FAQ PAGE
Welcome to our FAQ page, where you can get answers to some of the top questions that adults and parents of children with ADHD have asked.
When you hear the word “coach” what images come to mind? Perhaps your mind goes back to your childhood gym teacher, or maybe you imagine a tracksuit-wearing, whistle-wielding sports coach who enthusiastically encourages you run faster, jump higher, and achieve more.
ADHD coaches are not unlike coaches in other fields, such as sports. Although we don’t have whistles or wear tracksuits, we do challenge you to push yourself past obstacles and encourage you to apply your best efforts in order to achieve success. As a coach, I work with my clients in a team-oriented manner, to guide, motivate, train, and hold them accountable for their own successes. Just like an athlete, you must be the one to do the actual work—but I can, and will, be right there on the sidelines, encouraging you to give it your all and guide you through the inevitable obstacles life puts in your way.
ADHD coaching helps children, their parents, and adult clients learn new ways of doing things. It identifies strategies that work with your child’s (or your) ADHD rather than struggling against it. ADHD is a difference, not a disorder. As a coach, I’ll help you or your child learn how to work with its more helpful aspects (and yes, there are plenty!) while simultaneously finding strategies to address its challenges.
ADHD coaching is a collaborative and interactive process which helps children, teens, and adults harness their ADHD in order to live productive and fulfilling lives. From experience, I know that it’s important to get everyone in the household and who frequently interfaces with the child, teen, or adult with ADHD “on the same page.” This means that everyone involved agrees to utilize the same rules, expectations, and strategies consistently and thus effectively. That’s why I typically work not only with the primary client (the person with ADHD), but his or her parents or caregivers, immediate family members, teachers, and other key individuals as appropriate.
The honest answer is, “it depends.” Depending on the situation, a number of factors can come into play. Some of these factors are the severity of the ADHD symptoms, the amount of dedication on the part of the family, the available resources, and support systems, and the client’s own motivation and willingness to try things out participate in the process, and overcome any internal levels of resistance.
For some clients and their families it only takes a short time to see lasting results, but for most families, in my experience, lasting change takes time, energy, and dedication. New strategies must be adopted and consistent routines built, so you should not be misled into thinking that ADHD coaching is a “quick fix.” On the contrary, what we’re doing is developing long-term life skills, applying these to your and/or your child’s daily life and routines. It’s reasonable to expect that you will begin to see tangible results within about 4-8 sessions (consistent with the length of our coaching packages). Some changes take longer, however, and many clients elect to continue with coaching to help “lock in” and continue building on their successes.
For your convenience, I offer multiple ways to partake in coaching from in-person to web-based and phone coaching nationwide. There are two types of in-person options, either home-based (at the client’s address) or office-based sessions (at my office located at 8751 E. Hampden Ave. Denver, CO 80231).
We can explore the best option for you or your family when we speak during the initial 30-min. complementary consultation.
This question comes up a lot. As a trained clinical social worker and licensed mental health professional, I do bring that knowledge and background into the work I do with families, but I do not cross the line between “therapist” and “ADHD coach.”
The intersections between coaching and therapy are many, so the line between the two can appear vague. To complicate matters even more, coaching and therapy come from the same theoretical basis, and modern therapeutic approaches are moving closer to those of coaching, due in part to the success that the coaching field has experienced. To help alleviate some of the confusion, I’ve compiled a list of seven key differences between psychotherapy and ADHD coaching:
- Therapy often goes into a person’s developmental history—past experiences, traumas, and mental health concerns—while coaching is focused on setting goals and finding solutions for current life issues.
- Therapists tend to take on the role of “expert,” giving treatment recommendations based on what they know. In coaching, you become the expert of your own life. Your coach may make suggestions, but you’re the one with the deepest knowledge about yourself, and your coach trusts that you will make the best decisions for your own life.
- Therapy places an emphasis on diagnosing and labeling people and problems. Coaching isn’t as concerned with diagnosis as with what’s going on right now—with what is getting in your way and how to get you past those barriers.
- Therapy is generalized and doesn’t tailor its solutions to specifically address the needs of you, your child, or your situation. Coaching utilizes a teamwork approach, partnering with you and your family to explore solutions and interventions for the issues at hand—based on your specific needs.
- Therapy tends to see the individual as “maladjusted” or “suffering from a debilitating disorder or condition” that requires treatment from a mental health professional. Coaching, on the other hand, is solution-oriented and comes from a belief in self-sufficiency. A coach understands that people have the ability to solve their own problems—they may just need some extra help, guidance, accountability, techniques, tools, and/or a motivational push in the right direction.
- Therapy is problem-focused, addressing the manifestations of a disorder (depression, anxiety, etc.) and their underlying symptoms. Coaching is solution-focused, starting from a person’s strengths, abilities, and interests, and only afterward considering their challenges and areas of difficulty.
- Therapy tends to be long-term. Coaching is usually much shorter in duration but can be ongoing in some cases.
