Recovery Coach Training FAQ

Counseling is clinical. It can include assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning, and it often explores the past. Recovery coaching is non-clinical and future-focused: a coach helps people clarify goals, build on their strengths and stay accountable to the changes they choose. The two can complement each other, and many people benefit from both.

IAPRC offers three programs for people who want to become professional coaches, plus a shorter intensive for coaches who already hold a credential. All are online and self-paced.

Tuition is $997 for the PRCC, $747 for the CPC and $1,297 for the PRCC Dual. The ARC-I for credentialed coaches is $749. Tuition includes training manuals, coaching tools, study guides, the webinar library, group coaching sessions, CE hours and IAPRC membership. After your included membership ends, you can keep it for $16.95 a month.

Every IAPRC program is online and self-paced, so you can learn on your own schedule. Most students finish the 80-hour PRCC in 4 to 6 months and the 120-hour PRCC Dual in 6 to 9 months. The CPC is 40 hours and the ARC-I is 14 hours.

IAPRC no longer offers the Certified Professional Recovery Coach (CPRC) program. The Professional Recovery Coach Certificate (PRCC) is IAPRC’s current recovery coaching credential. If you earned the CPRC, your credential remains yours. If you’d like help understanding which path fits you, we’re happy to talk it through on our contact page.

No. The PRCC is a professional certificate issued by IAPRC. It isn’t a state license, and it isn’t a state peer recovery certification. If you’re looking for a state peer credential, your state’s certification board sets those requirements. In Florida, ICARE’s Recovery Peer Specialist program prepares people for the CRPS credential.

No. IAPRC isn’t affiliated with ICF and issues its own credentials. The Certified Professional Coach (CPC) program teaches the ICF Core Competencies, so graduates learn standards that are widely used across the coaching profession.

Individuals and families usually hire recovery coaches directly, in a private arrangement. Clients include young adults, parents and families, older adults, and professionals such as attorneys, physicians and nurses. Coaches also support people through life transitions such as a new job, parenting or retirement.

Many professional recovery coaches build an independent practice and work with clients in a private arrangement. The PRCC includes skills for growing a client base and starting a coaching business, so you learn the professional side as well as the coaching itself.

Yes. The Addiction Recovery Coach Intensive (ARC-I) is a 14-hour program for coaches who already hold a credential, such as ICF or NBHWC, and want training in recovery coaching. It carries 14 NBHWC hours and tuition is $749.