Animas Diploma in Transformative Coaching

Program overview

The Accredited Diploma in Transformative Coaching is the flagship coach training program of the Animas Centre for Coaching, founded by Nick Bolton in 2008. One of the UK's leading online coach training providers, Animas has trained more than 4,000 coaches worldwide and holds triple accreditation from the three main professional coaching bodies: ICF, EMCC, and AC.

At its foundation is a distinctive philosophical premise: that effective coaching works not just at the level of goals and behaviors, but at the level of worldview, the beliefs, values, and assumptions that shape how a client sees and experiences their life. This transformative approach, developed by Nick Bolton and the Animas faculty, draws from philosophy, psychology, and humanistic traditions to produce coaching that creates lasting structural change rather than surface-level outcomes.

The program is delivered fully online over typically 12 months in small cohorts of around 12 participants, with a 16-module self-paced theory video course running alongside six two-day live training modules. Animas trainers are at least ICF PCC credentialed.

Who it's for

• Aspiring coaches who want a philosophically grounded, psychologically informed foundation, rather than a skills-only technical program

• Those seeking an ICF Level 2 credential pathway with the additional weight of EMCC Senior Practitioner and AC recognition

• Professionals in therapy, consulting, wellness, or leadership who want to integrate a transformative coaching lens into their existing practice

• Coaches who want small cohort learning with high faculty contact, mentoring, and supervision built in

• UK and international students seeking an online program with strong community and post-graduation support

What you'll learn

Transformative coaching theory

The foundational principles of how coaching works at the worldview level, exploring the beliefs, values, and meaning-making structures that shape client behavior and results. This is the intellectual DNA of the Animas approach, articulated in the 12 Principles of Transformative Coaching framework and drawing from transformative learning theory, constructivism, existential philosophy, and humanistic psychology.

Six live training modules

At the core of the diploma are six two-day virtual workshops, each delivered in a cohort of approximately 12 participants by a faculty trainer credentialed at ICF PCC or above. The modules are structured to build progressively, from foundational coaching skills through deeper transformative approaches. Sessions are highly interactive, with coaching practice, observed sessions, peer feedback, and group mentoring built in throughout.

Theory video course

A 16-part video curriculum covering the history, theoretical foundations, and principles of transformative coaching, allowing the live modules to focus exclusively on practice and skill development.

Mentoring, supervision, and practice hours

The program's practice architecture is built into the 12 months rather than bolted on afterwards. It includes:

• 1-to-1 mentoring sessions — individual mentoring alongside group mentoring, from trained coaches, running throughout the program

• 40 practice coaching hours — logged coaching practice, forming the experiential spine of the training

• Supervision — coaching supervision included as part of the formal learning architecture

• Practice groups — ongoing peer practice groups where students coach, observe, and give feedback between live modules

Observed coaching sessions are assessed by faculty throughout.

Real client coaching

Students begin coaching real clients early in the program. The learning is embedded in actual practice rather than simulated scenarios, which connects the theoretical and experiential dimensions of the training from the outset.

Community and network

Access to the Animas Lounge, a private community of over 3,500 Animas coaches, throughout training and post-graduation. Animas runs lectures, workshops, roundtable discussions, and international summits, most free for members.

Credentials and accreditation

Completing the Diploma earns the Animas Diploma in Transformative Coaching, accredited by:

• ICF Level 2 — satisfying the coach-specific education requirement for the ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential, once graduates meet the separate client hour, mentor coaching, and assessment requirements. Graduates may also apply at the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) level.

• EMCC Senior Practitioner Level — European Mentoring and Coaching Council accreditation at Senior Practitioner Level, widely recognised in European corporate and public sector contexts

• AC — Association for Coaching accreditation

The triple accreditation is uncommon among coach training providers and gives graduates credentialing flexibility across three different professional frameworks, a meaningful differentiator for coaches working internationally or across sectors that favor different credentialing bodies.

Format, duration, and cost

• Delivery: fully online; live modules via virtual classroom; self-paced video theory course

• Duration: typically 12 months

• Cohort size: approximately 12 participants per live training group

• Included: 1-to-1 mentoring sessions, 40 practice coaching hours, coaching supervision, and practice groups

• Enrollment: starts with a consultation call to ensure fit; cohorts run throughout the year

• Cost: contact Animas directly or visit animascoaching.com; pricing is provided during the consultation process

• Prerequisites: none

What makes it distinctive

Animas occupies a specific philosophical position in the coach training field that is difficult to replicate. Most ICF-accredited programs teach coaching as a skills set: listening, questioning, feedback. Animas teaches coaching as an inquiry into the human condition. The curriculum engages with what it means to live well, what assumptions shape how people construct their experience, and how deep challenge to those assumptions produces genuine transformation rather than behavioral adjustment.

The ICF Level 2 accreditation is worth noting on its own terms. Level 2 sits above the entry tier and carries a heavier education requirement, which places the diploma on the PCC pathway rather than the ACC pathway that shorter entry-level programs lead to. The 12-month arc, with 40 practice coaching hours, supervision, mentoring, and practice groups distributed across it, is what makes that depth possible.

The triple ICF/EMCC/AC accreditation is the other notable structural differentiator. Most training programs achieve one accreditation. Animas holds three, from three different frameworks with different competency definitions, including EMCC at Senior Practitioner Level. For coaches building international practices or working in European corporate or public sector contexts where EMCC accreditation carries particular weight, this breadth is genuinely useful and saves the cost of additional post-diploma credentialing work.

Its faculty model reinforces the program's depth commitment: Animas trainers are at least ICF PCC credentialed. This is not universally true across the industry, particularly among UK online providers, and it maintains a consistent competency floor for the mentoring and feedback students receive throughout the program.