Want to become a divorce coach?

…But not sure where to start?

Divorce coaching can be a highly fulfilling coaching business. And when done right, a divorce coaching business can offer you freedom, flexibility, and purpose.

Here, you’ll get clarity on what it takes to become a divorce coach – from what qualifications you need to how to get your first paying clients.

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

What is a divorce coach? 

Divorce isn’t easy for anyone, even in the most amicable settings. It’s complicated, emotional, and expensive. 

As a divorce coach, you’ll be responsible for supporting your client at every turn as they get through their divorce process. You’ll offer each client individualized emotional, organizational, and motivational support along with companionship.

For example, if you offer high-conflict divorce coaching, you might support your clients through difficult child custody battles or family court proceedings. 

Now that we’ve covered what a divorce coach is, let’s talk about how to become one. First up – is this a profitable coaching business worth pursuing? 

Is divorce coaching profitable?

Right now, the average divorce can cost as much as $20,000. 

And with as many as 50% of marriages ending in divorce, it’s definitely a profitable coaching niche.

But I want to make one important thing clear: 

Divorce coaches don’t profit off of their client’s emotional trauma. 

Instead, you’re helping them move through a traumatic time in their life in a healthy way by offering support and guidance with your proven divorce coaching strategies. 

In North America, the average coach makes $67,800 per year and works 11.9 hours per week. 

However, that’s just the average – for part-time work. 

The truth is that a full-time divorce coach’s salary can be far higher. Most coaches can bring in over $100,000 per year, depending on things like their niche and how many clients they serve each month – especially if you’re an effective divorce coach who helps your clients get results.

Take it from me: I’ve turned my own coaching venture into a full-time six-figure business in the first four months, and many of my students have done the same.

At this point, you might be thinking, “Yes, Luisa, I’m in – how do I do it?”

Read on to find out.

How do you become a divorce coach? 

There are several reasons to start a divorce coaching business, including flexibility and freedom. But the biggest perk is getting to help people get through their divorce and see them thrive afterwards. 

If that sounds like something you’d like to experience, let’s talk about what it takes to build your own divorce coaching business. 

Do you need to become a certified divorce coach? 

Because coaching is a largely unregulated industry, most coaches don’t need to be certified. It all depends on your niche.

But it’s important to remember that some health and mental health niches do require you to be certified, so make sure you’re aware of those. 

Most of the time, all you’ll need to become a divorce coach is experience and a proprietary divorce coaching process or methodology that can help clients get results.

Just like coaching, certifications are an unregulated industry and can be expensive and time-consuming. They won’t offer as much experience as you’d get working with clients, either.

If you do want to get certified, you’ll want to find the best divorce coach certification on the market. 

(Note: I haven’t taken these divorce coach certification programs myself. I’m recommending them because of their reputation in the coaching space and public reviews.)

Best divorce coaching certifications

Here are a few to get you started:

1. CDC Divorce Coaching Competency Program

This 12-week divorce coach certification program meets twice a week to guide students through proven tools and techniques, including several coaching models like The DivorceRelief, F.O.C.U.S., and C.O.R.E.

The Certified Divorce Coach has created a Board of Standards to make sure that its students show integrity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism, and good moral character. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $3,800

Key features:

• A divorce framework
• Real-life scenarios and coaching practice
• Online community

2. High Conflict Divorce Coach

Divorce can get ugly, and as a high-conflict divorce coach, you’ll help clients through things like custody negotiations. This eight-week divorce coaching training is self-paced and includes modules on interpersonal, psychology, and legalities. 

ICF accredited: No

Price: $4,999

Key features: 

• Referrals upon completion
• Hands-on coaching
• Weekly Zoom support

3. IAP Career College

IAP’s part-time, online Divorce Coach Certificate Course teaches professional divorce coaching and will cover specializations, consultations, business plans, and more. The course is self-paced, but IAP recommends finishing within six weeks.

ICF accredited: No

Price: $377 ($149 with summer pricing)

Key features:

• Discounted IAPO International Association of Professional Divorce Coaches membership
• Self-paced
• Business coaching

With divorce coach training in mind, it’s time to explore how to actually become a divorce coach and launch a successful, scalable business with a coaching package.

How do you create your first divorce coaching package? 

