What is ADHD Coaching?
ADHD coaching is an ongoing partnership that helps clients live more effective and satisfying lives by deepening their learning, improving their performance, and enhancing their quality of life.
Clients with ADHD have the same needs as any coaching client, and also face unique challenges related to ADHD, which can interfere with their quality of life. These challenges might include hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention, as well as the belief that they can't reach their goals because they have ADHD.
ADHD Coaches support their clients in developing a comprehensive understanding of both the nature of ADHD and the impact of ADHD on their client's quality of life. In addition, ADHD coaches work with clients to create structures, support, skills and strategies to help them move forward with fuller and more satisfying lives. Coaching assists clients with ADHD to stay focused on their goals, face obstacles, address core ADHD-related issues like time management, organization, and self-esteem, gain clarity and function more effectively. The client is seen by the ADHD coach as resourceful and thus, with increasing self-awareness, as fully capable of discovering his or her own answers.
Clients with ADHD have the same needs as any coaching client, and also face unique challenges related to ADHD, which can interfere with their quality of life. These challenges might include hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention, as well as the belief that they can't reach their goals because they have ADHD.
ADHD Coaches support their clients in developing a comprehensive understanding of both the nature of ADHD and the impact of ADHD on their client's quality of life. In addition, ADHD coaches work with clients to create structures, support, skills and strategies to help them move forward with fuller and more satisfying lives. Coaching assists clients with ADHD to stay focused on their goals, face obstacles, address core ADHD-related issues like time management, organization, and self-esteem, gain clarity and function more effectively. The client is seen by the ADHD coach as resourceful and thus, with increasing self-awareness, as fully capable of discovering his or her own answers.
ADHD Coaching Helps Clients To:
- Understand that the source of many of their challenges is ADHD, not personal shortcomings.
- Safely examine areas of failure and areas where they want to be held accountable.
- Heighten self-awareness and self-observation skills, and use those heightened skills to improve decision-making and performance.
- Change perspective when "stuck" (i.e. learning new ways to work with procrastination, perfectionism, staying on task, or being more consistent.)
- Become aware of their own learning styles, processing styles and learning preferences so they can enhance their ability to learn and comprehend information and situations.
ADHD Coaching and College Life
Adapting to life at college is difficult enough even for the most gifted of students. Between the demands of an advanced curriculum, being away from the comforts of home, adapting to a roommate, dorm life, dorm food, laundry, newfound freedom, temptations, and distractions, it’s no wonder that the first report card comes with such a shock to so many college freshman and their parents. Now imagine adding to this list the pressures of managing ADHD, and you can understand why so many students with ADHD are seeking guidance from Clinical Psychologists who specialize in coaching young adults in managing ADHD. The good news is that through combined therapy of medication and coaching, college students with ADHD are succeeding with this difficult transition. And the best news is that strategies learned through coaching extend beyond college and into managing ADHD in your career.