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About

Built by a licensed counselor, for coaches.

A certificate that means something: screened, tested, and easy for a client to check.

Hi, I’m Oliver.

I’m John Oliver Ycaro, MA, LPCC #9132, a licensed professional clinical counselor. I have a master’s degree in counseling from Palo Alto University and about 10 years of clinical experience in community mental health, the VA, and private practice. I run my own counseling practice, I write continuing education courses for licensed therapists, and I wrote Brief Directive Marriage Counseling.

Why I built this school

Coaching is seeing what’s possible in someone else, naming it clearly, and helping them take the next step toward it. A lot of people are good at that. What they don’t always get is training with real structure behind it.

No US state licenses life coaches, so anyone can call themselves a coach. I wanted a certificate that means something to the client on the other side of the conversation. So I took what works in my clinical work, adapted it for coaching, and drew a clear line: coaching is not therapy. Coaches trained here don’t diagnose or treat, and they know when to refer.

I kept tuition at $450, with the background check included, so cost isn’t what stands between you and good training.

How screening works

  1. Application review. Every application is read before anyone is admitted.
  2. Background check. Criminal history and the sex offender registry, with your written consent first. If something comes up, you see the report and get time to respond before we decide.
  3. Identity check. A photo ID and a quick selfie before the exam, so the person who passes is the person on the certificate.
  4. A real exam. 100 questions, 120 minutes, closed book, 80% to pass. You earn the certificate by passing, not by finishing.
  5. A certificate anyone can check. Every certificate has a credential ID that a client can look up on our verify page.

Grounded in clinical work, made for coaching

This program was built by a licensed counselor. It takes three approaches with a long history in counseling and adapts each one for coaching: goals and next steps, with no diagnosis and no treatment.

Person-centered coaching
From Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach. The client is the expert on their own life, and you hold them accountable without shame. Module 2.
Brief directive coaching
From brief, structured counseling work. You hold the structure; the client makes the decisions. Module 3.
Motivational interviewing for coaching
From the motivational interviewing approach developed by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick. Clients find their own reasons to change. Module 4.

Why it matters: these approaches were shaped by years of real work with real people. You get that grounding, in plain language, with a clear line on scope.

Coaching is not therapy. This certificate is not a license, and Lantern Academy of Coaching isn’t a therapy practice. In a crisis in the US, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.

Apply nowHow the program works

$450, background check included. Questions? Email support@lanternacademyofcoaching.com.

Apply now · $450