To build your divorce coaching practice, you first need to find your target audience by defining your niche. 

1. Define your niche

A niche is what will allow you to stand out from the competition and attract your ideal clients by appealing to exactly what they’re going for. 

So instead of just saying that you’re a divorce coach, get more specific. Maybe you’re a divorce coach for parents with young children or more mature clients ending their long-term marriage.

Whatever it is, make sure it’s profitable! Do some research and find out what people are looking for. 

If you need some inspiration, check out this list of 100 profitable coaching niches.

Once you have your niche, it’s time to land your first paying client by creating an offer and package.

2. Come up with your offer

As a coach, your offer should include a promise of transformation. 

What will your clients get out of working with you? 

Instead of tangible goals, think about the intangible: 

How will your clients’ lives change by the end of your time together?

Will they be more independent or confident?

Will they be able to better compartmentalize what they’re going through? 

Or, will they be happier or more satisfied with their life?

Whatever you offer your clients, make it clear in your offer by being specific. 

Something like, “I help each client work through the trauma of divorce and find a sense of fulfillment in six months.”

3. Create your package

You might be wondering, “How long is a divorce coaching program? How much should it cost?”

When they’re just starting out, I always encourage my students to set a price that’s not too high or too low. A $1,500, three-month package is ideal for new divorce coaches. 

It isn’t too long, which can scare off clients, but it’s not so short that you’ll sacrifice results, either.

I recommend offering one or two calls per month as well as a second line of communication, like email, WhatsApp, or social media, that will allow clients to ask questions and receive answers.

Remember, it doesn’t have to stay at that price point! As you sign more clients and scale your business, you can increase your prices.

If you want to learn more about determining your divorce coach rates and creating a package, check out this article.

How do you get your first divorce coaching clients?

By this point, you might be saying, “Okay, Luisa, I have my niche, come up with a specific offer, and even priced my package. But how can I actually find a paying client?”

I promise you’ll land a paying client as long as you’ve come up with the right message and offer – and know how to reach your audience.

One of the biggest mistakes I see my clients make is assuming that they’ll find their clients in one place. The reality is that you’ll find them all over the place, from social media platforms like Instagram to hiring platforms like LinkedIn and Upwork.

Where you’ll find them depends on your niche, offer, and preferences. When you’re just starting out as a divorce coach, I recommend trying the following strategies to land a client: 

• Take advantage of the network you already have. Offer your services to friends and family, and ask them to pass your information on to anyone they know who could benefit from your coaching. 
• Use social media. Social media is one of the most powerful resources a coach can tap into. Check out divorce-related groups on Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit to start building relationships with people who might be interested in your services. 
• Position yourself as a trusted authority. Get in front of your audience by writing guest blogs, becoming a contributing author on well-known sites, and guest starring on podcasts. This will generate free publicity and help you build relationships within the industry.

Of course, there are endless ways to find clients. You can learn about some of my favorite ways to do it here:

However you choose to find clients, take the time to ensure that you’re placing yourself in front of the right audience, sharing high-quality content that makes a difference, and making a great offer that illustrates the benefits of working with you.

But make sure you’re not doing too much. Instead, drill down and focus just on one or two strategies. It might seem better to cast a wide net, but in reality, mastering two effective marketing strategies is better than being just okay at five or six. 

Finally, make sure you stay consistent.

Don’t give up if you don’t immediately see results. It’s important not to lose the momentum you need to sign paying clients.

Let’s say you decide to focus mainly on guest starring on podcasts. Great! But you have to make sure that you’re pitching yourself to hosts consistently every day.

Pay attention to the feedback and engagement you get – that’s what will help you really improve your chances of earning more guest spots and, in turn, landing clients. 

Next steps

That’s it! 

Now you know how to become a divorce coach and the best divorce coach certifications currently available.

But whether you decide to get certified or not, you also need to build your divorce coaching business.

And contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to hustle every waking minute to make your dream of a six-figure business come true. In fact, you can build your business while working a 9-5.

Want to learn more?

Download my free PDF to get a blueprint for growing a six-figure divorce coaching business here:

Learn more: 

The Most Profitable Coaching Business Models

How to Market Your Coaching Business

How to Create a Coaching Business Plan