Grow Your Business – Continuing Education and Certification
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I attended my first NAPO conference in May 2003, and there I discovered the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD), now Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD), and Judith Kolberg. I picked up Judith’s book ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life, and I could not put it down. I read the entire book on my flight home and realized I didn’t have a clue about ADD or how to help my clients who have ADD. I knew I needed to join NSGCD and get educated!
I devoured ICD teleclasses because I was hungry to learn as much as I could due to my increased number of chronically disorganized clients with ADD. I took the CD exam at NAPO’s 2006 conference. I was so nervous since it was the first exam I had taken in many years. I passed and earned the CD Specialist Level II Certificate! The more education I attained, the more my confidence grew to work with specialized client populations.
Late 2006, NAPO announced its Certified Professional Organizer designation and the requirements to earn it from the Board of Certification for Professional Organizers, known as BCPO. I was excited to discover I had achieved the application requirements. However, another requirement is passing an exam of 125 questions with a score of 70 percent or better. The BCPO provided the examination outline and a list of books the test questions were derived from. I had less than six months to study and prepare for the inaugural exam in May at NAPO’s conference. Again, I was nervous and excited to be a part of this significant industry event and to take another exam!
As a warm-up to the CPO exam, the day before, I took the ICD ADD Specialist Level II exam. A few weeks later, I was relieved and thrilled to learn I passed both.
During the same time I was studying for the CPO exam, I was also participating in the Coach Approach for Organizers™ training from Denslow Brown to expand my tools for working with clients. From this training program, I learned that the significance of coaching is to allow space for the client to discover what approach to organizing will work for them. Instead of telling the client what to do, ask powerful questions and listen to what the client is telling you works for them. Coaching speaks to our clients’ openness for change by clarifying values, motivation, and what matters most. Coaching became my fourth stream of revenue.
If you have not already, join ICD and obtain at least their Level I certificates. If you discover you want to work with chronically disorganized clients or clients with brain-based challenges, continue your education in those specific subjects and learn as much as you can to assist you in helping them with their organizing challenges.
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I had the joy of working with Anne on the ICD Board when she was Treasurer. And hearing again about her education and professional development trajectory was a wonderful review. So much valuable education is available to help us better help our clients. Investing in your professional development is essential, and it’s one of the reasons Anne thrived as she did.
I couldn’t agree more.
Thanks for this information. I was looking into ICD but was a little confused. I will circle back and look at level 1 again.
Their offerings look very valuable for anyone who wishes to work with (or finds themself working with) clients with chronic disorganization.
I can really relate to Anne’s passion to learn as much as possible about these issues. She is an inspiration.
Isn’t she? I’m so grateful she’s allowed me to republish her writing here.
I’ve always been impressed with ICD’s educational offerings. Continuing education means continuing personal and professional growth, which I think is key to a happy life and a successful career. Curiosity (along with cheese) is the basis of my existence, so continuing education means so much.
I served as the Director of Program Development of the BCPO for seven years, and served in some capacity for almost nine (and am still my chapter’s BCPO liaison). During all that time, my focus was on the importance of protecting the value of the credential by making it something that requires striving toward, rather than something you buy (or “pay-for-play” as a colleague called some commercial credentials). I tend to think of NAPO’s continuing educational offerings as wide, and ICD’s as deep, with both giving the breadth and depth of knowledge we need as professionals to know what we know, know what we don’t know, and be able to figure out what we need to learn. Go learning! Go certification!
Anne’s passion for knowledge for the betterment of her clients is heartening. (And yes, Judith and Kathleen’s ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life is a classic!
Julie, you always make such insightful comments! I love that you said continuing education leads to a happy life. So often people focus on credibility or higher income, which are of course important, but there’s more to life than that! I especially like what you said about NAPO’s offerings being wide and ICD’s deep. That is an excellent way of looking at things.