FAQs - ATTENTION MATTERS, ADHD Coaching for Professionals, Entrepreneurs & Creatives

What is ADHD Coaching?

From the ADD Coach Academy's (ADDCA) website, where I completed my coach training at both their Basic and Advanced levels:

"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 human 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 ADD-related issues like time management, organization, and self-esteem, gain clarity and function more effectively. The client is seen by the ADD coach as resourceful and thus, with increasing self-awareness, as fully capable of discovering his or her own answers.

ADHD Coaching also 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 can be an important part of a comprehensive program for individuals with ADHD . The coaching process initiates and encourages taking ownership and self- responsibility. Coaching is individualized and action-focused, so the client is working to build productive habits and systems that lead to a fulfilling life."

*Taken from The Guiding Principles For Coaching Individuals With Attention Deficit Disorder, presented by The National Attention Deficit Disorder Association Subcommittee on ADHD Coaching. David Giwerc (founder of ADDCA) was a member of this committee.

Am I ready for coaching?

- Do you have a good sense of what changes you'd like to work on making?
- Is this the right time for you to start coaching? Will you be able to show up consistently to your scheduled appointments?
- Are you open to learning and trying new ways of thinking and doing things?
- Are you ready to commit to taking action in between our sessions?
- Can you embrace the idea that change is not a straight-forward trajectory of success, but one of incremental progress over time?
- Are you financially able to pay for coaching? Do you see it as a worthwhile investment?
- Are you clear about the distinctions between therapy and coaching (see below) and are you sure that you are seeking coaching and not therapy?

On another note, it's easy to complain, blame others, or even feel sorry for yourself when you are struggling. But because coaching is a forward-looking, positive, and realistically optimistic endeavor, there's just not much time for those things when we are working together. Sure, some venting is necessary and appropriate. In fact, pinpointing what's wrong or what's getting in the way is what we'll do together. But from there, our sessions are a time to get constructive. You really can only manage yourself anyway, so we'll focus on your goals and your growth. If you feel stuck in your "story", a therapist is a better choice than a coach- at least initially. I'd love to hear from you when you are ready!

What is the coaching process like? How long does it take?

Typically, clients work with me for three to six months, meeting on a regular basis. Once they feel they are up and running with a handful of solid, workable new habits, skills, and routines, they might decide to schedule check-in or "tune-up" meetings, on a schedule that works for them.

I have long-term clients with whom I meet once a month, or once a quarter, and others who come back to regular coaching during periods of change or transition (a new job, a pregnancy, a big new goal, etc.).

Most importantly, after working together for a few months, you will have learned how to coach yourself through many situations. Providing you've done the work, you'll have gotten to know and embrace your strengths, values, and style of operating, and have made real improvements in your self-awareness. You'll have experimented with and solidified a handful of new structures and strategies, which, through daily repetition, have become habit. If you find yourself slipping back into old habits or ways of doing things, you'll be much better able to catch and redirect yourself. Some clients create a "personal operations manual" for themselves that they can refer to!

What is the difference between coaching and therapy?

From the International Coach Federation's website, in their FAQs:

"Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways.

Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. 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 emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through."

Coaching can be a great complement to therapy, but it's not a substitute. If you are experiencing significant symptoms of depression or anxiety, or have an untreated addiction, you should seek an experienced professional in those areas before hiring a coach. If you are currently working with a mental health professional, talk to them about your plans to work with a coach. At your direction and with your signed consent, I'd be happy to work with their guidance or collaboration. Some clients choose to do this, and others don't.

What credentials do you hold? How have you been trained?

I am credentialed as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from the International Coach Federation (ICF), and as a Professional Certified ADHD Coach (PCAC) from the Professional Association of ADHD Coaches. I am a Certified Coach Graduate (ACCG) of the ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA), which means I've gone through both their basic and advanced training programs and have demonstrated proficiency as a coach under stringent standards and supervision. ADDCA is an Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP), which means it is accountable to upholding both the ICF's and PAAC's rigorous education and practice requirements. Just a small percentage of the thousands of coach training programs out there are accredited by the ICF. Only three are accredited by PAAC.

In addition, I worked under the supervision of a licensed pyschotherapist, Dr. Richard Rogers, a respected ADHD specialist in Denver, for the first five years of my coaching career.

Training and credentialing are big topics in the coaching world. Because coaching is not a regulated industry, anyone can call themselves a coach. That's not to say there aren't great coaches out there who don't have credentials. There certainly are, and keep in mind that some coaches might not have credentials yet, but are working towards them. It takes several years for a coach to earn the PCC or PCAC designations. It's important to ask if this is the case when you are interviewing a coach.

Overall, it's helpful to have a way to know that a coach has demonstrated not only knowledge and skill, but also a commitment to high professional standards and a strong code of ethics. The International Coach Federation (ICF) is the global leader in the development of professional coaching. The Professional Association of ADHD Coaches (PAAC) is the gold standard credentialing body in ADHD coaching. I'm proud to have earned credentials from both organizations.

Outside of your training, what topics interest or influence you?

I am a voracious reader and passionate lifelong learner. Topics that I've delved into and explored (and continue to explore) include (in no particular order): all things ADHD, attention & focus, habit formation, mindfulness, goal setting, values, meaning, grit, gratitude, growth mindset, happiness, neuroplasticity, time & energy management, positive psychology, motivational psychology, procrastination, behavioral economics, evidence-based learning & study techniques, effective communication, parenting, the positive impacts of spending time in nature, the unequivocal benefits of exercise, the importance of play for both kids and adults, sleep, etc, etc.

Living overseas as both a child and an adult, and travelling extensively, led me from an early age to see that there are countless ways of living and being in this world.

Despite having lived in major world cities for much of my life, these days I most love to spend time outside... hiking or biking with family and friends in the mountains of Colorado or in the canyons and red rocks of the Colorado Plateau.