Divorce Coaches Academy

What Makes a Divorce Coaching Program Worth Your Investment?

• Tracy Callahan and Debra Doak • Season 1 • Episode 162

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What truly sets one divorce coach training program apart from others? If you're exploring divorce coaching as a new career or looking to expand your professional toolkit, this crucial question deserves a thoughtful answer. 

Divorce Coaches Academy stands out because our curriculum is built by active practitioners, not theorists. As working divorce coaches and mediators, we've designed training that directly reflects what actually works with real clients facing real challenges. We know what it's like to sit across from someone in crisis, to navigate high-conflict co-parenting situations, and to help clients overwhelmed by legal complexities—because we do it every day.

We've created a program that combines the best of both worlds: flexible self-paced learning with structured live discussions and unparalleled mentorship. Our nine-week professional mentorship program pairs students with successful, experienced divorce coaches who provide direct feedback, guidance, and confidence-building support. This supervised practice is what transforms theoretical knowledge into true professional competence.

Recognizing that divorce processes differ worldwide, we've developed customized regional training tracks for the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Arabian Gulf, and soon France. Each track is adapted by local professionals who understand the specific legal frameworks and cultural contexts of their regions. Whether you're a family law attorney looking to transform your practice, a therapist expanding your services, or someone passionate about supporting families through transition, our training provides the foundation for meaningful, successful work. The community you'll join is equally valuable—dedicated professionals committed to raising standards in the field who continue to support each other long after certification.

Ready to learn more? Visit divorcecoachesacademy.com/divorcecoach or schedule a personal call with our program directors to discuss how DCA can support your professional journey.

Learn more about DCA® or any of the classes or events mentioned in this episode at the links below:

Website: www.divorcecoachesacademy.com
Instagram: @divorcecoachesacademy
LinkedIn: divorce-coaches-academy
Email: DCA@divorcecoachesacademy.com

Tracy:

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of Divorce Coaches Academy podcast. I am Tracy and I am here with my fearless leader, Debra. Hi, Debra, All right. Well, we are so glad you're listening because in this episode we are answering a question we get asked all of the time - why should I choose Divorce Coaches Academy for my certification training? And we are really excited to break that down for you today.

Debra:

Yeah, I am excited too and I think it's an important conversation, especially if you are exploring divorce coaching as a new career or you're looking to expand your professional toolkit. We get it. We know there are a lot of options out there and it can be overwhelming and confusing.

Tracy:

Yeah, for sure.

Debra:

Which training program is right for you, how can you know who to trust? What's the difference between some of the offerings out there? So we thought it might be helpful today to walk you through kind of what makes our program at DCA truly unique. We're going to highlight some of the differences between DCA and other programs and we'll share some behind the scenes insights about how and why we designed the training the way we did.

Tracy:

How and the why yes, Okay. So let's start with the heart of what makes our program stand out. It's grounded in the fact that it was developed by professionals who are actively working in the field. That would be you and I, Deb yes, Every day. Yep. So at Divorce Coaches Academy day Yep. So at Divorce Coaches Academy, our curriculum wasn't written in theory. It's been built by us, professionals who work every day with clients as mediators, divorce coaches and conflict resolution specialists. This means that everything we teach is informed by real, lived professional experience. We know what it is like to sit across from a client who is in crisis. We know what questions come up when you're working with co-parents who cannot agree on anything, or when someone's feeling overwhelmed by the legal process. We use the same frameworks, tools and strategies in our own practice that we teach in this program.

Debra:

Yeah, yeah, and honestly, that makes all the difference here. You're not learning about divorce coaching from a life coach, from a business coach, from an AI bot or from someone who went through their own personal divorce experience. You're learning it from people who are doing this work day in and day out and who are constantly refining their approach based on what actually works in real life, and you're learning it from people that, frankly, have been around the block a few times. We have lots of experience, not just in our practices, but in mentoring new divorce coaches and working in other divorce coach training programs.

Tracy:

Yeah.

Debra:

Yeah, we regularly update our training and our curriculum to reflect changes in divorce practices, based on new research on family dynamics and trauma, and best practices in conflict resolution. This means you're always learning what's most relevant, not just what's traditional.

Tracy:

Yeah, because divorce is not static. No, it's dynamic. It changes. Why? It's evolutionary in the process. Our laws change, our processes change.

Tracy:

Okay, so before we move on, let's take a moment to talk about something that sometimes causes confusion and great frustration on our part, and that is trademarks. Now, we are certainly proud to say that Divorce Coaches Academy® and DCA® are both federally registered trademarks. What that means is is that our brand is protected, our name, our materials and our identity as a professional organization. But it is so important to understand that a trademark is just that a legal designation of ownership. It doesn't reflect program quality, curriculum rigor or accreditation by an educational professional standard body. In other words, a trademark tells you that a name is protected. It doesn't tell you whether the program behind the name is effective, current or led by qualified professionals. It does not. It does not. So I think it's really important. You know we've become a USPTO trademark specialist because we had to, but I want to share some of this because I think it's really important.

