coach for adult ADD

[Bucky94]

I would appreciate recommendations for ADD coach for adult

thank you !

[Gettingittogether]

People regularly ask this question and there is no one name that comes up.

Basically just google. It's coaching so you can do it via zoom. Almost all coaches offer free intro sessions where you can get to know the coach and a bit of their method.

So just google. it's good to do the intro session because some coaches are highly expensive, some less so, some will offer lower fees if you are financially struggling. It's more important to just start with someone and have a few sessions than it is to worry about picking a perfect person.

You can always stop if you're unhappy and then you'll have more info and insight that you can draw upon in picking the next coach. Schedule intro (free) sessions with multiple people and see what feels right.

[LaCerdita]

CHADD Directory - ADHD Coaches

chadd.org/professional-dire...

Diagnosis Diet - Nutritional Therapy for Mental Health Practitioners

diagnosisdiet.com/directory

Individual Coaches

Dorsey McFadden

livehappyadhd.com/

Tori Throckmorton

divergentcoaching.com/about-me

Saskia Karg

uniquemindcoach.com/

Julie Saad

juliesaad.com

[LisethHIS]

Hello, Bucky94

Thank you for contacting CHADD's National Resource Center on ADHD. I see you are interested in getting more information about ADHD coaching.

Here are a few links that should help you find an ADHD coach.

chadd.org/about-adhd/coaching/

ACO Home | ADHD Coaches Organization

CHADD Resource Directory - Find an ADHD professional

Connection and Community: ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Groups - CHADD

If you have further questions, please let us know. We are here to help!

Liseth

Health Information Specialist

CHADD’s National Resource Center on ADHD

chadd.org

[woolfarmer]

adhdcoaches.org/

[Highlysuspect99]

I wouldn't ever hire a coach that does not have ADHD, the best minds in ADHD all have ADHD nobody can truly understand you and your feelings unless they walk in similar shoes. Take your time selecting, a little research goes a long way.

[Bucky94 in reply to Highlysuspect99]

thank you so much for your response! .

I am totally new to adhd, so I have a very basic question - would coaches self-declare that they have it ? How appropriate would it be to ask prospective candidates during first consult ? ( with any other diagnosis - might not work ? )

[Highlysuspect99 in reply to Bucky94]

Possibly, if not, ask. Also act how it impacted their health and how long has it taken them to become a coach. I see a nueropsych and paid cash 300.00 per visit. I've always leaned and did better the next time, I don't make two mistakes twice big ones anyway. A lot of people need a quality coach. I've thought of actually leaving Cybersecurity and doing it. I know I'm someone who knows everything about this ailment. Likewise, I also know how to speak to psychiatrists. I can get 90% of psychiatrist to agree to join me in a personal relationship, and explaining how well I do depends on how well they take suggestions and try things. Whether a coach or doctor, you need to make sure your needs are met, and you cultivate a good and trusting relationship. I would be suspect of many coaches. Anyone who talks a good came can be a coach, apparently. Honestly, all the best minds in ADHD all have ADHD, and I'm not talking podcast bums. Someone like me would much better in getting you to understand how you handle and react to things. If you have any other questions, feel free to message me. Good Luck

[Gettingittogether]

Actually I had an amazing coach who did not have ADHD--at all. She was the opposite. Amazingly organized. What she had though was a deep intuitive feel for ADHD. I met her at a local ADHD support group meeting and she told several little stories about people with ADHD. All of us in the room were cracking up, because the stories were things we had NEVER heard anyone talk about or mention. These were quirks we barely talked to ourselves about. OMG!!!

In other words, the coach without ADHD was able to identify some ADHD behaviors that a dozen highly motivated, bright people with ADHD, ranging from 15 to 50, could not have identified. And she did so with warm and humor. And btw: that warmth was itself healing. The hard part of ADHD is accepting weaknesses without feeling defective and demoralized.

I got in touch with her later and she did coaching over the phone and she was excellent. For one, she helped me simplify my job in ways I hadn't imagined I could do. There was overlap between what she did as a highly organized person and what I needed to do. For one, she would start a task and think, "What's the EASIEST and SIMPLEST way to do this?" No boundaries--she'd ask that question.

Well, me and my ADHD shame, I didn't realize looking for the simplest and easiest way to do things was a legit strategy. In fact, shame kept me from doing that, from asking the question up front, "what's easiest way to clean/straighten/study/keep records/plan" ... on and on and on ... And several times I thought I would feel guilty to take her advice and then when I did, my bosses were fine with it and customers were fine and on and on! That was a serious rewiring of my brain that I'm still applying to this day.

She also insisted that people with ADHD had to build their lives around the strengths. I've used this one at work as well. The goal is not to fix every ADHD weakness, but to focus on strengths and just bring weaknesses up to the minimum level necessary.

