Continue your path toward becoming a certified Compassionate Inquiry® Practitioner.
Certification Review is available to eligible graduates who have completed the Professional Training, Mentorship, and clinical practice requirements, and received Mentor approval within the required certification timeline.
Certification recognizes a practitioner’s demonstrated understanding and application of the Compassionate Inquiry® approach, including the Qualities, Skills, and Stepping Stones. If you are already certified and looking for renewal requirements, click here.
If you are not yet eligible for certification, please visit the Professional Online Training Program or Mentorship Program pages.
Certification Requirements
To apply for Certification Review, you must:
- Complete the Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Online Training and receive a certificate of completion.
- Complete at least one 6-month block of the Mentorship Program.
- Receive approval from your Personal or Private Mentor to apply for Certification Review.
- Complete 100 total clinical practice hours:
- 50 hours during Mentorship
- 50 additional hours before Certification Review
- Work with 20 different clients:
- At least 10 during Mentorship
- 10 new clients during the additional 50 clinical practice hours
- Submit 10 case study forms from your additional clinical practice hours.
- Submit one recorded session video:
- 30–50 minutes long (with the video length specified)
- Recorded in Gallery View
- With a client who has not participated in the Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Training or Compassionate Inquiry® Short Course.
- Submit proof of professional liability insurance that covers Compassionate Inquiry®, unless it is unavailable in your country.
- Be registered with a professional regulatory body that includes counselling or coaching within its scope of practice, provides a membership number, and has a Code of Ethics.
- Be legally able to practice Compassionate Inquiry® within your professional scope and jurisdiction.
- Pay the $280 CAD certification fee.
Your certification application must be received within one year of the official end date of the Mentorship Program, not including any additional time taken through the 6-month Mentorship Program extension. There are no extensions or exceptions.
Helpful resources:
How to Apply
To apply for Certification Review:
- Complete the Mentorship Program and submit all Mentorship completion requirements.
- Attend your final personal mentoring session. Your Personal Mentor will review your readiness and let you know whether they recommend that you apply for Certification Review.
Beginning with the August 2026 Mentorship Cohort, the final personal mentoring session will be 1 hour and 20 minutes. During this session, you and your Personal Mentor will review a 30–50 minute recording of your Compassionate Inquiry® practice. This may be a video you are considering for Certification Review or another recording that reflects your current practice.
Together, you will discuss:
- What worked well
- What could be done differently
- Whether the video is suitable to submit for Certification Review
- Recommended next steps, including a specific number of additional mentoring sessions if needed
These points are recorded in writing in your Mentee Package.
- Receive your recommendation. If your Personal Mentor recommends that you apply for Certification Review, you will receive:
- An email from the Mentorship Coordinator
- Your Mentorship Program completion certificate
- Instructions for applying for Certification Review
- Pay Certification fee, submit application, then complete and submit Certification Review Form.
A Mentor recommendation does not guarantee certification. A Certification Reviewer will also review your application and session video. Your Certification Reviewer is not one of your Personal or Group Mentors and is not influenced by their assessment.
Certification Review Process
Your Certification Reviewer will assess your 30–50 minute video and application materials to determine whether you demonstrate proficiency in the Compassionate Inquiry® competencies.
Reviewers consider how the practitioner demonstrates:
- Presence
- Attunement
- Competence
- Confidence
- Responsiveness
- Ability to apply the Compassionate Inquiry® approach without rigidly following a formula
Reviewers may also consider whether the applicant remains present and attuned, notices important cues, responds to client discomfort, and processes their own triggers internally during the session.
The reviewer may take up to 30 days to complete the review after receiving your full submission.
If the review is inconclusive, a third reviewer may be invited to assess the submission.
If your submission is approved, you will be certified as a Compassionate Inquiry® Practitioner and invited to submit your bio and headshot for the Practitioner Directory.
FAQ Regarding Certification
How long do I have to apply for certification?
Your certification application, payment, and materials must be received within one year of the official end date of your Mentorship Program, not including any additional time taken through the 6-month Mentorship Program extension. There are no extensions or exceptions.
Does Mentor approval guarantee certification?
No. A Mentor recommendation allows you to apply for Certification Review, but certification is not guaranteed. A Certification Reviewer also reviews your application materials and recorded 30–50 minute session.
When can I work with a Private Mentor?
Approved Compassionate Inquiry® Private Mentors are available for individual or group mentoring before and after certification. You may choose to work with a Private Mentor while completing the Professional Training, preparing for Certification Review, completing additional mentoring sessions, or meeting mentoring/supervision requirements as a certified Compassionate Inquiry® Practitioner.
Please discuss mentoring rates directly with your chosen mentor.
What happens if my Mentor does not recommend that I apply for certification?
If your Personal Mentor does not recommend that you apply for Certification Review at this time, they will include next steps, areas for development, and any recommended additional mentoring sessions in your Mentee Package.
If you have questions about these recommendations, please email your Personal Mentor directly.
Your Mentor may recommend that you:
- Complete a specific number of additional personal mentoring sessions, usually 3–7 sessions
- Work with a [Private Mentor]
- Repeat the [Mentorship Program]
After completing the recommended steps, you and your Personal or Private Mentor can discuss your readiness to apply for Certification Review, based on the last video reviewed. If you both agree that you have demonstrated a high level of competency in the Compassionate Inquiry® Qualities, Skills, and Stepping Stones, your Mentor will complete the required approval form for the Certification Coordinator.
What happens if my certification video is not approved?
If your certification video is not approved, the reviewer will provide recommendations for further development and may require additional personal mentoring sessions with a mentor of your choice before you submit another video for Certification Review.
You may submit up to two additional videos for review. Each additional submission requires a $280 CAD review fee.
You have one year and three months from the last day of your Mentorship Program to submit up to two additional videos for Certification Review. If you are not approved within this time frame or after three total video submissions, you will need to retake the Mentorship Program before reapplying.
Is financial aid available for certification?
There is currently no financial aid available for the certification process.
Questions
For questions about certification, please email:
Emails are answered within 72 hours during office working days, Monday to Friday, Eastern Time.