Tracy:

So how does a trademark actually get approved? Well, that happens through the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO. The USPTO is the federal agency responsible for registering trademarks and granting patents. So when you apply for a trademark, you actually apply, your application is reviewed by a USPTO examining attorney, someone trained in trademark law, who evaluates whether the mark meets specific legal criteria. They look at things like distinctiveness, proper use in commerce and whether your mark is likely to be confused with another already in the books.

Tracy:

But, and this is a big but, the USPTO does not assess or validate the quality, ethics or standards of the service behind the trademark. It is not a regulatory body or an accrediting organization for professions. So, for example, if someone receives a trademark for a term like certified divorce coach, that does not mean the government has evaluated or endorsed their certification process or coaching practices. It just simply means the name met the legal threshold for trademark protection. Right, so you can get anything trademarked as long as it is not basically in a competition with another person's name. It's like Pepsi and Coca-Cola, right? It doesn't mean that Pepsi tastes better than Coca-Cola or Coca-Cola tastes better than Pepsi.

Debra:

But it does. Coca-Cola tastes better than Pepsi, just in case you want to know.

Tracy:

Yes, okay. So this is why we, though, believe so strongly that the real measure of a great training program lies in what it delivers right. Just like you said, you like one soda over the other. Relevant, research-informed content, mentorship from experienced practitioners and support for long-term success - those are the hallmarks of DCA and what we stand for every single day.

Debra:

Exactly exactly, and one of the things I think our students love most is that we teach a practical, step-by-step framework that they can immediately apply. This isn't just theory, it's not just learning concepts. It's about knowing exactly how to support your clients through one of the most difficult transitions in their lives, right. The other thing that sets our training apart is that we are not one size fits all. We recognize that divorce coaching doesn't look the same in every country or culture. It can't, it can't. So that's why, in addition to our general or US-based training curriculum, we offer customized training tracks for Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Arabian Gulf and coming very soon France. Each of these learning tracks is adapted by local professionals who understand the legal systems, the cultural dynamics and family structures in their regions. So when you train with us, you're not just learning how to be a great coach. You're learning how to be a great coach in your specific environment.

Tracy:

To be able to work with clients specifically in that country, right.

Debra:

If you don't understand how divorce and Sharia law intersect in Saudi Arabia, you shouldn't be coaching people in Saudi Arabia, right?

Tracy:

No, you should not.

Debra:

These regional trainings create this space for rich discussions around cultural norms. Right, In New Zealand, we've got the and that's a whole different culture. Yeah, so the parenting expectations, conflict styles they all vary from one region to another, and it can be so valuable for coaches who want to serve their clients with nuance, empathy and a deep understanding of their lived context.

Tracy:

Yeah, there are so many things that are shared in a divorce experience, yet there are so many things that differentiate a divorce experience based upon the local laws and norms and religion. I think talking about Sharia law is such a perfect example. It is not a one-size-fits-all, it's just not okay. Another big differentiator is the way we deliver our program. We know our students are busy professionals, often juggling families, careers and other commitments. So we've built a flexible learning model that combines self-paced modules with live weekly discussions. That means you can move through the core content on your schedule but still get the benefit of live interaction with instructors. And then there's our professional mentorship program. It's one thing to learn divorce coaching in concept. It's another to put that learning into practice.

Tracy:

For many years prior to launching DCA, we were both involved in other divorce coach training programs and we saw the dire consequences, dire, when students didn't get enough coaching practice. Lack of supervision and feedback was setting these coaches up to feel less confident, be less competent and ultimately fail fail to sustain a financially viable practice. So, as part of their training, every DCA student gets to work with an experienced, successful mentor - experienced, successful mentor - for nine full weeks to hone their skills and raise their confidence. So this isn't peer coaching. This is coaching while learning under a trained and paid mentor, somebody who was hired to do this job, who has demonstrated success in both their application of the work that we do in their field and in their ability to teach and guide others.

Debra:

And run a successful practice.

Tracy:

Yes. Run their own successful practices.

Debra:

Right, Right. So our mentor coaching program really is our students' favorite part, right. And then there's our community. It's really something special. When you join DCA, you're not just enrolling in a course, you're joining a network of passionate, dedicated professionals who are committed to changing the way families experience divorce and are committed to raising the bar on the standards of professional practice. You know, we ask for feedback every time a student finishes our course and consistently they say it's the community, our willingness to share and give time and energy to our students, and that mentorship program that's as valuable as the coursework itself. We host regular alumni meetups, Q&A sessions and learning events. We do two free lunch and learn sessions a month. This allows our students, our graduates, to stay connected, sharpen their skills and build lasting professional relationships. This sense of connection, we often say don't try to do this alone, it's that sense of connection and ongoing support that can be a game changer, especially for those transitioning into this work from some other field.

Tracy:

Yeah, yes, and for you that may know us, we're a little humble in the work that we do, very passionate about this. But we want to share some quotes from our students, because it's one thing for us to talk about a program, but it really is very different when you hear it from a student's experience. So, if you don't mind, when you hear it from a student's experience. So, if you don't mind, I'm just gonna share a couple of them with our listeners. Okay, so one.

