How to Find an ADHD Coach: A Step-By-Step Guide

Studies show that the 'gold standard' treatment for ADHD combines at least three approaches: medication is the one most people with ADHD know about; therapy (for co-occuring depression, anxiety or trauma) and finally - ADHD Coaching. It is a three (at least) legged ‘stool’ that allows the person with ADHD to live to their full potential.

The last one - coaching - is a relatively new offer for many ADHDers - and you may worry about how to find an adhd coach online who is suitable and has the appropriate training.

• What do ADHD Coaches Do?

ADHD coach - what does that mean?

The shocking fact that ANYONE can set up business as an ADHD Coach does not help reassure the community - we have seen too many untested, unregulated ideas already.

What is ADHD coaching - and how is it different from writing yourself more to do lists?

An ADHD coach is a person with specialised training and experience in life coaching but with an extra ‘ADHD Lens’ that means their practice, skills and communication are all filtered through a deep insight into how the neurodevelopmentally different brain wiring of ADHD impacts every single aspect of our lives - and not just planning our shopping, organising paperwork or forgetting to get things done on time.

What Can Coaches Do for People With ADHD?

Coaching sessions vary in length of time, number of sessions recommended and where sessions are held. What can coaching actually do for ADHD clients?

• an ADHD brain is going to hang onto the bad & negative; Coaching sessions help you to focus on what's gone well;

• check ins every week help you remember your progress and planning long term goal setting is more realistic;

• when life gets busy, a coach can offer support and even help with impulse control - if you can find one who will offer coaching by phone or app when you're wondering about a decision.

• children with ADHD - and some adults with adhd - struggle with communication skills and social skills. A formally trained coach can help improve relationships by looking at these in a safe way and offering education on how to change these.

• parents and kids often approach adhd coaching for executive functioning skills - planning, remembering, getting over procrastination, regulating emotions and improving self efficacy - the kind of chronic disorganization that we often think of with ADHD. Proper training means that your coaching sessions can examine all of these and find solutions and strategies to play with that will resolve these issue for many clients.

• many entrepreneurs are ADHD - whether it's our inherent love of taking a chance, our positivity bias (it will work out!) or our ability to spot the opportunity, adhd brains tend towards setting up their own business. The problems of self regulation and other adhd related challenges that come along for the ride are ones that business coaching with an adhd coach can really help with - especially if as your own ADHD coach is likely to have set up their own business as well.

• perhaps you are diagnosed later in life - self discovery and self esteem are both wonderful areas to explore with your coach. Maybe it's managing your home, work, family and organizational skills that need changes - because no matter what you try, it's just not working!

  It's not therapy but there are many coaches who can be there while you safely discover your inner 'buried treasure' through coaching and sessions online or as phone calls.

The important thing to remember is that an adhd coach helps with these challenges - but you as the client do the change and actual work. Your coach is a partner - not a trainer, not a consultant (although we sometimes wear both of those hats) - and definitely not the same as a mental health professional such as a psychologist or therapist. Coaching is an equal professional relationship

If you have anxiety or other mental health condition - substance abuse, active depression for example - a good qualified coach will be clear that they are not able to treat these problems and in such cases we can help you to find a professional qualified and sympathetic who is a good fit and understands "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" - ideally without seeing it as a negative, deficit or disease!

Coaching for ADHD might include writing - but it doesn’t have to.

A skilled coach will understand that ‘homework’ between sessions might never happen - but your magnificent brain will be processing new thoughts and beliefs all the time.

Never, ever, allow anyone - especially a coach - to make you feel bad about ‘homework’. Growth needs space, love and warmth.

Make a List of Your Goals for Coaching

Start with where you are now and a dream of where you'd like to be - if you can. Sometimes we are in an ‘emotional flood’ or so paralysed, it seems impossible to imagine a different life.

Often a goal might be as clear as 'I'd like to improve my time management' - and sometimes it's as powerful as 'I'd like to improve my self esteem.' Knowing what young adults with ADHD have to face in life, it could be 'how can I improve my study skills?' - or 'How can I learn to make friends and improve my social skills?' - coaches are open to longer term, bigger goal setting as well as short term ones like 'clear out my garage'. We've heard pretty much everything!

Do you work with clients who have problems like mine?

The most important question for a potential coach match is - do you work with people who have problems like mine?

You are not the problem - but the situation you're facing is. Coaching is about uncovering your best solution to whatever you're facing and a good coach will help you find the one that uses your strengths and interests. If it’s not interesting… well, we know what happens!

Don't wait to ask this question at the start of a first session - before a session is booked, call on telephone, e mail or chat to make sure you are a good match and that they will be used to working with whatever is holding you back.

Some coaches specialise in organisation, some in business coaching, some in executive functioning skills etc - the best ADHD coach is the one that understands where you are and has the training and experience to believe that you can change - with a coach beside you.

