How to become An ADHD Coach

• Professional ADHD Coach

What do ADHD Coaches do?

An ADHD Coach would typically need to:

• Provide a supportive, non-judgemental partnership that encourages individuals (adults, teens and kids) with ADHD to address particular needs, achieve specific goals, develop new skills, and better manage their lives
• Set up an initial complimentary telephonic or in-person interview that will help the client ask questions and make an informed decision about the potential coaching
• Explain their coaching philosophy, their way of working, and what the client may expect from a session
• Address the academic, vocational, emotional, and interpersonal issues that result from the core symptoms of ADHD (inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity)
• Use individual or group assistance and support to help the client figure out the next steps towards a particular goal, find the inspiration to work towards it, and maintain adequate focus to carry out a viable action plan
• Provide the client with the tools and framework to aid progress; practice effective listening and ask questions that allow the client to find fitting responses
• Teach the client how to identify the various ways in which ADHD can play out in their daily lives and adopt positive behaviours to solve issues as they happen
• Be a regular accountability partner who can motivate the client to learn practical skills and change their habits for the better
• Help the client go about their daily routine in an organised, goal-oriented, and timely manner
• Facilitate the translation of abstract goals into concrete actions; make effective use of concrete and abstract rewards

ADHD Coaches may provide one-on-one or group therapy in person, on the phone, or over the internet, and so may work remote or from a designated office space.

Although their work schedule may usually depend on their employer, most ADHD Coaches may need to factor in their clients’ needs and availability, making them work irregular hours during weekends and holidays. Sessions usually last between 30 to 60 minutes.

Finding a new job might seem challenging. ADHD Coaches can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, going to job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies.

ADHD Coaches are generally employed by:

• Non-Profit Advocacy Organisations
• Community Health Centres
• Schools & Colleges
• Professional ADHD Organisations
• Corporate Enterprises

Professional associations and organisations, such as The International Coaching Federation (ICF), are crucial for ADHD Coaches interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.

• Inadequate training could lead to negative results
• Clients with coexisting mental health issues, such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, substance abuse, or personality disorder that may hurt ADHD coaching outcomes
• Lack of client readiness to change contributes to the failure of coaching
• Clients who do not apply self-management or organisational strategies to achieve goals
• Clients with stressful life circumstances, such as marital issues, divorce, or death of a loved one, and chronic illnesses that hinder ADHD coaching

One of the best introductions to a career in mental health is to vol­unteer at a local hospital, clinic, or nursing home. 

Work experience demonstrates your interest and dedication to the profession. It allows you to understand what it is like to work around other healthcare professionals and patients. 

In addition, working with a diverse range of clients helps you build an understanding of different behaviours, situations, and problems you may encounter during your practice as an ADHD Coach.

ADHD coaching programs offer different levels of training that include multiple opportunities to practise coaching skills and experience first-hand how coaching can help change the lives of clients affected by ADHD. Seasoned master coaches provide close supervision and positive and encouraging feedback.

Some educational providers provide 109 accredited training hours in core competencies toward a basic ADHD & life coach training certification. Others present numerous case studies for class discussion, so each participant can put together a personal toolbox of interventions that will prove handy when they begin to practice.

Select credentialing organisations require the candidates to have amassed at least two years of experience, including 500 hours of direct client contact with a minimum of 12 clients. They also mandate at least 65 hours of ADHD Coach training and accredited certification or 125 hours of general coaching training. In either case, the candidates must pass a written and oral examination.

You will gain optimal benefit from your tasks outside of the classroom when they line up perfectly with your lessons inside it. You may get to hear countless stories from more experienced professionals and obtain valuable hands-on experience when they manage to turn seemingly routine incidents into unique learning moments.

ICF-approved training curriculums include at least ten hours of one-on-one and group coach mentoring that further helps you gain valuable experience.

Read about the profession and interview/job shadow experts working in ADHD coaching to prove your commitment to course providers and prospective employers.

A niche area of expertise, ADHD coaching is unstructured with minimal government checks on requisite education and certification. 

However, enrollment in a recognised institution that offers programmes approved by the ICF (International Coaching Federation) can only help establish interested individuals as accomplished ADHD Coaches.

After completing an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field, such as psychology or social work, prospective ADHD Coaches may apply to organisations that offer varying levels of expertise.

The programmes include a judicious mix of virtual classroom lessons and electronic manuals based on an extensive library of resources, research, class material and class recordings.

Take college preparatory courses in psychology, math, accounting, and economics in high school. English and speech classes will help you develop your research, writing, and oral communication skills.

Certification from an objective and reputed organisation can help you stand out in a competitive job market, increase your chances of advancement, and allow you to become an independent consultant.

A combination of education, experience, and testing is generally required to gain certification, though requirements differ from region to region. Successful certification programs protect public welfare by incorporating a Code of Ethics.

A seven-week-long introductory course provides an aspiring ADHD Coach with the proven tools and methods to identify ADHD and strategies to help clients achieve balance and more functional life.

The introductory course acts as a stepping stone to another on personal transformation, which offers tried and tested means to reform an anxious and overwhelmed individual with ADHD into one who is secure in their own persona. 