Tracy:

"From the moment I began it felt like I was at home, a place where the principles of alternative dispute resolution and perspective shifts aren't just taught but truly lived. The DCA program, I can confidently say, is at the top of its class. It is one of the most practical, digestible and thought-provoking programs out there. Its focus on alternative dispute resolution and transforming perspectives has shown me that their coaches share the values, insights and dedication that align perfectly with our mission."

Debra:

And that student happened to be a family law attorney. Yes, and co-parenting, runs co-parenting programs Like this is somebody with tons of professional experience.

Tracy:

Yeah, okay, another one:

Tracy:

"When When I first started the program, they made it very clear that they are not under the same umbrella as life coaches and, believe me, I did my research and they were not wrong. I sat in training rooms with people from all over the world and from all types of career backgrounds, including lawyers, therapists, doctors, mediators and other coaches. This course was intense and I am a better coach because of it

Tracy:

.

Debra:

Yes yes. So this one:

Tracy:

"After somebody coming from a life coaching background who was surprised to find in level of professionalism in our student base. Yeah, and she talks about it's rigorous. This is not something you just play a video and voila, you're certified.

Tracy:

Yep, okay, another one. After many months of deep learning, growth and commitment, including intensive training and alternative dispute resolution principles and pre-mediation skills, being recognized by such a respected leader in the divorce coaching field is incredibly meaningful. At DCA, we are trained to support clients not just with strategies but with empathy. We are trained to support clients not just with strategies, but with empathy, integrity and a strong foundation in peaceful, goal-focused resolution."

Debra:

Making my heart flutter.

Tracy:

And just let's jump on this one:

Tracy:

"Thank you, dca. I'm grateful to be part of a community that's raised the standard for what real support during divorce looks like that's our.

Debra:

That's really our goal here is trying to raise the standard. And if you want to understand a little bit more, I'll just throw this out that we have an article on our blog about how it is kind of a buyer beware situation in terms of who a divorce coach is and where they were trained. Well, let's talk about what happens after our students finish their training. We don't just give them a certificate and you know a hug and send them on their way. We provide ongoing support, coaching, case consultation and business development resources to help our grads actually launch and grow their practices. This is a tough business to get started in. They need support.

Tracy:

Yes, they do.

Debra:

They do. We know that stepping into this work is both exciting and scary, so we offer things to help you find clients, refine your niche, set up your business systems and keep growing as a professional. We're here for the long haul and we are deeply invested in the success of every one of our students.

Tracy:

Yes, when one succeeds, we all succeed.

Debra:

We say it every week, right. We also recognize that success looks different for everyone. Some of our students want to build full-time private practices. Some are pursuing divorce coaching as a side gig. While others want to incorporate divorce coaching into their existing roles in mediation or law or counseling or financial planning. Our training is designed to be adaptable, so that wherever you're starting from, wherever you're trying to go, you have a clear path forward.

Tracy:

Yeah, it could add additional addition support to the work that professionals are already doing in the divorce space.

Debra:

The feedback we're getting from our attorney grads is amazing in terms of the shift it's allowed them to make in their practices.

Tracy:

Yeah, and for their own personal happiness and well-being in their work. Yes, right, we've worked with a lot of family law attorneys who are just not happy with the work that they're doing and they need to make that shift, and incorporating a divorce coaching process in their work is the thing that is often transformative for them in their personal again happiness and well-being. So if you're looking for a divorce coach training program that's grounded in real-world experience, tailored to your region and committed to your long-term success, yeah, we'd love to welcome you to Divorce Coaches Academy.

Debra:

We would and we would encourage you to learn more about the program. We have the curriculum laid out, we have the process laid out, everything. So you can learn more at divorcecoachesacademycom/ divorcecoach. You can also go on the website and read this blog article that talks about kind of why we're working so hard to establish these standards of practice for divorce coaches.

Tracy:

Yeah, and we offer full transparency. Yes, Our pricing is. You can learn all about our pricing directly on our website. There's no hidden secrets.

Debra:

No. You can schedule a one-on-one call with our program directors. We're happy to hop on a call with you and answer your questions or talk about the differences between DCA and other programs, and we are intimately familiar with all the other programs so we can answer those questions for you. Yes, not dissing the other programs - helping you make the right choice.

Tracy:

Everybody has choice. Choice Right, right. So we want to thank you so much for spending your time with us today, listening. We hope this gave you some clarity and confidence as you consider your next steps. If you are curious about training to become a certified divorce coach, we'd love to chat with you. If you are a certified divorce coach from another certifying body and would like to reach out, please do so. Right. I've taken multiple mediation trainings. I haven't just taken one - so same in divorce coaching. So please send us an email or DM or schedule a call on our website. Again divorcecoachesacademycom/ divorcecoach.

Debra:

Yeah, we would love to chat with you, and that's... Tracy and I... we say it every week, we tell it to our students all the time. We are personally invested in the competence and success of every student that comes through our program, so it's you will. If you're booking a call for the US program, you'll talk with either Tracy or I, or both of us. We're happy to meet with you. So thanks for hanging out, and wherever your journey takes you this week, this month, we hope it leads to meaningful work and positive change when it comes to families and divorce. So until next time.