Create a List of Potential Coaches

Where do you find an ADHD coach? A professional association such as the international coach federation (ICF) is a good place to start - although always check that an 'ADHD' coach has at least one specialist course in their CV as the ICF does not yet have a way to exclude general life coaches without the training from their search results.

The ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO) also have a directory that is more specific and searchable, while ADDCA (the add coach academy) lists their graduates on their own website.

If you are in the USA, ask at your local CHADD chapter - they are likely to have a few coaches in the group or have members who have used a life or adhd coach for themselves, their child or to deal with their own challenges. Ask them how they measured their progress - did they feel that the coach listened? did they feel accepted and understood?

Search the ADHD coaches listed in these sites and think about what you need to work on and who you enjoy working with. An ADHD coach helps with lots of areas in life but many coaches will have a preference, speciality or more experience in one area or another.

Set up an Intro Call with Potential Coaches

Most coaches will offer either a free first session before or after an introductory call.

This is to make sure that you are a good fit and that they are the best adhd coach for you. Coaches want you to succeed, whatever your aims are - and a scrupulous, well trained coach who is a member of a professional association will not take clients randomly.

Take your time and talk to a few - even if the first one you speak with seems absolutely perfect.

How Do I Find an ADHD Coach?

Formal training as an ADHD coach is essential - and as I mentioned, there is no law against calling yourself a life coach and some ADHD coaches have no training or qualifications.

An important difference between adhd coaches and general life coaching is often about the focus of a session. Coaching is 'non-directive' - the client chooses what to focus on in the coaching process and this can be a challenge when our brain shuts down when given a big open question.

Formal training as an ADHD coach means that the skill of discovering what would be most helpful for the client is built in to our training from the very beginning. Life coaching is a different kind of skill - and even a coach with their own ADHD diagnosis might not have the framework and knowledge needed to skilfully and safely support a client .

The International coach federation (ICF) are the best known professional association and their credentials are widely respected - but be aware their process has changed recently and there is no guarantee you will find the right coach for you through checking their list. PAAC and CHADD as well as ACO (adhd coaches organization) are other organisations that offer lists of ADHD qualified coaches - with the same warning, to check each individual before signing up.

Create a List of Questions for Your ADHD Coach

What would you like to know after the call? Thinking about what can help you make a decision, this could include

• do you offer a free trial coaching session?

• how much training have you had?

• have you experienced adhd coaching as a client?

• what do you know about ADD/ADHD?

• do you work with adults, children or groups? do you offer family coaching?

• how do I arrange and pay for sessions? are there reminders built in to make sure I remember?

• can i contact you between sessions?

• do you have a code of ethics?

Do you coach in person? Over the telephone? Via Web?

Many coaches started working online during the pandemic - and there are big advantages for both client and coach to being remote-based.

For adults with ADHD, challenges include time management - getting to places on time and making sure you have money for parking can seriously impact the coaching process, if you're arriving stressed and anxious.

Online coaching - or telephone coaching - can offer a valuable and accessible alternative. ADHD coaching for under 18s might be more easy in person - but again, families sometimes have several young people, only on having a diagnosis.

Parents’ working hours can be long and variable. Knowing that you can have ADHD coaching in a place where everyone is safe and other siblings have their own toys and entertainment can make it a more enjoyable experience.

Do you specialize in working with a parent, child, single adult, or business executive?

Most ADHD coaches have initial training to work with adults - and one to one adult clients are still the biggest group of clients. Group coaching has become more popular now ADHD coaches work more online and the peer support can be helpful - for some.

Coaches that work with young people and teens with ADHD need to undertake extra professional training.

Some coaches will have a related previous career - mental health professionals, occupational or speech therapists and teachers who have discovered a passion for ADHD coaching after working with these incredible young people during their other working roles.

Other coaches will be parents who, like you, discovered the incredible world of ADHD coaching as part of their own or their family's journey to understand neurodivergent learning and strengths.

Family coaching is a different type of coaching work - it includes all people who have a role in the life of the young person with ADHD - the coach ideally needs to speak to everyone, hear their perspective and how they interact as a group.

There is a strong likelihood that people with ADHD may reach adulthood without their own diagnosis - and a coach can spot patterns of ADHD or neurodivergence in their clients and offer a supportive framework that meets the needs of all (young and old) within the family.

Communication between parent and child is the most frequent 'inner message or belief' repeated by the adult ADHD impacted client - and explains why I (and other ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA) trained Family coaches prefer to work with the family as a group.

Business coaching might include traditional executive coaching skills and the ADHD coaches in this field might have worked in business for years, before retraining as an ADHD coach. There is some sense in a coach who has spent years 'on the inside' of a corporate world - but there might be a negative too.

