Certified Work-Life Strategist (CWS) Credential

This certification is designed to help you support your clients in a rapidly evolving world of work. If you provide clients with advice related to wellness, life-skills, and career management, you are a potential candidate for the Certified Work-Life Strategist (CWS) credential.

As a work-life strategist, you need to be able to help your clients manage these areas:

• Living: Skills related to self-care and well-being are needed more than ever. Many clients will benefit from learning about foundational concepts including work-life balance, hope, resilience, and satisfaction.
• Learning: Our clients are looking for support and guidance in how to build certain essential and technical skills so that they can function in our new world of work.
• Working: Clients need specific skills to enable them to navigate, maintain, and develop their career, whether they are employed or self-employed.

We are a welcoming and inclusive community. If you are starting out in the profession and would like to earn your CWS, start with the Work-Life Coaching Course.

Once you attain your CWS, you can add the credential next to your name. You can include the CWS logo on your résumé, business card, website, and anywhere you want to gain additional visibility as an expert and specialist in the field.

You can use your CWS to:

• Advertise your expertise and market your services.
• Show additional value to employers and clients.
• Feature your credentials on your own résumé.

Watch our CPC Certification Information Session video to learn more about attaining your designations.

The CWS is the only Canadian standard for validating the expertise of career professionals providing wellness, life-skills, and career management advice. The CWS certification was designed by Career Professionals of Canada and validated by an independent group of industry leaders in academia and providers of career services.

• The CWS is recognized by Canadian career service providers in government, academic, not-for-profit, outplacement, and private business.
• Employment services feature the CWS logo on their website and marketing material to give clients confidence that they are working with a credentialed practitioner.

In order to apply for and attain your Certified Work-Life Strategist (CWS), you must be a registered professional member of Career Professionals of Canada. If you are not already a member, you can join membership and register for your certification at the same time.

To obtain your Certified Work-Life Strategist (CWS) designation you must have a minimum of 1 year full-time (or equivalent part-time) paid qualifying work experience in work-life coaching or consulting. The process is straightforward:

1. Join CPC Membership.
2. Register and pay the certification application fee.
3. Study the material in the eGuide or take an approved course.
4. Submit your application within 12 months of applying for certification. Include your résumé and either a fictionalized case study, or, if you have passed an approved course with a minimum grade of 80%, your transcript/certificate of completion.
5. Pass an assessment of your submission.

To keep your certification, you need to maintain a current membership with Career Professionals of Canada.

To prepare for your certification, you will be given a comprehensive Certification Study Guide (The Canadian Work-Life Strategist e-book).

This guide is a valuable resource. It thoroughly discusses current concepts and strategies to empower you to work effectively with your clients. By following this guide, you will learn how and when to apply various techniques to enable your clients to maximize success in their lives and their work.

The knowledge you will acquire by studying this guide will be an asset throughout your career.

Our 3-week online Work-Life Coaching Course (CDP-102) will help you learn to strategically support your clients through the full career development lifespan — living, learning, and working. You will update your competency in providing clients with personal wellbeing, functional literacy, and career management support.

If you have completed CPC’s Work-Life Coaching Course (CDP-102), or if you have attained a certificate or diploma in an approved course (45 hours minimum), you may be granted your CWS recognition through the Course-Based Process.

You may be eligible for the CWS if you have completed training in the area of Work-Life Coaching. You must have a minimum of one year's experience in work-life coaching or consulting, and have successfully completed an approved certificate or diploma course (45 hours minimum).

To obtain and maintain your Certified Work-Life Strategist (CWS) designation, you must:

• Register for membership and pay the Certified Work-Life Strategist (CWS application fee.
• Have a minimum of 1 year full-time (or equivalent part-time) paid qualifying work experience in work-life coaching or consulting.
• Submit a copy of your course transcript or certificate of completion, along with a copy of your résumé.

After completing your self-assessment, if you have determined that you may be eligible for certification, you may request pre-approval of your eligibility for the course-based process. Email a copy of your course transcript and/or certificate of completion, along with a copy of your résumé directly to Certification@CareerProCanada.ca.

The Master Certified Work-Life Strategist (MCWS) credential is the exclusive standard reserved only for the top strategists in our industry.

Once you have attained your Certified Work-Life Strategist (CWS), you can work towards your Master Level (M-Level).

In order to apply for and attain your certification, you must be a registered professional member of Career Professionals of Canada.

To start the CWS process, all you need to do is:

• Register for CPC Membership
• Apply for your CWS Certification

If you are joining CPC as a new member, you can apply for membership and register for your certification at the same time through the CPC Application Form. If you are already a member, just email us to apply for your CWS Certification.