You can try out the coaching models and exercises on yourself, so you appreciate their impact on others who would benefit from the personal transformation process. This nine-week-long course, along with a sixteen-week-long course focused on basic coaching skills, allows successful candidates to work towards acquiring higher certification.

Basic certification and life coach training programmes that international ADHD coaching associations accredit typically allow aspirants to gain a practical working knowledge of ADHD and some of the established patented coaching models.

The next step would be to enrol in the advanced coaching skills course and work towards advanced level certification as an Advanced ADHD & Life Coach.

Also available is a thirteen-hour-long coaching master class that imparts baseline information about the symptoms, diagnostic methods, and medications of ADHD and the role of positive psychology in interactions with individual clients, key challenges, and practical interventions.

You may also need to undergo an employment background check, including but not limited to a person’s work history, education, credit history, motor vehicle reports (MVRs), criminal record, medical history, use of social media, and drug screening.

Licensed mental health professionals may like to focus solely on ADHD coaching or include it in their repertoire of skills. Typically, licensure requires an application, processing fees, an examination, and relevant education and experience.

Performance, experience, and the acquisition of professional qualifications drive the career progression of Certified or Senior Certified ADHD Coaches whose clientele and earnings increase as they establish themselves in their chosen profession and make a name for themselves.

Successful ADHD Coaches can take up training the next generation of coaches and open their own establishments to coach individuals with ADHD. 

Compassionate and dedicated ADHD Coaches with accredited training, certification and significant experience have the best job prospects.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is essential for public wellbeing and career progression in the mental healthcare sector. It embraces several new learning objectives, educational methodologies, and novel technological developments, especially in education, management, and IT.

Forward-looking ADHD Coaches may enrol in advanced coaching skills courses and work towards advanced-level certification. Completion of elective courses that add to one’s knowledge is highly recommended.

Advanced coaching that offers real-time experience with specific types of clients and situations involving the clients’ parents and spouses will only expand your professional expertise.

Some education providers that offer senior ADHD coaching certification require at least five years of ADHD coaching experience, 1,500 hours of direct client contact with at least 20 clients, including around 1560 pro bono hours, 65 hours of ADHD training, and 60 hours of general coaching training, accredited ADHD Coach certification or completion of competency exams, and getting through an oral and written examination.

Attend courses that enhance your business-building focus, so you learn how to create a thriving coaching practice. Ways to get clients, how to charge them, social media, marketing, business cards, branding, website pages, creating an opt-in, and growing one’s emailing list form part of an ideal course.

Reflective learning, interaction with peer groups, comprehensive inclusion, workshops, and professional publications serve to educate, influence, support, and foster lifelong enlightenment in all career-grade ADHD Coaches.

Learn to Teach - Unique Skill Sets

An accomplished ADHD Coach will continue to build on their planning and organisational skills, healthy self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and judgement and goal-setting skills.

They will focus on the sustained enhancement of self-efficacy, prioritisation, problem-solving, stress management, and impulse control to help their clients master these valuable skills.

Questions That Fetch Requisite Answers

The questions that an ADHD Coach asks should encourage the client to think through them and figure out appropriate responses. Typical questions may focus on desirable changes in daily life, steps to meet goals, ways to motivate themselves, time frame for action plans, steps already taken and those remaining, and evaluation of the action plan.

Make a Difference

In order that you serve your professional goals, aim to have as many one-on-one sessions with a client as possible, be patient and positive, give clear instructions in a calm and clear voice, and maintain amicable eye contact.

Use short drills with a quick turnover and a new activity to keep the client engaged, ensure lines of communication with the client and their parents/caregiver remain open and ask the client for regular feedback.

Respect the client’s confidentiality, help the client manage excitement and anxiety to avoid arguments, watch for triggers and help them refocus, and involve the client in self-monitoring, so they know how to raise a ‘red flag’ and avoid acting out.

Keep the sessions simple and structured with a small number of clear, fair rules and the logic behind them. Use warnings and harsh sanctions only when necessary. Ignore petty incidents.

Potential Pros & Cons of Freelancing vs Full-Time Employment

Freelancing ADHD Coaches have more flexible work schedules and locations. They fully own the business and can select their projects and clients. However, they experience inconsistent work and cash flow, which means more responsibility, effort and risk.

On the other hand, a full-time ADHD Coach has company-sponsored health benefits, insurance, and retirement plans. They have job security with a fixed, reliable source of income and guidance from their bosses. Yet, they may experience boredom due to a lack of flexibility, ownership, and variety.

When deciding between freelancing or being a full-time employee, consider the pros and cons to see what works best for you.

Although symptoms of ADHD usually first appear between the ages of 3 and 6, about 6.76% of individuals deal with symptomatic adult ADHD worldwide. There is a significant decrease with advancing age.

Adept ADHD Coaches make a living while helping bring about a marked positive change in their clients’ lives through an all-encompassing coaching approach that includes social skills, executive function skills, coping skills, and self-care.

“Help your clients understand that they are not broken.”