Coming with a fresh vision to your life and work, an ADHD coach will be focused on you - wherever you work - and that means there is an advantage in someone who can see past the 'givens' that will be affecting you and your ADHD brain. Since we specialise in 'out of the box' thinking, having a coach who comes from outside that type of work is a real advantage. Executives are human too - and that is who an ADHD coach works with.

I would not hurry to rule out a coach who has not worked in a corporate setting - the skills of an ADHD coach apply to all walks of life - so your connection to the coach is more important than their previous role.

Is ADHD Coaching Covered by Insurance?

In the United States most coaches will be able to advise you on how to approach your healthcare insurance provider. In general, the answer is - probably not.

Coaching is recognised as a support for ADHD in the new Australian guidelines - but in the UK it is still an emerging area and not yet available on the NHS.

Access to Work Funding for ADHD coaching

In the UK, it is possible to apply for coaching for ADHD when it affects employment - either as an employee or self employed individual.

The process for application is described here - it can take several months and there is an interview assessment process to go through. Total funding can be up to £62,000 per annum, so it is definitely worth investigating.

As well as coaching, the scheme can support purchasing assistive technology and even provide the wages of a virtual assistant for business owners - I will be covering more on what other tools an ADHD coach might suggest for clients that could be covered along with coaching by Access to Work.

Do you have personal experience with ADHD?

Perhaps most importantly, check if the coach you are interviewing has personal experience of ADD/ADHD. A coach with ADHD will have an insight into your experience with the challenges in your past.

Even if your coach doesn't have a diagnosis of ADHD, perhaps their partner or family member has been - and that can make all the difference.

However, listen to the language the coach uses: are they using 'attention deficit disorder' , ADHD, or more negative, deficit based terms?

To Get the Most Out of Coaching: Be Coachable!

ADHD coaching is not a passive experience - you might be used to mental health professionals who 'lead' and have an agenda.

The role of a coach is to be your trusted partner - someone with specific skills and education in ADHD and change - making the process of adjusting your beliefs, behaviour, strategies and plans easier as they are informed by the research and ethics of professional coaching organisations.

A coach will ask you to play - to experiment and try new things. There will be times when things don't work straight away and that is part of the coaching process.

Trusting your coach, being ready to learn and ask questions, to start listening for when our inner words and beliefs are undermining our possibilities are as important as showing up every week and making time to get ready for a new understanding of yourself.

Finding the right coach for you is part of the adventure that ADHD brings to our lives and the change the best coach for you can bring is worth spending a little time at the start to make sure there is a good fit and rapport - along with the best training and education in your specialist area too.

Katherine - an ADHD Coach with ADHD

I grew up in Scotland during the 1970s and 80s. I had a long series of misadventures - the classic ‘failure to launch’ even before it was recognised as a pattern. Finally diagnosed in my early 40s with autism and ADHD,

I had somehow achieved a first class MA (Hons) and a PhD, as well as successfully training as an artist, historic dressmaker and parent to an incredible child - also on the spectrum and with ADHD.

Her diagnosis and very different expression of neurodivergence led me to explore ADHD coaching - and that, as they say, was that.

I chose to train with ADDCA (the ADD Coach Academy) and so far have almost 350 hours of specialised ADHD coach training on my record. I am awaiting my ICF certification and am taking a PAAC path certification in summer 2023.

My mentor coach, Jay Perry - a master coach who has seen the growth of professional, ethical coaching without losing his excitement and interest in the wonderful people we get to work with - continues to guide and support my CPD & experience.

At the same time, I trained with Caroline Maguire in ‘Family Coaching’, whose skills in social skills education and executive functioning training for young people and adults is world renowned. The last few years have taken a real, significant toll on the way young people have learned and we know the cost is damaging their well being.

I went on to add the UCLA PEERS program for Social Skills (and am a certified provider) as well as positive psychology coach training with IAPPC.

I chose to take the time and invest to get the very best training available. I know how important the right foundations are - and I believe that the world needs ADHD strengths, skills and abilities more than ever.

My own experience of coaching has forever changed how I feel about my brain, my strengths and given me the insight to accept where I need scaffolding on a longer term basis.

As an autistic, ADHD parent I understand how challenging the world is even if we don't understand how or why. The world of work, self-employment, higher education and parenting has allowed me to view the world in a way that means I will ask the questions other people might not.

If you would like to work with me, you can contact me by email here and arrange a short informal meeting online to discuss your needs. I promise that I will let you know if I'm not the right coach for you - and will offer a few alternative names for you to talk to.

“Coaching is love and wonder that leads to effective action.”

— Jay Perry

My practice remains small enough for me to ensure each client has their needs met and I am available by message and email - think of me as being in the office next door. Clients currently have 3 sessions per calendar month for a minimum of three months - since behaviour and thoughts take time to change.

I look forward to getting to know you through my newsletter, podcast or social media - I reply to every message.

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