There's no licence or register for coaches in New South Wales: coaching isn't one of the professions regulated under the National Law, and anyone can call themselves a coach. What the law does control is a set of titles. Ahpra lists (opens in a new tab) psychologist among the protected titles in the National Law, and anyone who calls themselves by a protected title must be registered with the matching National Board. Ahpra adds that it's also an offence to use language that may lead a reasonable person to believe you're registered, so on the site of a coach who isn't a registered psychologist we leave the word out altogether, "coaching psychologist" included. A registered psychologist who also coaches can link to their entry on Ahpra's public register; our page on psychologist websites in Sydney covers registration and the NSW details that come with it.
Sydney has its own history here. The University of Sydney launched its Coaching Psychology Unit in 2000, described in its founder's obituary as the world's first, and the university's 2026 handbook still lists a Master of Coaching Psychology and a Graduate Certificate in Coaching Psychology. If you studied there or somewhere similar, your about page should give the award, the institution and the year. That says more than "accredited coach", and it makes clear the qualification isn't a registration. ICF credentials work the same way: name ACC, PCC or MCC and link to the ICF's Verify a Coach directory (opens in a new tab), where a reader can check it.
Some coaching sits close to health care. NSW has a Code of Conduct for non-registered health practitioners in Schedule 3 of the Public Health Regulation 2022, and complaints about breaches go to the Health Care Complaints Commission. The HCCC describes (opens in a new tab) a non-registered practitioner as any person providing a health service who isn't registered under the National Law, and names counsellors among its examples. NSW Health says (opens in a new tab) most practitioners covered by the code must display it, with a notice on how to complain to the HCCC, either at their premises or on their website. Whether your own work counts is a question for that guidance, not for us; if it does, the code and notice can have a page of their own on your site.
For consultants, the state government has its own front door: the Performance and Management Services Scheme (SCM0005), which buy.nsw describes (opens in a new tab) as a pool of more than 3,500 suppliers prequalified for professional services, consultancy included, across engagement types that include government and business strategy, change management, human resources and specialised services such as training. A base level for newly established businesses covers low-risk engagements up to $50,000 excluding GST, and full prequalification has no value limit. Separately, the state's SME and Regional Procurement Policy lets government buyers purchase directly from a small or medium business for up to $250,000. An agency officer who looks you up wants the engagement types you're prequalified for (only if you are), the sectors you know and a capability statement they can attach to their paperwork.
Greater Sydney is big enough that location still matters for face-to-face work: a coach in Parramatta and one in Mosman are, in practice, reaching different people. Name your suburb, the parts of the city you'll travel to and whether video is the default. We're an Adelaide team and work with Sydney coaches and consultants by phone and email; our Sydney clients include Resolve Forward, shown below.