Relationship Coaching Institute
The world's first and largest relationship coach training organization, founded by David Steele in 1997. Its Relationship Coach Training Program runs in three parts, a foundations module plus singles and couples specialisations, delivered through a membership model with 144 training hours.
- Type
- Coach Training Organization
- Founded
- 1997
- Headquarters
- United States
About
The Relationship Coaching Institute (RCI) was founded in 1997 by David Steele, MA, LMFT, CPC. A licensed marriage and family therapist turned coaching pioneer, Steele recognized a significant blind spot in the emerging coaching profession: almost no one was training coaches specifically for the relationship domain. He built RCI as both a correction to that gap and a proof of concept, making it the world's first dedicated relationship coach training organization. Nearly three decades later, RCI remains the largest and most established institution in this niche.
RCI's core thesis is that relationships (singles dating and choosing partners, couples building lasting bonds, families managing their dynamics) are a distinct coaching domain requiring specialist training, not a subset of general life coaching. This framing has shaped everything about how the organization trains, credentials, and supports its coaches.
David Steele: Founder and Methodology Architect
David Steele is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) who pivoted to coaching in the mid-1990s as the profession was taking its early institutional shape. His dual background, clinical therapy on one hand and the emerging coaching methodology on the other, informed the design of RCI's training: systematic enough to handle complex relational dynamics, but grounded in the forward-focused, non-pathologizing stance that defines coaching as distinct from therapy.
Steele is the author of Conscious Dating: Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life That You Love and Radical Marriage, foundational texts in the relationship coaching field, and has trained thousands of coaches internationally across two-plus decades of running RCI. The Conscious Dating methodology forms a core component of RCI's singles coaching curriculum, and the Radical Marriage methodology anchors RCI's couples coaching curriculum — together representing Steele's most significant intellectual contributions to the field.
Training Programs
RCI operates as a membership-based training organization rather than a one-time certification course. Enrollment initiates an ongoing relationship with the community, curriculum, and support infrastructure.
Foundations of Relationship Coaching (RC1)
The foundational module of RCI's Relationship Coach Training Program, built around an in-depth exploration of the ICF Code of Ethics and the eight ICF Core Competencies. It runs eleven weeks, meeting weekly with an instructor alongside weekly lab-team practice sessions, and precedes both the singles and couples coursework.
Relationship Coach Training — Singles Specialization
The program for coaches who want to work with single adults on dating, self-discovery, and relationship readiness. Covers the ICF Core Competencies applied to relationship contexts, alongside RCI's proprietary methodology for singles coaching, including Steele's Conscious Dating framework. Together with the foundational module (RC1), this specialization brings the full training to 144 hours — submittable toward an ICF credential via the portfolio path, at the ACC or PCC level.
Relationship Coach Training — Couples Specialization
This track serves coaches working with committed couples, from those building a strong foundation to those working through conflict, major life transitions, or questions about their relationship's future. It incorporates Steele's Radical Marriage® framework alongside ICF competency standards and RCI's practical session tools. Together with the foundational module, this specialization also totals 144 training hours submittable toward an ICF credential via the portfolio path.
RCI Membership
All certification programs operate within RCI's membership structure. Enrollment carries a $3,997 entry fee, followed by $79 per month for ongoing access to the curriculum library, coaching community, peer support, and practice-building resources. This model reflects RCI's philosophy that certification is the beginning of an ongoing professional relationship.
Licensed Methodologies: Conscious Dating® and Radical Marriage®
RCI's training is built around two proprietary, trademarked frameworks authored by David Steele — one per specialization.
Conscious Dating®, from Steele's book Conscious Dating: Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life That You Love, anchors the Singles Specialization.
Radical Marriage®, from Steele's book Radical Marriage (radicalmarriage.com), anchors the Couples Specialization with strategies for building and sustaining a thriving marriage.
Both are registered trademarks, each with its own ecosystem of materials — classes, workshops, groups, retreats, online courses — available to RCI-licensed coaches. Graduates are licensed to use either methodology in their own practice and can market themselves as a "Conscious Dating Coach" or "Radical Marriage Coach," or adapt RCI's marketing and client-facing materials to their own brand and niche.
Coaching Business Success System™
Licensing extends past the methodology itself. RCI's Coaching Business Success System™ takes a "business in a box" approach — done-for-you marketing assets, client-acquisition support, and ongoing mentoring aimed at getting graduates paying clients, not just a certificate. RCI positions this business-building layer as a core differentiator against other coach training organizations; their comparison page lays out the full case.
