A Professional ADHD coach is a credentialed coach who combines knowledge about ADHD and executive functioning (EF) with life coaching skills to support your development of specific, individualized strategies that address personal and professional goals (Ahmann & Saviet, 2021). 

• Ahmann, E. & Saviet, M. (2021). ADHD Coaching: Evolution of the field. The ADHD Report, 29(6), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1521/adhd.2021.29.6.1

For a long time, it was thought that kids typically “outgrew” ADHD—but now we know that’s not always true. Also, until recently it was rare for an adult to be newly diagnosed with ADHD. But that is changing and it is increasingly understood that ADHD can persist and can also be newly diagnosed in adulthood (Song et al., 2021; Zalsman & Shilton, 2016) . Now that adult ADHD is more widely understood, adults who may never have been diagnosed when younger are learning that the reason much of life has seemed challenging for so long is that they have ADHD .

• Song, P., Zha, M., Yang, Q., Zhang, Y., Li, X., & Rudan, I. (2021). The prevalence of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A global systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Global Health, 11, 04009. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.11.04009

• Zalsman, G., & Shilton, T. (2016). Adult ADHD: A new disease?. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 20(2), 70–76. https://doi.org/10.3109/13651501.2016.1149197

If you have–or think you may have–ADHD and/or executive functioning challenges, working with a professional ADHD coach may be just what you need. Working with a professional ADHD coach is essentially having a partner as you learn to understand yourself and manage life in ways that work best for you. Coaching is an ongoing partnership in which you as the client create a more effective and satisfying life. 

With your coach you can explore not only common ADHD and EF challenges, and the specific challenges you may face, but also your own strengths, values, vision and sources of inspiration, motivation and support. We also consider your overall life balance and wellbeing. Building on this awareness, you will come to understand yourself better, and we’ll  identify skills and craft strategies for you to employ to better manage the impact of ADHD. This way, you can make choices that help you envision, create, and move forward into a more satisfying life, well lived.

You are in the driver’s seat in the coaching process. Your coach can help you identify what you want to work on in coaching, and can offer encouragement and structure for  learning, exploring, designing actions, testing options, assuring accountability, and achieving forward movement. You’ll be individually supported to help build the personalized structures, supports, skills, attitudes, and strategies that will help you better manage challenges, build success, and create and move into a more satisfying life, well lived.

That is quite common. We’ve got your back! Your coach develops a collaborative partnership with you that assists you to become more effective at identifying and working with your strengths, leaning into your values, taking effective action, meeting your own goals, and successfully managing your life with ADHD in a way that allows you to flourish. 

• Ahmann, E. & Saviet, M. (2021). ADHD Coaching: Evolution of the field. The ADHD Report, 29(6), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1521/adhd.2021.29.6.1

• Ahmann, E., Tuttle, L. J., Saviet, M., & Wright, S. (2018). A descriptive review of ADHD coaching research: Implications for college students. Journal of Postsecondary Disability and Education, 31(1), 17–39. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1182373.pdf

• Sehlin, H., Hedman Ahlström, B., Bertilsson, I., Andersson, G., & Wentz, E. (2020). Internet-based support and coaching with complementary clinic visits for young people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism: Controlled feasibility study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(12), e19658. https://www.jmir.org/2020/12/e19658/

• Weiss, A. L., & Rohland, P. (2015). Implementing a communication coaching program for students with autism spectrum disorders in postsecondary education. Topics in Language Disorders, 35(4), 345-361. https://journals.lww.com/topicsinlanguagedisorders/fulltext/2015/10000/implementing_a_communication_coaching_program_for.6.aspx

• Wentz, E., Nydén, A., & Krevers, B. (2012). Development of an internet-based support and coaching model for adolescents and young adults with ADHD and autism spectrum disorders: a pilot study. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 21, 611-622. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00787-012-0297-2

Our coaching is rooted in theory and research and makes use of an evidence-based, validated process of inquiry, exploration, and discovery in conjunction with education, encouragement, structure, support and accountability to assist you in identifying and reaching your own goals (see Ahmann et al., 2022). Coaching also empowers you through structured opportunities to increase self-awareness, envision possibilities, design actions, and progress stepwise to achieve personal growth and the success you want. 

• Ahmann, E., Saviet, M., Springer Institute, & Maryland University of Integrative Health (2022). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) coaching engagement: Manualized intervention (adults, 12-weeks). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. https://springerinstitute.org/adhd-coaching-engagement-manualized-intervention-adults-12-weeks/

Optimal treatment for ADHD combines more than one support (Kooij et al., 2019). Therapy tends to focus more on issues from the past and emotional blocks, while coaching tends to focus more on developing attitudes and strategies supporting forward momentum toward an envisioned future. Both therapy and coaching can be supportive to individuals with ADHD, and both may be employed at the same or different times. Some adults have identified coaching as more useful than traditional talk therapy because of its “optimistic, strengths based, and solution-focused approach” (Schrevel et al., 2016, p. 1).

• Kooij, J. J. S., Bijlenga, D., Salerno, L., Jaeschke, R., Bitter, I., Balazs, J., ... & Asherson, P. (2019). Updated European Consensus Statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD. European Psychiatry, 56(1), 14-34. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30453134/

• Schrevel, S. J., Dedding, C., & Broerse, J. E. (2016). Why do adults with ADHD choose strength-based coaching over public mental health care? A qualitative case study from the Netherlands. Sage Open, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016662498

If you have–or think you may have–ADHD and/or executive functioning challenges, working with a professional ADHD coach may be just what you need. Working with a professional ADHD coach is essentially having a partner as you learn to understand yourself and manage life in ways that work best for you. Coaching is an ongoing partnership in which you as the client create a more effective and satisfying life. 

You can learn more about the research supporting ADHD coaching at Springer Institute.

We are committed to making the process easy and straightforward for you: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation: Come with your questions! 

2. If we are a good fit, we can schedule your weekly coaching sessions. This involves a 3-month commitment. 

3. We meet for an initial session to learn about your values, strengths and goals.

4. In the context of your overall goals, we decide together where to focus each subsequent session to support your growth.

5. Regular appointments: We celebrate progress and wins along the way to promote engagement and facilitate growth.  

6. Some people like to continue with coaching for a while because it is supportive and provides accountability. But others find that a period of coaching is all they need. Our overall aim is to help you function optimally as your new best-authentic self without the need for ongoing regular coaching! 

• Ahmann, E. & Saviet, M. (2021). ADHD Coaching: Evolution of the field. The ADHD Report, 29(6), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1521/adhd.2021.29.6.1

• Ahmann, E., Tuttle, L. J., Saviet, M., & Wright, S. (2018). A descriptive review of ADHD coaching research: Implications for college students. Journal of Postsecondary Disability and Education, 31(1), 17–39. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1182373.pdf

• Ahmann, E., Saviet, M., Springer Institute, & Maryland University of Integrative Health (2022). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) coaching engagement: Manualized intervention (adults, 12-weeks). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. https://springerinstitute.org/adhd-coaching-engagement-manualized-intervention-adults-12-weeks/

• Schrevel, S. J., Dedding, C., & Broerse, J. E. (2016). Why do adults with ADHD choose strength-based coaching over public mental health care? A qualitative case study from the Netherlands. Sage Open, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016662498