Life Coach Certification in Louisiana

Louisiana's coaching market follows its hospitals, universities and energy employers. Ochsner Health reported more than 40,000 team members in 2024, and LCMC Health runs eight hospital locations. In Baton Rouge, Our Lady of the Lake has nearly 9,000 team members and Louisiana State University enrolls more than 41,000 students.

Shreveport adds Willis Knighton Health, with more than 7,200 employees, and Barksdale Air Force Base, home of the 2nd Bomb Wing. In Lafayette, the Lafayette Economic Development Authority lists Ochsner Lafayette General as the parish's largest employer, with 4,894 employees in 2025, alongside the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Stuller Inc.

Each of these cities has its own guide. Start with the New Orleans guide or the Baton Rouge guide.

To become a life coach in Louisiana, choose an ICF-accredited program, finish its training, log 100 coaching hours and apply for the ACC. Most Louisianans train online with ICF Level 2 programs such as iPEC, the Co-Active Training Institute or Lumia Coaching.

Join the ICF Gulf Coast Charter Chapter while you train. Because it meets virtually, coaches from Shreveport to New Orleans can take part, and it is a good place to find the mentor coach you need for your 10 mentor hours.

Leadership programs give you local contacts: Leadership Baton Rouge has more than 1,400 graduates, and One Acadiana runs the Leadership Institute of Acadiana in the Lafayette region.

No. Louisiana does not license or certify life coaches. The Louisiana State Board of Licensed Professional Counselors licenses professional counselors (LPC) and marriage and family therapists (LMFT), so diagnosing or treating mental health conditions is outside a coach's role. Refer clients who need treatment, and see the life coaching vs. therapy guide.

Most Louisiana coaches earn a voluntary credential from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). The Associate Certified Coach (ACC) needs 60 hours of coach training, 100 hours of coaching experience (75 paid) and 10 hours of mentor coaching, and the application costs $175 for ICF members or $325 for non-members.

Life coaches in Louisiana average $50,955 a year, according to ZipRecruiter (2025). As a self-employed coach, your own income depends on your client load and pricing.

Corporate coaching budgets in Louisiana sit mostly with large health systems such as Ochsner Health and LCMC Health, with universities and with energy employers.

For national pay data and how coaches set fees, see the life coach salary guide.

Louisiana coaches train online or travel to a live module. iPEC's Coach Training Program is 160 hours over 7 to 10 months in three live 3-day modules, in person or virtual. The Co-Active Training Institute starts with a virtual Foundations course and takes most people 6 to 8 months to its CPCC. Lumia Coaching's Essentials is a six-month live online program.

For a Level 1 route to the ACC, Erickson Coaching International's Art & Science of Coaching Level 1 is 60 hours online for $4,300, and the Institute for Life Coach Training's ACC Path is 60 hours over about 6 to 8 months for $4,305.

For the full comparison, see the online life coach certification guide.

Health and wellness coaching fits Louisiana's largest employers, Ochsner Health, LCMC Health, Our Lady of the Lake and Willis Knighton Health. See the health and wellness coaching guide.

Leadership coaching serves energy and industrial managers, such as ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge-area operations and Schlumberger in Lafayette, and the roughly 3,500 people at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Read the leadership coaching guide.

Career coaching suits university communities at LSU, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Tulane, and service members and families at Barksdale Air Force Base. Compare more niches in the specializations guide.

Most Louisiana coaches start as sole proprietors and form an LLC once client work is steady.

LLC formation: file Articles of Organization with the Louisiana Secretary of State for $125. That fee, and the $35 annual report fee, come from the Act 921 fee schedule, in force since October 1, 2026.

Annual report: a Louisiana LLC files an annual report every year for $35.

Local occupational licenses: Several Louisiana cities and parishes require a local license. New Orleans issues occupational licenses, including a Home-Based Business Occupational License; Jefferson Parish, which includes Metairie, requires an occupational license; and Shreveport collects an occupational license tax.

For contracts, pricing and marketing, see the coaching business startup guide.

Explore detailed coaching market guides for Louisiana's major cities. Each guide covers local training programs, certification costs, networking resources and business setup.