Tara McGillicuddy is an active ADHD coach and educator. Her online work, in particular, has brought coaching to a much larger audience of people who might benefit from it. I asked her to put together an overview of ADHD coaching to post here.
What is ADHD Coaching?
by Tara McGillicuddy
ADHD Coaching helps people with ADHD develop skills and strategies to better manage ADHD and lead more productive lives. ADHD Coaching is done both individually and in groups. The majority of ADHD Coaches work over the telephone and some even work over the Internet. Geography and location do not need to be factors when looking for an ADHD Coach.
When looking for an ADHD Coach it's extremely important that the coach has a very good understanding of ADHD. The profession of ADHD Coaching is unregulated and legally anybody can call himself or herself an ADHD Coach. People who are looking to hire an ADHD Coach really need to make sure that they do some research on a potential ADHD Coach before hiring that person.
In addition to the ADHD Coach understanding ADHD, there must be a good fit between the client and the coach. A person looking for an ADHD Coach should really get a good feel for the ADHD Coach before hiring him or her. Some ADHD Coaches offer complimentary consultations to make sure there is a good fit. Other ADHD Coaches offer other ways of getting to know them like writing blog posts, newsletters, articles, and even books. Some also offer free teleseminars, podcasts, and audio recordings.
ADHD Coaching can help a client improve such things as time management, organization, finances, and communication. When an ADHD Coaching client learns how to focus on his or her strengths and develops personalized individual systems, it not only benefits the client but also those around him or her. Because of this, ADHD Coaching can be very helpful in a marriage where one or both people have ADHD.
ADHD Coaching works best when the client is ready, willing, and able to make a commitment to the Coaching process. It's very important that the person with ADHD in a marriage is the one who initiates contact with a potential ADHD Coach. More often than not, if a person with ADHD is not ready to contact an ADHD Coach on his her own, he or she is not ready for ADHD Coaching.
There are many different ADHD Coaching options available which can help support people in marriages affected by ADHD. Some ADHD Coaches do coach both partners in a marriage or relationship together. Most ADHD Coaches work with the person who has ADHD and may also communicate with a partner or spouse if the client gives his or her permission to do so. There are also group coaching programs which are not only more cost effective but also help clients connect with other people facing similar situations.
Here are a few ADHD Coaching Resources to help begin the research process:
ADDClasses.com is a distance education resource where you can learn more about Attention Deficit Disorder. It offers live TeleSeminars (free), a convenient ADD Audio Library (fee), and ADD Coaching Programs (fee).
ADD Consults offers a directory for finding ADHD professionals and coaches as well as articles, blogs and more.
ADHD Coaches Organization or ACO. This organization promotes professionalism in ADHD coaching. They list coaches, as well as information about coaching.
ADHD Coach Talk - You can find my blog radio interviews here. I talk weekly with a wide variety of experts about ADHD issues and these conversations are available for free downloading on demand.
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Comments
Resources out in Utah
I am a 26 year old married guy with ADHD(diagnosed at 3 and again at 24 by associates of DH in Sudbury-2007- and I've recently married someone who has ADD. I know that at least one of my children has ADHD and think the older may had ADD but due to current custody arrangements and an unempathetic x-wife I have not been able to have them properly diagnosed.
I am living just north of SLC and while there are some experts in this area employed near the University of Utah, I have found it quite difficult to find mental health professionals to generally be quite incompetant with repspect to Adult ADHD or even with a general understanding of what ADHD really is. It seems that there are, of course, many resources available to those on the east and west coasts, but what about us in between? CHADD of Utah is quite lacking as well, unfortunately. Does anyone have any advice or relevant experience in situations like mine?
Brandon
Resources
If you are looking for a diagnosis, then you have two options - find someone local who can prescribe meds if you need them - or get a recommendation from your primary care physician to travel to see an expert (like the Hallowell Center folks in NYC). If you are looking for support or coaching, then you can sometimes get that long-distance. Some time this summer I will start consulting with people who are looking for marriage advice if that's what you are seeking, or you can hire a coach (see above) to work with you by phone, or you can consult with some physicians long-distance, as long as you aren't looking for medications. Dr. Hallowell will sometimes talk with people long-distance - his office can explain the fees, etc.
Keep networking around the issue - call local psychiatrists, your primary care physician or hospitals to find leads about who treats ADD there using a strengths-based approach.
Utah ADHD