If you’ve recently been diagnosed with ADHD, are exploring the idea of seeking an ADHD assessment, or if the traits associated with ADHD resonate with you, you might also be considering ADHD coaching or therapy.
Navigating your way through all the types of support on offer can be daunting, especially if you’re not sure what to look for or how to tell what would benefit you most. There can be a lot of jargon and acronyms thrown around in this sphere online, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
What is ADHD coaching?
Hold on, before we can talk ADHD coaching, let’s get a clear definition of the broader discipline of ‘coaching.’
The International Coaching Federation, probably the most recognised accreditation body for professional coaching, say that coaching is:
“Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
It’s important to emphasise that a coach won’t tell you what to do. Someone looking for a more directed experience or seeking the guidance of another professional in their field may be better suited to working with a mentor.
All flavours of coaching should be a collaborative, goal-oriented partnership that takes place within a supportive, non-judgemental environment.
Coaching is based on trust and listening, using well-researched methods and techniques to help a person improve what is obstructive, and nurture what is effective.
And so when it comes to ADHD, coaches focus on how a person might build and develop their own strategies and solutions for understanding and working with – not against – the specific challenges their ADHD may throw into their daily mix.
My own coach training is ADHD-Informed and I approach coaching from the understanding that ADHD is a complex, highly personal experience. Using a strengths-based perspective, I work with executive functioning models, emotional regulation, context, and identity.
In essence, my role is to support you to do your own best thinking, creating a space where you can dig in to how your unique brain operates.
How does coaching differ from therapy for ADHD?
When considering whether you’re looking for ADHD coaching or therapy, it can be helpful to think about where you are right now and what you’re aiming to achieve from professional input.
There’s a phrase I’ve seen in various places on the web which sums the difference up quite neatly:
“Therapy helps you to heal, coaching helps you to grow.”
| Therapy for ADHD | ADHD Coaching |
| Focuses on the root of emotional and psychological issues that might co-occur with ADHD. | Focuses on the practical impact of ADHD and the effect it may have on a person’s function. |
| Predominantly reflective, aims to process current and past experiences and/or trauma. | Predominantly present and future-focused, aims to build skills and strengths. |
| Open-ended. A person can stay in therapy indefinitely and still be benefiting from it. | Time-boxed. Coaching should be empowering and a good coach will make themselves redundant. |
| Appropriate to assess and treat mental health problems. | Does not assess or treat mental health problems. |
| Can be suitable for people who are in distress, crisis and/or unable to see a future. | Best suited to people who are in a place of hope and can look to a positive future. |
| Can work alongside coaching. | Can work alongside therapy. |
ADHD coaching or therapy…or both?
It might seem that there’s a binary choice to be made, and that you should engage with either ADHD coaching or therapy, but not both.
But that’s not necessarily the case. In fact, engaging with therapy and ADHD coaching concurrently is something lots of people find valuable. It’s what we’d call a ‘multimodal’ approach to not just surviving but thriving with ADHD. It’s entirely possible for therapy to be a way to build a strong emotional foundation that sets a person up to make real progress with their coaching journey.
Can you commit to ADHD coaching without therapy? Absolutely!
But there are certainly circumstances, such as struggling with conditions like anxiety, OCD or depression that co-occur with ADHD, where people are best to address those issues alongside or ahead of effectively engaging in coaching.
Finding the right ADHD coach for you
As a coach who received my own diagnosis of combined type ADHD well into adulthood, I know firsthand the power of coaching on an overloaded, overwhelmed mind.
However, it’s important to say that coaching is, somewhat shockingly, an unregulated industry. Which means that anyone can choose to call themselves a coach without any formal training.
Scary, right?
With that in mind, it’s really important to find an ADHD coach who’s appropriately qualified and who demonstrates high ethical and professional standards.
Considering the following areas should help you make a selection that’s right for you:
Your needs
What specifically are you looking to get out of coaching? Where would you like to be in your life when you finish coaching? The clearer you can be on what you’re looking for, the more likely you are to find the right person to support it.
Their expertise
Has the coach undertaken a robust, ADHD specific training programme? Was their qualification accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) or the Association for Coaching AoC)?
Are they committed to ongoing learning, and undertaking regular mentoring and/or supervision themselves? Have they signed up to a code of ethics, and do they hold appropriate insurance?
Shared rapport
Personality fit is so important when it comes to coaching.
Does the coach seem like someone you want to form a team with? You’re not looking for a new best friend – that’s not coaching – but you do need to feel safe, listened to, and supported.
Have you considered whether you’d prefer a male or female coach? Is their cultural background significant? Is there anything else that feels important to you? Does your potential coach need to have ADHD themselves, or is it enough that they’ve studied it?
Curious about ADHD coaching or therapy?
Choosing the right kind of support is such a personal decision, and it’s natural to feel unsure about what will be most useful for you.
If what you’ve read here resonates, whether you’re curious about ADHD coaching, weighing it up alongside therapy, or simply want to explore what working together might look like, I’d love to hear from you.
I always recommend speaking to a couple of coaches before making a decision. If you’re considering working with me, you can book a free, no obligation chat to see if coaching feels like the right next step for you. I look forward to hearing from you.