Deciding whether or not to put your child on ADHD medications (either stimulant or non-stimulant) is often an overwhelming and heart-wrenching decision. It’s also a deeply personal choice for each family to make and usually depends on what’s in the best interest of your child. The first step in the process is getting an official diagnosis from a qualified and trained mental health professional, with related psychological testing (especially if there are possible learning disorders involved).
** Note: I do not provide diagnosis, psychological testing, or related mental health services. This information is solely for informational purposes, and its use or misuse is the sole responsibility of the reader. If you are concerned or have any questions, please consult a qualified mental health professional and verify all information before taking action.
The good news is that in general, ADHD medications have been around a long time and have been used by many people. This means that ADHD medications have been found to be useful by a majority of the people who take them, and they have been safe for most consumers. Studies indicate that medications work for nearly 80% of the individuals prescribed them, and are ineffective only about 20% of the time.
The not-so-good news has to do with side effects, but fortunately, these are relatively few, and most are either not serious or can be reduced/eliminated by proper dosing or switching to a different medication.
If you are considering placing your child on medication for ADHD, I recommend that you do your research ahead of time (look at CHADD, NIMH, and other reputable sources). Interview a few different psychiatrists, and try to find one who specializes in ADHD and has expertise and training in this area. For more information and specific advice on this topic see the following article: http://www.additudemag.com/slideshow/86/slide-1.html
Because of the widespread use of ADHD medications, we know that their side effects and potential negative consequences are very low in the short run. However, there haven’t been enough long-term longitudinal studies or data to determine whether ADHD medications have more long-term consequences.
Some new research indicates that ADHD medications might have longer-lasting effects than once believed on childhood development, such as short-term memory loss, blunted personality, and stifled creativity. The jury, however, is still out on this.
The most common side effects of stimulant-based ADHD medications are decreased appetite, sleep disturbances, and mood deregulation. As noted above, these are often minor and can be easily mitigated. Other, more serious side effects have been reported, but still remain unconfirmed. These have to do with potentially making congenital heart issues worse, and possibly contributing to sudden death from heart attacks. (These medications come with warnings on the labels.)
By and large, ADHD medications are relatively safe to use and are effective when taken as prescribed.
Typically, people with ADHD are highly gifted in some areas. These tend to be activities they find interesting, such as the creative arts, computers, sports, music, and video games. Simultaneously, they usually struggle with uninteresting or tedious activities like math, reading, detailed task performance, time management, and organization.
I help my clients lean into those challenges and see them as opportunities for growth while leveraging their unique strengths. The PWR system helps my clients build on these strengths so they can experience success early on in the program. When someone is feeling accomplished, they’re much more likely to be able to apply themselves to things they find difficult.
I help my clients stay on track, find motivation, plan their goals, organize their time, improve their behaviors, be more confident, and create strategies for success in multiple life areas.
As your coach, initially, I will work with you to identify your:
- current strengths and abilities
- current challenges and areas for growth
From there we work together to come up with your personal “Action & Accountability Plan”—an individualized, goal-oriented plan based on your strengths and needs, which acts like a roadmap for your future success.
While each Action & Accountability Plan is unique, here are some common challenges we address:
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And here are some ways I can help you address those challenges:
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Essentially, I will help you or your child make the most of your abilities, talents, and interests, leveraging everything you have to offer. Through targeted interventions and the strategic application of time-tested systems and routines, my aim is to help you and your family find balance and live a happier life.
At this time I do not accept insurance. I operate under a sliding-scale fee structure (call for details). During the first “Free 30-Minute Strategy Session” phone consultation, we will come up with a package that meets your/your child’s needs and is financially feasible based on your situation. My fees are priced competitively and are packed full of additional value-added services. These services are delivered in packages priced to offer you the most value for your dollar and to help ensure successful outcomes from the program.
I put a great deal of personal attention into your sessions, and I offer exclusive advocacy services (going to your child’s school, attending IEP/CSE meetings, etc.) and home-based interventions which set PWR’s program apart from others in this line of work. I really do care and I promise to go the extra mile for you or your child.
One of the key differences of our program is that we start with the child’s strengths. Many psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals start out by defining the problems.
As a child with ADHD myself, I remember what it was like to go into a therapist’s office and always talk about my problems—and at some point, I started to believe that I was the problem. Why? The more we talked about my problems, the more I realized that the only common denominator in the long list of them was . . . me. So I started to internalize this negative view about myself.
These subtle yet pervasive tendencies have a profound impact on the development of a child’s psyche and sense of self. That’s why at PWR, we put the focus on what’s right. On what’s already working well. Moreover, we provide positive, strength-based strategies to help you/your child be successful, and we offer tangible tools and interventions (tailor-made visual charts, action plans, behavioral charts, etc.) to make sure that the changes we discuss are actually carried out between sessions.
When I reach such goals with my clients, I personally follow up on them through “accountability” calls or emails between sessions, and I frequently provide additional between-session resources or support as needed. You can trust that I will always have your or your child’s best interests at heart and I will work with you tirelessly to support your/your child’s growth.