ICF Relationship and Accreditation
RCI's training programs are designed around the ICF Core Competencies and provide 144 training hours submittable toward an ICF credential via the portfolio path. The programs are aligned with ICF standards and provide hours that coaches can use toward credentialing via the portfolio route, rather than through formal Level 1 or Level 2 ICF program accreditation. Prospective students who require a formally ICF-accredited program should verify the current accreditation status directly with RCI and the ICF before enrolling.
What RCI offers that most general coaching programs do not is deep specialization: every module, case study, tool, and supervision conversation is oriented toward relationship coaching. For coaches committed to this domain, that focused curriculum is the core value proposition.
How Relationship Coaching Differs from Therapy
Relationship coaching is forward-focused and solution-oriented: coaches work with clients on what they want to create in their relationships and how to move toward it. Couples therapy typically addresses past wounds, emotional processing, and psychological dysfunction, and is conducted by licensed mental health professionals. RCI trains coaches to operate firmly in the coaching domain rather than to diagnose, treat, or conduct therapy, while equipping them with enough relational framework to work effectively with complex interpersonal dynamics. RCI coaches are trained to recognize when a client's needs exceed the coaching scope and to refer to appropriate support.
What This Means for You
An RCI-trained coach has invested in a program designed exclusively for relationship coaching, not a general life coaching certification with a relationship module added on. If your coaching goals center on singles seeking partnership, couples building healthier relationships, or working through family dynamics, an RCI credential signals genuine domain focus. Ask any RCI coach which specialization they completed, how many client hours they've accumulated since graduating, and whether they hold an ICF credential alongside their RCI training. As with any coaching credential, the certification represents a training foundation. Depth of experience and ongoing professional development distinguish practitioners within the same program.
One scope note worth holding onto: relationship coaching is not couples therapy, and an RCI certification is not a clinical license. A coach works forward from where you are toward what you want to build. If what you're facing involves abuse, untreated mental health conditions, trauma, or a relationship in acute crisis, a licensed marriage and family therapist or clinical psychologist is the right first call, and a well-trained RCI coach will tell you so and refer you.
Relationships are a distinct coaching domain with their own dynamics, patterns, and tools. Coaches who work in this space deserve training built from the ground up for it, not borrowed from somewhere else.
Relationship Coaching Institute coaches on Dream Coach Match
Questions about Relationship Coaching Institute
Q.01What is the Relationship Coaching Institute?
What is the Relationship Coaching Institute?
The Relationship Coaching Institute (RCI) is the world's first and largest dedicated relationship coach training organization, founded in 1997 by David Steele, MA, LMFT, CPC, a licensed marriage and family therapist who recognized that the coaching profession had no specialized training for the relationship domain. RCI operates as a membership-based training organization delivering two coach certifications — a Singles Coach certification and a Couples Coach certification — both built on a shared foundational module (RC1).
Q.02Who founded RCI and what is their background?
Who founded RCI and what is their background?
RCI was founded by David Steele, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), Certified Professional Coach (CPC), and author of Conscious Dating: Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life That You Love and Radical Marriage. Steele's dual background in clinical therapy and the emerging professional coaching methodology of the 1990s directly shaped RCI's approach: systematic enough to handle complex relational dynamics, but firmly grounded in the forward-focused, non-pathologizing stance that defines coaching as distinct from therapy.
Q.03Is RCI ICF accredited?
Is RCI ICF accredited?
No. RCI's programs are designed around the ICF Core Competencies and provide 144 training hours that a coach can submit toward an ACC or PCC credential through the ICF's portfolio route. Those hours aren't pre-recognised by the ICF; they're assessed when you apply. That differs from holding a formal ICF Level 1 or Level 2 program accreditation. Prospective students who specifically require an ICF-accredited program should verify the current accreditation status directly with RCI and the ICF before enrolling, as accreditation status can change.
Q.04What certification programs does RCI offer?
What certification programs does RCI offer?
RCI offers two certifications built on a shared foundation: a Singles Coach certification and a Couples Coach certification. Every coach starts with the foundational module (RC1) — an eleven-week deep dive into the ICF Code of Ethics and Core Competencies — then completes one specialization track to certify. Completing both is optional, not required; most coaches choose the track that matches the clients they want to work with. The full sequence across both specializations spans ten courses, RC1 through RC10, all operating within RCI's membership model. The full curriculum runs approximately 18 months; the September 2026 cohort, for example, runs from September 2026 to April 2028, meeting weekly, and access to the curriculum library continues after certification through RCI's membership.
Q.05How does RCI's membership model work?
How does RCI's membership model work?
RCI operates as a membership organization, not a one-time certification course. Enrollment carries a $3,997 entry fee followed by $79 per month for ongoing access to the curriculum library, coaching community, peer support, and practice-building resources. This structure reflects RCI's philosophy that professional development in relationship coaching is an ongoing commitment rather than a one-time credential.
