identity. Moore's work, which established the evidence base for health and wellness coaching as a clinical intervention, shaped the IOC's early research agenda and continues to give the organization distinctive authority in the healthcare coaching space.
Recognition
The IOC has received formal recognition from the ICF, the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and multiple healthcare credentialing bodies. The annual Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare Conference is one of the few coaching events accredited simultaneously for ICF continuing education and clinical continuing education in psychology and social work, reflecting the IOC's unique positioning at the intersection of the coaching profession and the healthcare system.
We're the intellectual hub for coaching science, and the ICF is the largest, most well-known community of certified coaches. Together we can more broadly educate the field and expand current coaching literature.
Institute of Coaching (IOC), McLean Hospital coaches on Dream Coach Match
Questions about Institute of Coaching (IOC), McLean Hospital
Q.01Does the IOC offer coach training programs?
Does the IOC offer coach training programs?
The IOC is a professional association and research institute, not a coach training program. It does not offer initial ICF credential pathways. Its offerings include professional membership, an annual conference (up to 15 ICF CCE hours), research grants, webinars, and continuing education for credentialed coaches.
Q.02What does IOC membership include?
What does IOC membership include?
IOC Professional Association membership gives access to the IOC's coaching research library, webinars, learning events, and the global practitioner community. Membership signals that a coach's practice is connected to peer-reviewed coaching science. Several partner programs, including CTI and Wellcoaches, include discounted IOC membership for their graduates.
Q.03What is the IOC's relationship with Harvard and McLean Hospital?
What is the IOC's relationship with Harvard and McLean Hospital?
The IOC is based at McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a member of Mass General Brigham. This affiliation means the IOC's research is held to clinical and academic standards, producing the most peer-reviewed coaching science in the field.
Q.04Who founded the IOC?
Who founded the IOC?
The IOC has four co-founders. Dr. Carol Kauffman, a Harvard Medical School psychologist, is the Founder and now serves as Co-Chair. Margaret Moore, founder and CEO of Wellcoaches, served as Co-Founder and Board Chair from 2021 to 2024; her work established the evidence base for health and wellness coaching as a clinical intervention. Dr. Susan David, organizational psychologist, Harvard Medical School faculty member, and author of Emotional Agility, joined as Co-Founder, bringing expertise in emotions research and psychological flexibility. Dr. Phil Levendusky, a clinical psychologist and senior leader at McLean Hospital, also joined as Co-Founder; he is honored in memoriam on the IOC website.
Q.05What is the IOC research grant program?
What is the IOC research grant program?
The IOC awards approximately $100,000 per year in Harnisch research grants to qualified researchers studying coaching efficacy, leadership development, health and wellness coaching, and related fields. Since 2009, the IOC has awarded 38+ grants totaling over $800,000.
Q.06How many ICF CCE hours can I earn through the IOC?
How many ICF CCE hours can I earn through the IOC?
The annual Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare Conference is accredited for up to 15 ICF CCE hours (Core Competency and Resource Development). The IOC also offers ICF CCE-approved webinars and learning events throughout the year.
Q.07How large is the IOC community?
How large is the IOC community?
The IOC has 5,000+ members in 75 countries. It was founded in 2009 and has delivered 14+ annual conferences. In 2021, the ICF committed $575,000 to a five-year IOC collaboration to expand coaching research access.
Q.08How is the IOC different from other coaching associations?
How is the IOC different from other coaching associations?
No other coaching organization is based at a Harvard Medical School affiliate. The IOC is the only coaching institution that simultaneously holds recognition from the ICF, the American Psychological Association, and healthcare credentialing bodies. This cross-sector recognition reflects its unique position at the intersection of coaching, leadership, and clinical care.
Q.09Is IOC membership worth it for coaches?
Is IOC membership worth it for coaches?
For coaches in health and wellness, executive, or leadership coaching who need to demonstrate evidence-based practice to institutional or healthcare clients, IOC membership provides a credible signal. The IOC's research library and connections to coaching science are particularly relevant for coaches in clinical adjacent settings.
Q.10Does the IOC accredit coach training programs?
Does the IOC accredit coach training programs?
No. The IOC is a research and professional association. It is not itself an ICF-accredited training provider and does not directly accredit coach training programs. Several training programs, such as CTI and Wellcoaches, have formal affiliation or partnership with the IOC and offer discounted membership to graduates.
Q.11What does IOC membership tell me about a coach?
What does IOC membership tell me about a coach?
IOC membership signals that a coach has chosen to affiliate with the scientific end of the coaching profession. It is not a training credential or a practitioner qualification. It does not indicate what programme the coach trained with, which ICF credential (if any) they hold, or how many hours of coaching experience they have. What it does indicate is an orientation toward evidence-based practice and a connection to the peer-reviewed research community based at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. For clients seeking coaching in healthcare-adjacent contexts such as leadership and wellbeing, burnout, or health behaviour change, a coach who maintains IOC membership is more likely to ground their work in research than in practitioner tradition alone. Confirm separately what training they received and which ICF credential they hold, since IOC membership is a research affiliation, not a competency certification.
Q.12What should I ask an IOC member coach before hiring them?
What should I ask an IOC member coach before hiring them?
Ask what formal coaching training they completed and which ICF credential (ACC, PCC, or MCC) they hold. IOC membership does not substitute for training or credentialing, and the two are entirely separate. Ask how their IOC affiliation actually shapes their practice: which research informs their approach, what continuing education they've completed through the IOC, and whether they regularly read peer-reviewed coaching science. For executive or leadership coaching, ask how they distinguish between coaching and consulting or clinical support. The IOC's healthcare-adjacent context means some members work at the boundary of coaching and clinical practice, and clarity on scope matters. If you are looking for coaching to support a health or wellbeing goal, ask directly whether the coach has training in health and wellness coaching or if their IOC membership is the extent of their engagement with that domain.