How do you become an ADHD Coach?
It sounds kind of obvious, but training to be an ADHD Coach involves training in ADHD, and training in coaching.
We think that coaching is all about developing a practice, a way of being in a room (digital or real) with a client, and having the skills you need to confidently run a coaching session for someone with ADHD. This is why we start our Level 1 course with a skills based approach to coaching, before going deeper into the theories behind the practice.
Coaching, in and of itself, is a very supportive approach for ADHD. Coaching is all about working towards a goal, and ADHD for many, is about challenges working towards goals, that’s what we mean by ADHD being about challenges with executive function or executive skills. In The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success, Peg Dawson reminds us that “They’re called executive skills because they’re the skills required to execute tasks” (1). We particularly like Thomas E. Brown’s way of talking about Executive Function as it relates to ADHD which you can read more about below (2).
But, great ADHD coaches go beyond being good coaches who know about ADHD. We believe that great ADHD Coaches make their clients feel seen, with the intention that you are able to reflect back the client’s experience to them, in a way that conveys that even if you don’t share their specific experience, you do understand the things they’re talking about.
Lastly, we believe that to become an ADHD Coach you should be accredited, or working towards accreditation with a coaching body, and you should sign up to a Code of Ethics. At SOAC we are ICF accredited, you can read more about why here
As you might already know, coaching and therefore ADHD Coaching are not legally protected terms in the UK. Anyone can call themselves an ADHD Coach
We believe that best practice involves student coaches completing an evidence based ADHD specialist training, as well as accredited coaching training. This should mean that coaches are equipped to deal with the challenges they might face in client sessions, as well as knowing where to go when they find themselves needing to learn more, seek greater expertise, or deal with tricky situations.
At SOAC, all of our faculty are ICF accredited coaches and have done specialised training in ADHD through a coaching lens.
References
(1) The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success: How to Use Your Brain's Executive Skills to Keep Up, Stay Calm, and Get Organized at Work and at Home
Peg Dawson
(2) Thomas Brown’s Model of Exective Function Impairments in ADHD https://www.brownadhdclinic.com/brown-ef-model-adhd
