English 
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NOBCO, the largest professional association for coaches in the Netherlands, and ICF Netherlands, the Dutch representation of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), jointly publish a White Paper in which they state that professional coaching has social added value. In the White Paper ‘Coaching in an nontransparent market’, the organizations answer the question what coaching is and what characterizes a professional coach. As professional organisations, NOBCO and ICF Netherlands want to use the White Paper to give a broad public insight into the social importance of professional coaching and the current knowledge about the effectiveness of coaching.
Coach is an independent profession and has no protected title. Anyone who wants to can call themselves a coach and everyone can use a different definition of coaching. The large increase in coaches and coaching in the Netherlands leads to an nontransparent coaching market in which people no longer know how to distinguish between a professional coach and a self-appointed coach.
Social importance coaching
Various studies show that professional coaching is an effective way to develop yourself and a preventive tool when it comes to people's well-being and employability. Depending on the problem, professional coaches can be used to (indirectly) reduce the pressure on mental health care. For example, research shows that the use of coaching can be effective in reducing feelings of stress or depressive symptoms. But coaching can also be used preventively to increase resilience or general well-being, for example.
With the White Paper ‘Coaching in an nontransparent market’, NOBCO and ICF Netherlands make a statement: coaching has social added value and if it is used in a professional manner, it is – especially in these turbulent times – more valuable than ever. The White Paper has been offered to a number of important players in the field in recent days, from which, among other things, the following substantive responses have been received.
Advantages of a Professional Coach
By choosing a certified coach, someone is sure that the coach is trained for the coaching profession, adheres to a code of ethics, develops in the field and conforms to the possibility of a complaints procedure.
"Everyone, regardless of role or function, benefits from coaching. Especially in a time of transformation when something different is required of us, a coach can accelerate your professional and personal growth"
Gerard Penning
CHRO ABN AMRO
"Having a summoning perspective is what I wish most for everyone. A precondition for this is certainly high-quality coaching that is available for every budget."
Rutger van den Breemer
director career FNV
"In the context of the Societal-Economic Council (SET) PZO talks about societal challenges, such as burnout. It is good to see that NOBCO and ICF, with its professional coaches, can make a valuable contribution to removing this and other pressure from people and organizations."
Margreet Drijvers
director PZO NederlandAdvantages of a professional coach
NOBCO
The Dutch Association of Professional Coaches, with over 4,500 affiliated coaches, is the largest professional organization of professional coaches in the Netherlands. Coaches are affiliated with NOBCO because they value quality and want to continue to develop themselves in their profession as coaches. NOBCO is part of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC) which operates in 26 countries.
ICF Netherlands
The Dutch chapter of the International Coaching Federation, ICF Netherlands Chapter, represents more than 450 local certified coaches as part of 50,000 ICF members worldwide. Coaches join ICF because they are committed to promoting the high standards that the independent ICF certification provides and the global network, in more than 150 countries, of trained coaching professionals.
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