Q.06What is Conscious Dating, and how does it relate to RCI's training?
What is Conscious Dating, and how does it relate to RCI's training?
Conscious Dating is the foundational methodology for singles coaching developed by David Steele and described in his book of the same name. The framework guides singles through a structured process of self-discovery, clarity about what they want in a relationship, and deliberate partner selection, rather than reactive dating patterns. The Conscious Dating methodology is a core component of RCI's Singles Specialization curriculum and a key differentiator of RCI's approach.
Q.07What is Radical Marriage, and how does it relate to RCI's training?
What is Radical Marriage, and how does it relate to RCI's training?
Radical Marriage® is David Steele's framework and book for couples building a thriving, resilient marriage — covering the mindset shifts and practical strategies for navigating conflict, growth, and long-term partnership. It's a registered trademark with its own ecosystem of materials for classes, workshops, groups, retreats, and online courses, and it's the core methodology behind RCI's Couples Specialization, the couples counterpart to Conscious Dating® in the Singles track. RCI-certified coaches are licensed to use the Radical Marriage® framework in their own practice and can market themselves as a "Radical Marriage Coach" if it fits their niche.
Q.08How is relationship coaching different from couples therapy?
How is relationship coaching different from couples therapy?
Relationship coaching is forward-focused and solution-oriented; it works with clients on what they want to create in their relationships and how to get there. Couples therapy typically addresses past wounds, emotional processing, and psychological dysfunction, and is conducted by licensed mental health professionals. RCI trains coaches to stay in the coaching domain rather than to diagnose, treat, or conduct therapy, while having enough relational framework to work effectively with complex interpersonal dynamics. RCI coaches are trained to recognize when a client's needs exceed the coaching scope and to refer appropriately.
Q.09Who is the RCI program best suited for, and do I need a therapy background?
Who is the RCI program best suited for, and do I need a therapy background?
RCI is best suited for coaches who want to specialize in relationship coaching — particularly those working with singles pursuing dating and partnership, or couples seeking to strengthen their relationship. It's also relevant for therapists, counselors, and social workers adding a coaching modality to their practice, or general coaches wanting a formal specialization in the relationship domain. No therapy background is required: RCI was designed to be accessible to coaches without clinical training. David Steele's founding intention was a relationship coaching discipline grounded in the forward-focused, non-pathologizing principles of coaching, not therapy. Participants without a clinical background train alongside therapists who are adding coaching to their practice, and both groups learn to operate within the coaching scope — goal-oriented, non-diagnostic, forward-focused — with explicit training in scope recognition and appropriate referral.
Q.10Does RCI help graduates build a coaching business, or just provide certification?
Does RCI help graduates build a coaching business, or just provide certification?
Yes — this is a core part of RCI's model. Beyond the certification, RCI's Coaching Business Success System™ takes a "business in a box" approach: marketing materials, client-acquisition support, and ongoing mentoring designed to help graduates land paying clients and build a sustainable practice. Coaches can use RCI's materials as-is or adapt them to their own brand. This business-building layer, alongside the option to market as a "Conscious Dating Coach" or "Radical Marriage Coach," is part of what RCI positions as differentiating it from other coach training organizations.
Q.11What does an RCI certification tell me about a coach?
What does an RCI certification tell me about a coach?
An RCI-certified coach has completed 144 hours of training built specifically around relationship coaching, not a general coaching program with a relationship module added on. It signals genuine domain specialization in the singles and couples space. Those 144 hours can be submitted toward an ICF credential through the portfolio route, where the ICF assesses them at the point of application; they aren't pre-recognised, and RCI holds no formal ICF Level 1 or Level 2 program accreditation. Ask the coach whether they hold an ICF credential separately. One important scope note: relationship coaching is not couples therapy. RCI coaches are trained to support clients in a forward-focused, goal-oriented way, not to diagnose clinical conditions or conduct psychotherapy. If you are dealing with serious mental health challenges, trauma, or a clinical-level relational crisis, a licensed therapist is the appropriate first step.
Q.12What should I ask an RCI-trained coach before hiring them?
What should I ask an RCI-trained coach before hiring them?
Before engaging an RCI relationship coach, ask: Which specialization did you complete: Singles, Couples, or both? How many client hours have you logged since certifying, and what types of clients do you typically work with? Do you hold an ICF credential in addition to your RCI training? And what is your scope when a client's needs move into territory that requires clinical or therapeutic support rather than coaching? RCI coaches are trained to recognize those limits and to refer appropriately. Confirming their referral practice before you start gives you a clear picture of how they'll handle situations where coaching alone isn't the right answer.