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ADHD Coaching
What if I just have ADD - with no hyperactivity?
How long will I need coaching?
Does coaching take the place of therapy?
ADHD coaching is quickly becoming recognized as an integral part of the treatment and management of ADHD. Like all coaching, ADHD coaching focuses on the specific needs of the individual being coached. It is a client-driven process in which the coach and the client work together to set goals and develop the tools, strategies and confidence necessary to help the client reach his or her potential. Coaching helps clients make positive, lasting changes in their lives.
The difference between ADHD coaching and other types of coaching is that ADHD coaches have specific training and expertise in dealing with ADHD. Typically, this type of coaching helps individuals with ADHD develop the structures, processes, and practical approaches necessary to meet the challenges of every day life and excel in their areas of special talent.
Areas of concern that are typically addressed in ADHD coaching include:
Executive functioning issues, such as time management, prioritization, procrastination, and realistic views of a task or situation
Learning styles and learning disabilities
Life balance
Understanding and obtaining resources for co-existing conditions
Self care and self-monitoring of behaviors
Accountability and honesty
Relationship issues
Some of the tools used in ADHD coaching include:
Setting reasonable and attainable goals
Accountability with understanding
Coaching contracts
Support and positive feedback
Selecting tools to assist with executive functioning issues, such as calendars, timers, planners, study buddies, journaling, and time tracking
Learning styles inventory and education
Increasing focus/decreasing distractibility
Advocating for accommodations at work or school
Establishing daily routines
What if I just have ADD - with no hyperactivity?
Coaching can help. ADD - or Attention Deficit Disorder - is actually an old term that is no longer used by the medical community. The DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition), which is the book mental health professionals use to diagnose disorders, defines three types of ADHD: Hyperactive Type, Inattentive Type, and Combined Type. So what used to be called ADD is now called ADHD, Inattentive Type. All three types respond well to coaching.
How does ADHD coaching work?
The ADHD coaching partnership is flexible and designed to meet the needs of the client. There are four components: discovery, regular sessions, check-ins, and email support.
Discovery is the initial session where the client and coach get to know each other and the coaching relationship is defined. We discuss what the client wants to achieve, where things stand now, and start to identify long term goals. A typical discovery session lasts about 90 minutes.
Regular sessions are typically 30 minutes per week. They can be conducted face to face or over the telephone. This is where we establish long term and short term goals, develop structures and strategies, and talk about what’s working and what can be improved. Action items for the following week are determined and agreed upon.
Check-ins are an essential part of the coaching process. The client sends the coach a brief status update on each action item by e-mail or telephone. This provides accountability and keeps the client on track between sessions. The coach and the client agree on the frequency, which could be as often as daily.
E-mail support is always available if the client needs help on a specific issue between sessions.
How long will I need coaching?
The duration of ADHD coaching depends on the size of the client’s goals and rate of progress, among other things. Some people hire an ADHD coach for a specific project, others stay in coaching for years. The ultimate goal of coaching is to provide support until the client learns the skills necessary to independently stay on track over time. This generally takes at least three months.
Does coaching take the place of therapy?
No, coaching is not a replacement for therapy. Coaching is based on a wellness model. Clients need to be ready, willing and able to work with a coach. If problems with depression or other psychological issues are inhibiting daily functioning and are not treated, coaching will not be successful. Very often the coach will work in tandem with the client's various healthcare providers to overcome these obstacles.
In an effort to understand what a coach is, it can be helpful to distinguish coaching from other professions that provide personal or organizational support*.
Therapy. Coaching can be distinguished from therapy in a number of ways. First, coaching is a profession that supports personal and professional growth and development based on individual-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is forward moving and future focused. Therapy, on the other hand, deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or a relationship between two or more individuals. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past which hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with present life and work circumstances in more emotionally healthy ways. Therapy outcomes often include improved emotional/feeling states. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's work or personal life. The emphasis in a coaching relationship is on action, accountability and follow through.
Consulting. Consultants may be retained by individuals or organizations for the purpose of accessing specialized expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, there is often an assumption that the consultant diagnoses problems and prescribes and sometimes implements solutions. In general, the assumption with coaching is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.
Mentoring. Mentoring, which can be thought of as guiding from one’s own experience or sharing of experience in a specific area of industry or career development, is sometimes confused with coaching. Although some coaches provide mentoring as part of their coaching, such as in mentor coaching new coaches, coaches are not typically mentors to those they coach.
Training. Training programs are based on the acquisition of certain learning objectives as set out by the trainer or instructor. Though objectives are clarified in the coaching process, they are set by the individual or team being coached with guidance provided by the coach. Training also assumes a linear learning path, which coincides with an established curriculum. Coaching is less linear without a set curriculum plan.
Athletic Development. Though sports metaphors are often used, professional coaching is different from the traditional sports coach. The athletic coach is often seen as an expert who guides and directs the behavior of individuals or teams based on his or her greater experience and knowledge. Professional coaches possess these qualities, but it is the experience and knowledge of the individual or team that determines the direction. Additionally, professional coaching, unlike athletic development, does not focus on behaviors that are being executed poorly or incorrectly. Instead, the focus is on identifying opportunity for development based on individual strengths and capabilities.
* Adapted from “Frequently Asked Questions about Coaching”, International Coach Federation Branding and Marketing Subcommittee
