A Few Words About ADHD Coaching
Generally speaking, coaching is a process that allows individuals to reflect and gain awareness of who they are and what’s truly important in their lives and develop strategies to help them move forward. At the same time, there are other important people in our lives - ones who may not fully understand what it means to live with ADHD. That is why I offer my services to both - individuals with ADHD and non-ADHD adults - so that there can be some harmony in daily life once again.
Being creatures of habit as we all are, once a habit sets in, it becomes difficult to change it. This is a true character trait of anyone, not just someone living with an ADHD brain. This is where ADHD coaching comes in. Don’t just think of coaches as a guide showing you the way and telling you what to do, but rather as a lamp that lights up the opportunities in front of you.
ADHD coaching is an effective way for you to press the pause button providing the opportunity to reflect, explore, and re-evaluate what’s truly important to you. It looks at the challenges and provides you with options for how to overcome those barriers so you can make changes in all aspects of your life. It can help you take the reins of your life, boost your self-confidence, and build meaningful and long-lasting relationships with the people that matter most.
My ADHD Coaching Style
I am a compassionate coach, and the style of coaching I practice is called non-directive coaching. I help people, primarily adults with and without ADHD, discover the way they would most like to grow and change in their lives while providing them with a process and support to make and sustain changes long-term.
To put it more simply, instead of just giving commands, suggestions, or forming to-do lists; exposure to a series of strategies will provide you with a chance to look at situations from a different perspective. Figure out what’s holding you back; gain valuable insights along with the clarity to focus on what you need to do and how to do it.
The benefit of non-directive coaching is that you, as the client, take full ownership of your own solutions rather than ‘doing what you have been told to do.’ Through this approach, you will feel a sense of empowerment, as if your life is now under your control.
What Do The Experts Say About ADHD Coaching?
“Common challenges, such as time management, organization, goal setting and prioritization are often issues that medication or therapy do not address, whereas the focus of ADHD coaching is on building skills and taking action. Good coaching definitely helps people to improve their business focus, interpersonal skills and ability to get things done in such a way as to lead a more productive, fulfilling and rewarding life.”
– Edward Hallowell, M.D.
“A coach helps people with AD/HD carry out the practical activities of daily life in an organized, goal-oriented, and timely fashion. Through a close partnership, an ADHD coach helps the client learn practical skills and initiate change in his or her daily life.”
– Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD)
“ADHD Coaching can be an important part of a comprehensive program for individuals with ADHD. Coaching intervention can make a real difference in how people with ADHD negotiate their own particular deficits and cope with life on a daily basis.”
– Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
“Coaching is wonderful for those with ADHD because it gets to all the nitty, gritty stuff that medication does not address. Medication can reduce the symptoms of ADHD and help you concentrate, but it doesn’t teach you how to get organized or get that better job.”
— Patricia O. Quinn, M.D.
Coaching and ADHD Adults
ADHD is a neurobiological disorder that researchers are beginning to understand better. Up to about 10 years ago, it was believed that ADHD was a childhood disorder and children would simply outgrow ADHD as they develop, mature, and age. Recent studies have shown that those kids with ADHD grow up to be adults with ADHD. Studies also suggest a multimodal approach treatment as being the most effective: medication (improving executive functioning), therapy (emotional and social issues), tutoring (academic support), coaching (strategies for managing daily life: time management, establishing routines, good habits, boost self-confidence, goal setting, planning, and task completion).
An intensive research program organized by the ADD Coach Academy observed 77 ADHD clients over a two-year period. During the course of this study, ADDCA identified some very consistent and dominant patterns. The most significant one that surfaced was that their clients with ADHD did not have a clear understanding of how their ADHD manifested and how it was getting in their way. Since these people did not understand the roots of their own disorder and its various implications, consequently, it became even harder to reason with other people to make them understand their predicament.
Building upon that research, proven and effective tools were used that quickly empower affected individuals to understand and succinctly communicate their challenges. ADDCA discovered that they could then realize greater individual progress. It also reduced the negative stigma and labels that are often attached to the diagnosis of ADHD. They clearly saw a dramatic shift in the ability of an individual to make significant progress in their lives. This only occurred when they understood that their disorder is not an excuse but an explanation that validates the unique brain wiring they possess. It also helped others understand how ADHD manifests in different scenarios in a person’s life.
Once a person’s own disorder is understood, they have the ability to explain their condition simplistically, effectively, and in a way that portrays the condition in a positive light. Therefore, before embarking on the long trek to tackle your problem head-on, it is essential to first grasp the concept of ADHD and understand your unique situation. Only then can one successfully navigate to the correct path. A more focused and meaningful life. A better life with ADHD.
Book your complimentary ADHD coaching consult to learn more.