What is Coaching and What Should I Expect?
The Neurotypical World
Our world is tailored to the neurotypical brain, with long-term adjustments for neurodiverse people rarely seen. This also reflects on how neurodivergent people are treated, such as being called lazy when you are struggling with task initiation or being called rude when you are experiencing heightened anxiety in social situations. This can leave people with Autism and ADHD feeling overwhelmed with life and daily functioning.
Coaching is a form of support tailored to the individual and is particularly beneficial for people who are neurodiverse. You and your coach will be collaborators, working through sessions as a team. This neuroaffirming method takes a future-focused approach, helping develop strategies to manage everyday life. It places emphasis on setting goals to work towards, developing functional and practical skills along the way.
If you’ve every wondering what a coaching session actually feels like, not just what it promises, this is for you. ADHD coaching is not telling you what to do, or fixing you, but it aims to help you work with your brain through intentional conversations.
What does a Coaching Session Look like?
A typical session starts with a simple but powerful question:
“What would make this conversation really valuable for you today?”
Right from the start, you set the purpose of the session. You will create a session agreement, thinking about your goal for the session, and the coach will guide you into achieving this by considering:
how you want to feel by the end of the session; and
how you will notice that changes are happening
This agreement anchors the session and allows the coach to direct you back to the focus, ultimately benefiting you.
A coaching session is a flexible, natural conversation, and most importantly, it is intentional. You will begin by bringing your thoughts and feelings. It is a judgment-free zone, and the aim is to ensure you feel comfortable sharing and discussing your challenges. The role of a coach is to listen and make you feel heard, as this encourages self-exploration.
The coach will gently encourage you to reflect on certain patterns or behaviours, without trying to fix it. This allows you space and time to evaluate yourself and promotes self-awareness. They will also guide you back to the focus of the session and help break down potentially chaotic challenges into clear, focused sections. This clarity and maintaining a narrow focus is beneficial for working through a problem.
Once there is a clear focus, whether that be an action, a behaviour, or a feeling, the coach will encourage achievable steps that can be taken to turn thoughts into actions. This may look like:
“What would make this easier?” or “What might get in the way?”
Once again, you take the reins and make your own plan, as this is linked with improved action outcomes. You will find your thoughts shifting towards more positive views of yourself.
The Result of Coaching
The overall aim of coaching is to help you understand your brain. You will work through challenges you are facing, whilst also acknowledging your successes each session. It will motivate you to work towards your goals and be able to hold accountability for setbacks you may face. This is a judgement-free zone; your coach will be your accountability guide, ensuring you are comfortable.
If you feel that you would benefit from coaching sessions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today!
