How I Come to Coaching
The Disorganized Mind
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my \-vork wi th others had le d m y husband to the observation that wo uld define my existe nce from that point on: I was coach ingl I was talking to clien ts! At once , I cou ld e nvision the rest of my life! Another n am e. Another li fe-altering moment . An other word to add to my personal lexicon.
Collaboration Once J bega n my first real work with clients, 1 was on a mis sion to understand just why and how coach ing works so we ll for indi viduals with ADHD , and 1 often shared clients with my husb a nd , who specia lizes in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. John, the psychiatris t, would co ncentra te on the medic al a nd therape u tic iss ues of our clien ts , and I would help them with co ncrete, day-to-day matters. We'd spe nd hou rs a nalyzi ng a nd discussing the impac t coac hing was havi ng on the c lients' lives, and as we considered the brain's fun ction ing, we we re able to fin e- tune our understanding of the specific role the coach played fr om a practi ca l, as well as neuropsyc hi atric , perspective. Coaches, we saw, all ow clients to co mpen sate for their brain differences by helpin g them design strategies individu alized for their respective need s. Vie also saw that coaches serve as external chec ks on clients' intern al incon sistencies, partnering with clients in discovering ways to succeed. Basically, the interpl ay betwee n ADHD coac hing and ADHD c li e nt s works like this : PEOPLE WITH ADHD TYPICALLY NEED HELP IN THESE AREAS: • Considering consequences before acting on a thought • Setting goals and prioritizing • Keeping a goal in mind • Sequencing out steps towa rd a goal
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• Direc ting atten tio n to the task at hand • Creating and sticking to timel ines • Keeping track of time • Sta y ing focused • Keeping thoughts at bay • Not blurting out feelings
COACHING HELPS CLIENTS IN THESE AREAS: • Time ma na gement • Organizational skills • Establish ing priorities • Build ing self-acceptance • Building sel f-esteem • Ma stering in te rpersonal skills and techniques • Self-monitoring
As I learned more about the brain and the behavioral aspec ts of f\DHD , 1 was able to cl arify m y understanding of the role of the coach in a client's life and hone my ow n coaching ski ll s as well. I saw tha t the partnership aspec t of coaching acc ou nted for most of the c lients' success, specifically because as 1 provided support, e nco uragement , and expertise, they learned how to rec ogni ze and address particular problems they were experienc ing. The goa l was to prepare clients for independence and se lf management. COACHING HELPS YOU CREATE "GOOD STRESS"
"Forget standin g at the edge of th e cliff," one client remarked about his own ne ed for increased intensi ty in order to get him self focused. "I need to be standing on the blade l"
People \\lith ADHD often need a certain level of stress in order to achieve a goal. To give them the feeling of urgency they nee d , the sense th at ''I'm out of time here , so 1 have to ge t this done ," I