Plus she just had great rapport, a great personality ... and tons of compassion.

[Bucky94 in reply to Gettingittogether]

thank you so much for such helpful and detailed response! . I was wondering what your experience was once coaching is over - do you fall back to the old habits or you have some system of support to keep it going ?

[KST_ in reply to Gettingittogether]

I just joined this group today because I am looking for someone just like the person you are describing! If you are able to pass along her information, I would appreciate it!

[Gettingittogether]

Great question. I was able to keep up a lot of what I learned from this coach because it was big picture stuff: making things easy. Example: not long after working with her, I realized I hated the online platform people were using at work. Found it maddeningly complicated and thus demoralizing for my ADHD. Well I was at a social event and met a guy who used very simple software (discussion forum format) and told me how easy it was to use.

So despite the fact that 99 percent of people in my job used the university-endorsed online platform, I did my own thing. There was no official rule that said I had to use the university platform. And later, a boss found out I was using this different platform and his response was ... "I'm not crazy about it." But he didn't order me to change at all!

So I made my work so much easier, so much less frustrating, based on the coach's suggestion/directive that keeping things simple is legit for a professional. And I followed her advice to stop trying to fix all my weaknesses. Just do the minimum of weaknesses. I can only do this because she put me through lots of exercises identifying my strengths. And her point was that in some jobs (not all) if you tailor to your strengths there are many ways to do fantastic work. I started highlighting my energy, my people skills, my spontaneity and on and on ...

So one big result of working with that coach was that I feel so much less guilty about getting tasks from work and saying, God this is hard. I hate this. Let me talk to some buddies and run ideas of how to do it simply. Sometimes I've run my simple ideas past my bosses and they have overwhelmingly been like, "that's fine."

I did improve scheduling and started to keep a planner and I can get to places on time (90 percent of the time). And when I'm running late, I don't feel the deep shame and fear I used to feel.

So to answer your question: on the big picture focus on strengths and simplicity, I have not relapsed. I keep pushing. On lots of little matters--like scheduling--I have not relapsed. I brush and floss really well ... haven't relapsed there.

But I find myself watching lots of tv to veg out, and I think I do that because I'm getting overwhelmed with the rest of life. So that tells me that it's probably time for me to work with a coach again. Maybe it's turning 60, I feel like my memory isn't the same, my energy isn't quite the same. I've been dealing with the stress of a sister who is dying and in hospice and I've had to do a ton of paperwork and emotional work for her. I would love to date (I'm divorced) and I'm not confident I can find the time and energy to do so without losing ground in other areas of my life. It's hard enough to brush and floss my teeth each day.

[LifeIsLearning]

I adore Kristen Carder and her program "Focused." I encourage you to check out her free podcast "I Have ADHD" first and see if she's a good fit for you. Her program is tailored to working professionals and enrepreneurs. I'm not exactly either right now (I was a teacher, now I have a part-time data entry job; I sell some of my artwork and am working toward doing more of that, but I'm not running a business; I'm a mostly stay-at-home mom right now). She solidly believes in looking at our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves and the world around us in order to deal with procrastination and other ADHD symptoms AND coping mechanisms. AMAZING stuff. One of my favorite episodes of her podcast is the one entitled "Time Management" in it she shares one of her live group coaching calls and it really blew my mind. The paid Focused program includes live group coaching, a couple years worth of pre-recorded group coaching, topical units with pre-recorded videos and optional workbooks, as well as an optional Slack channel to connect with other adults with ADHD if you want. In the Slack channel there are some people who work together in BodyDouble sessions which are soooo helpful to me! Oh, and they also just stared accountability groups. I have an "affiliate link" if you'd like $50 off the first month (it would also get me $50 off for one month). I'll put it out there that it's normally $199 a month - which is about what I was spending on counseling and that only got me two hours a month . . . so I've found it to be a very good value. Also, if you're not sure about group coaching, I totally endorse it! There's so much that I've never thought to ask, but people at other stages of their journey and with other perspectives have brought questions to group coaching which have helped me SOOOO much!

Here's the link if you decide to try it out. IHaveADHDLLC.ontralink.com/... I'll repeat though, start out with the free podcast. It is amazing!

[Gettingittogether]

Yes, I have discovered Kristen Carder since you posted. She is great. Love her podcast "I Have ADHD." So much of her guidance is about accepting ourselves, which is really the strangest aspect of dealing with ADHD and with so much of life.

It's so easy to shame ourselves and contrary to assumptions we have absorbed when growing up, shame doesn't help generate energy. Shame shuts down creative ideas. It gets us addicted to criticism and perfectionism. Shame often isn't even fair. There are times I've found out (a lot) that my habits weren't as bad as I thought. The shame had convinced me that my situation was hopeless.

Love Kristen Carder. And I will definitely consider her group coaching at some point down the line.