We all know of coaches who help their basketball teams win a hotly-contested championship
crown.

A team may have the best players in its roster, yet, they need a good coach to maximize the potential of each one of them. The same goes for ADHD coaching −a relatively new field that is fast emerging as one of the many approaches, services and treatments for ADHD.

What is ADHD coaching?

The concept of ADHD coaching was first adopted in the 1994 book, “Driven to Distraction,” by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., and John J. Ratey, M.D. In the book, the authors defined a coach as “… This person may also be a therapist, but need not be. It may be a friend or a colleague, anyone who knows something about ADD and is willing to put in the time — ten or fifteen minutes a day — to coach.”

The main objective of coaching is to pinpoint what is preventing the individual with ADHD from reaching a specific goal and to work with him/her to create a specific plan for reaching that goal. It also seeks to address the daily challenges of living with the disorder, with the coach helping the individual carry out the practical activities of daily life in an organized, goal-oriented, and timely fashion.

Working together through a close partnership, the coach helps the individual
with ADHD learn practical skills and initiate change in his/her daily life.
Among other things, the coach helps an ADHD adult with: Maintaining focus to achieve identified goals; translating abstract goals into concrete actions; and building motivation and learning to use rewards effectively.

Benefits

Coaching can be a vital part of a comprehensive program for individuals
with ADHD since it initiates and encourages taking ownership and self-responsibility. It is individualized and action-focused, hence, the individual with ADHD works towards building productive habits and systems that could later lead to a fulfilling life.

Among other things, ADHD coaching will also:

• Provide support from an understanding
coach who is knowledgeable about ADHD.;
• Help the individual identify his/her positive ADHD characteristics and to appreciate his/her strengths;
• Improve the individual’s understanding
of ADHD related to his/her learning
styles and personal challenges;
• Nurture personal awareness and responsibility, and encourage the individual to look for options that lead to progress and success;
• Guide the individual into actions that (re)build self-esteem, self-awareness, and self-regulation;
• Focus on the individual’s executive
functioning skills (i.e., planning, prioritizing, and analyzing) to create customized systems that will improve the his/her consistency and effectiveness.
• Offer a safe environment for individuals
who need to let go of their isolation and help them form a nurturing connection
with another person;
• Provide consistent accountability and encourage the individual to move beyond thinking into appropriate action;
• Help the individual learn to advocate and speak out for their own needs, questions, and boundaries.
More importantly, coaching builds hope by educating individuals about ADHD. This will eventually be instrumental in developing systems and strategies that they can use in effectively managing their specific ADHD challenges; thus dramatically improving their quality of life.

How does it work?

The ADHD coach works as an ‘’’active guide’ who uses inquiry, structure, strategic planning, encouragement and constructive feedback to help the individual learn how to successfully respond to both challenges and opportunities that come their way.

On the other hand, the individual with ADHD is the “driver” at all times. This means that he/she should want to experience positive growth and henceforth be ready to make changes necessary to succeed in growing and developing.

Regular interactions are an essential part of the coaching process. It will help the coach learn how the symptoms of ADHD affects the daily life of the individual and then provide encouragement, recommendations, feedback, and practical techniques to address specific challenges.

The coach may offer reminders, raise questions, or suggest time management methods. The coach may also ask questions to help the individual come up with strategies and act on them. Some examples of such questions are:

• What can you do about it?
• How can you motivate yourself to take action towards this goal?
• When must this action be completed?
• What steps have you taken already, and when will you take the remaining steps?
Interactions between the coach and the individual with ADHD can be conducted in person, by phone, or by e-mail, depending on their preference.

It is important, however, for the individual with ADHD and the coach to have an initial session that will address issues − such as the individual’s needs, their expectations from each other, and the fees and payments− prior to the first actual coaching session.

Initially, the coaching session is an in-depth, 1-2 hour meeting to work out a step-by-step plan for identifying and achieving the individual’s goals.

The individual’s time spent working with an ADHD coach will depend largely on his/her needs and desires. Generally, the process of turning something “new into a true habit” takes a minimum of three months. At times, individuals are also encouraged to consider a minimum initial commitment of 4 to 6 months. Some may be actively involved in coaching for several months while there are some who choose ‘maintenance coaching’ and will continue in a professional coaching relationship indefinitely.

Obstacles to effcetive coaching

It is significant to note that there are also several issues that can complicate the coaching process. Individuals with ADHD who − can not use simple self-management or organizational strategies to achieve goals, despite the coach’s resources and reminders; have a co-existing psychiatric condition such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, substance abuse, or personality disorder; have stressful life circumstances such as marital problems, divorce, or death of a loved one; and/or have a serious physical illness or other chronic medical condition−often require a referral to a medical or mental health professional.

The coach should work collaboratively with the medical or mental health professionals involved in the individual’s care so that additional treatments such as medication and psychological therapy will be seriously considered.

Coaching and theraphy

Unlike therapists who help with the emotional problems and growth (as a result of having a disorder as ADHD), an ADHD coach works specifically with ADHD issues by helping the ADHD person learn ways to set realistic goals and reach them.

Notably, coaches deal with problems in everyday living such as organization, time management, memory, follow-through, and motivation and focus on what, when and how -- never why. It is also important to stress that they are not trained to address psychiatric, emotional and interpersonal problems, which should be addressed by mental health professionals.

These professionals, which include psychiatrists, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, etc. are trained and licensed to diagnose and treat mental health issues such as depression,
anxiety, personality disorders, and interpersonal difficulties.

Depending on the diagnosis, these professionals may employ a number of psychotherapeutic approaches such as cognitive-behavior therapy and behavior modification. More often, they take a “problem-centered” approach to therapy, meaning the treatment lasts until the specific problem is no longer causing significant impairment and disruption to the individual with ADHD.

Therefore, a coach may be a good person to help if an individual with AD/HD needs assistance in dealing with the practical challenges in daily life: while a therapist should be consulted if he/she needs assistance with emotional, psychiatric, or interpersonal problems. In some cases though, an adult with AD/HD needs both types of assistance, and it may be helpful to have a collaborative set-up with the therapist and the coach.

Conclusion

Although there are no published research evaluating the effectiveness of coaching as an intervention, coaching remains to be an emerging field that seeks to help individuals with ADHD accomplish their life goals. It is intended to help people achieve better results in their lives: academically, professionally, socially, or in any area of life they want to improve. Needless to say, the coach provides the “road map” and guides the “driver” to where they are now, where they want to be, and how they can get there.

Editha R. Martelino is the current president of the ADHD Society of the Philippines. A parent of two children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), she initiated and played an active role in the ADHD School Caravan, a public awareness campaign on the disorder. She is an AB Literature graduate of the University of Santo Tomas and is a writer by profession.