{"id":7533,"date":"2018-06-02T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-06-02T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/goodyear-village-az-cdp\/how-to-find-the-right-adhd-coach-for-you\/"},"modified":"2018-06-27T12:24:34","modified_gmt":"2018-06-27T17:24:34","slug":"how-to-find-the-right-adhd-coach-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/goodyear-village-az-cdp\/how-to-find-the-right-adhd-coach-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find the Right ADHD Coach for You"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When you have ADHD you can easily feel overwhelmed and paralyzed. You may have a hard time with everything from prioritizing tasks to completing projects to managing your time to organizing your home. <\/p>\n

You also procrastinate. You\u2019re constantly running late. Planning makes you break out in hives (figuratively). You feel like life is pulling you in a thousand directions, and you\u2019re all over the place. You feel like you\u2019ve yet to reach your potential, and accomplishing even small goals feels really hard. Or you\u2019d like to advance in your career, or start your own business.<\/p>\n

These are all challenges, obstacles and opportunities that ADHD coaches can help with. According to Bonnie Mincu, a seasoned ADHD coach, an ADHD coach is a catalyst for change. They\u2019re able to discern the kind of solutions each client needs, and help each individual learn to tweak these strategies until they\u2019re tailored to fit them, she said.<\/p>\n

In other words, an ADHD coach helps you find solutions, strategies and tools that work for your unique needs and circumstances. \u201cADHD coaching should be all about customization, not force-fitting yourself to get a strategy to work,\u201d Mincu said. \u201cIf a coach has one approach or solution that they want to fit you into, that\u2019s not useful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customization is vital because \u201cno two ADHD brains are alike,\u201d writes David Giwerc, MCAC, a master certified ADHD coach, in his excellent, comprehensive book Permission to Proceed: The Keys to Creating a Life of Passion, Purpose and Possibility for Adults with ADHD<\/a><\/em>. \u201cYour ADHD may show up in one way in one situation and quite another when the situation changes. What\u2019s more, two people with ADHD will not exhibit the same impairments in the same situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

A common misconception about ADHD coaches is that they\u2019re supposed to hold you accountable. \u201cWhile some coaches may agree to that role, it becomes a trap if the client doesn\u2019t learn how to get things done on their own,\u201d said Mincu, founder of Productivity Pathfinder<\/a>, a membership-based training program to help adults with ADD\/ADHD traits achieve self-mastery. This way the benefits of coaching go beyond the coaching.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s vital to work with a qualified coach that you connect with, said Giwerc, founder and president of the ADD Coach Academy<\/a>, an ADHD coach training program fully accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and the Professional Association of ADHD Coaches (PAAC), the governing bodies of the life coaching and ADHD coaching professions.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because you\u2019re building a partnership and an unqualified coach can do serious damage, he said. For instance, an effective ADHD coach helps clients capitalize on their natural talents and strengths instead of focusing on weaker areas.<\/p>\n

\u201c{W]eak areas won\u2019t stimulate the ADHD brain and will make it more challenging to gain any kind of forward momentum,\u201d Giwerc writes in Permission to Proceed<\/em>. Trying to improve weaknesses leads to downplaying and overlooking innate strengths, and exacerbates the challenges of ADHD. \u201cIf we are constantly expected to focus on our performance challenges, then we\u2019re simply setting ourselves up for frustration, anxiety and even immobilization\u2014all of which inevitably lead to poor self-esteem,\u201d Giwerc writes.<\/p>\n

An ADHD coach who focuses on the wrong things\u2014like weaknesses\u2014can lead you to feel hopeless and like you can\u2019t be helped. But the real issue isn\u2019t you; it\u2019s the coach\u2019s incompetence.<\/p>\n

Below Giwerc and Mincu share how you can find a qualified, effective coach that\u2019s the right fit for you.<\/p>\n

Make sure they have proper training.<\/strong> According to Mincu, \u201cThe coach should have graduated from a recognized training program specifically for ADHD coaching.\u201d For instance, the ADD Coach Academy puts great emphasis on learning about the ADHD brain, because knowing how a client\u2019s brain works\u2014how they process and learn information\u2014is vital to finding successful solutions. You need to know what activates the brain, what builds momentum and what does the opposite.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also helpful, Mincu said, if the coach has significant experience in coaching in general, in the area that you need, such as life coaching, business coaching or executive coaching.<\/p>\n

To start your search, go to an accredited training program, and look for a \u201cfind a coach\u201d tab (or something similar). Find three coaches that resonate with you, and interview them, Giwerc said. Another option is to call the school and ask for references, he said.<\/p>\n

You might start with these links:<\/p>\n