In their article titled, About ADHD Coaching*, the ADHD Coaches Organization states:
“ADHD Coaches are, first and foremost, trained life coaches who endorse and accept the coaching paradigm of the International Coach Federation (ICF), and who additionally have specific training and expertise in coaching people and/or groups affected by ADHD”.
For those who are unfamiliar with coaching in general, and have some knowledge of ADHD, this definition is really just a starting point. To be fair, the article goes on to clarify the elements of ADHD coaching in more detail. I’m going to illustrate this definition using a fictitious adult client, Frank.
Frank is a college student who has struggled for years with symptoms of poor organization and time management skills, to name a few. In other words, he’s having trouble keeping his room neat and his class notes and projects organized. He saves files, but often can’t remember what he named them and spends precious time searching his computer when he needs information. He tends to leave projects to the last minute and ends up pulling all-nighters to complete them on time. This is extremely stressful. He knows that he can produce higher quality work, but no matter how good his intentions are, he just can’t seem to get started until the deadline is staring him in the face.
Frank has hired a coach to help him stay organized and on track this semester. He wants his grades to truly represent his understanding of the material.
So, what does Frank’s coach do that’s so special?
Frank’s coach, we’ll call her Tracy, spends some time at the beginning getting to know Frank-his interests, strengths and weaknesses, what kinds of strategies he has used in the past that have been successful or unsuccessful, as well as his understanding of ADHD.
Tracy sees Frank through her life coaching lens as someone who is well equipped to come up with solutions to the challenges he faces, so she puts him in charge of setting his own goals and designing the action steps needed to succeed. Given her expertise in the area of ADHD, she understands the nature of the disorder. She can work with him to design skills and strategies that will support him, such as how to organize and title the information on his computer so that he can find it easily or how to break a large project into smaller chunks and schedule each piece. She can educate Frank about some of the latest research around various aspects of ADHD that he may not be aware of and recommend some resources if he is interested.
Tracy and Frank will meet weekly, either in person or by phone, to discuss his goals and strategies and decide on which tasks he will complete in the coming week. They’ll create a plan for check-ins via e-mail, text or phone during that week to further support Frank as he works toward his goals. As Frank experiences success, these strategies become more natural to him and he begins to feel a level of confidence that he hasn’t experienced in a very long time.
Obviously, this is a simplified version of a coaching relationship, one that hopefully clarifies how ADHD coaching actually works. One element that is implied throughout, is the safe space that the coaching relationship creates for the client to be heard and understood through a nonjudgemental lens. This allows the client to reveal and explore their true thoughts, feelings and aspirations while they develop the tools to move toward their goals.
Suzanne Leon is a Certified Professional Coach who works with people affected by ADHD/ADD. Visit her website to learn more about the services she provides.
*https://www.adhdcoaches.org/about-membership/about-adhd-coaching/