What is ADHD Coaching?

By Catherine Mutti-Driscoll, MA, Ph.D., CALC

 
 


As the Lead Coach at the Hallowell-Todaro Center in Seattle, I am often asked what ADHD coaching is! As a result, I thought it would be a great topic for a blog post in case some of you out there were also wondering :-)

According to ADHD Coaching Matters: The Definitive Guide, by Sarah D. Wright (2014), ADHD coaching is a combination of life coaching, executive skills coaching, and education about ADHD.  Depending on the client’s needs, goals, and timing of diagnosis, the coach may work in one or more of these areas with the client.


1). Life Coaching

Life coaching involves working on goals that the client has, and supporting them by assisting with problem solving obstacles and also offering encouragement. Since ADHD can impact all areas of a client’s life, it is common for clients to have goals that relate to different aspects of life. An ADHD coach will work to support the client in making progress on the goals that are most important to the client. 

As Wright (2014) describes,“...coaching is focused on sustained cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes that facilitate goal attainment, either in one’s work or in one’s personal life..It empathizes evolutionary change, concentrating on strengthening identity and values, and bringing dreams and goals into reality” (p. 21).


2). Skills Coaching

Skills coaching focuses on executive functioning and social skills, and these skills can be taught explicitly via a structured curriculum or in a more hands-on/organic manner as they relate to the client’s life coaching goals/projects that the client wants to make progress on. 

Executive function challenges are brain-based challenges that can be quite different in diverse individuals, and this contributes to the common refrain that you’ve probably heard before, “If you’ve met one person with ADHD, you’ve met one person with ADHD.”  

According to Dawson and Guare (2016), authors of the Smart but Scattered book series, executive functions include the following: response inhibition/impulse control, working memory, emotional control, task initiation, sustained attention, planning/prioritization, organization, time management, flexibility, metacognition, goal-directed persistence, stress tolerance, and sustained attention.

The concept of executive function underscores that many behaviors exhibited by people with ADHD are brain-based, and therefore not a person’s fault, an expression of their character or a personality flaw. Executive skills can be learned, but challenges will still likely remain in weaker executive function areas, especially during times of stress. A coach can help their client maximize their executive function strengths while minimizing the impact of weaker skills.


3). Education about ADHD

Education about ADHD is teaching about the condition and common challenges. This element of ADHD coaching may include sharing resources, tips, and best practices. ADHD coaches are trained to ask permission to share these resources before launching into education or advice, making sure that the ADHD education feels relevant and helpful to the particular client. 

Many clients appreciate learning about the overlooked features of ADHD such as Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, Emotional Hyperarousal, and Interest-Driven Nervous System in this excellent article by Dr. William Dodson: https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/


What are the benefits of ADHD Coaching? 

ADHD coaching can be very helpful for clients of all ages. I have noticed the following benefits during my career as an ADHD coach:

Coaching can be helpful for many people with ADHD because it:

  • Fosters a growth/experimental mindset toward challenges

  • Teaches clients they are not alone in coping with executive function challenges

  • Emphasizes that ADHD challenges are brain-based and therefore not the client’s fault 

  • Provides external accountability and support for the client’s life goals

  • Assists with metacognition and self-awareness for individuals

  • Supports improved executive functioning and social skills

Still have questions about ADHD coaching and whether it is right for you or someone in your family at this time?

If so, then contact us at info@hallowelltodaro.com to learn more.

Margaret Kayfeatured