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Frequently Asked Questions about ADD Coaching
How long does ADD - ADHD Coaching take?
How much does ADD - ADHD Coaching cost?
How is ADD - ADHD Coaching different from therapy?
What kind of training does an ADD - ADHD Coach have?
How can ADD - ADHD coaching help when self-help books have not?
How can I focus over the phone?
If coaching works, can I stop medication?
How can I convince my spouse (parent, child, etc.) to get ADD - ADHD coaching?
How do I know if ADD - ADHD coaching will work for me?
What is the next step?
Can I learn to coach myself?
How long does ADD - ADHD Coaching take?
Coaching is very individualized. Adults with ADD - ADHD may come to coaching for a wide variety of reasons, from finding out more about how to work with their own ADD - ADHD traits to creating a career strategy. A very specific challenge might simply involve changing a particular set of habits that can be accomplished in a few months. Deeper issues or tendencies may take more "layers" of skill-building, including learning to think issues through in a different way. While there's no way to predict for any individual how long it will take them to reach their coaching goals, assume that habits won't change overnight. As a rule of thumb, consider a minimum of three months for coaching to be effective.
The more experienced and skilled an ADHD Coach is, the faster you should receive breakthrough's in your work together.
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How much does ADD - ADHD Coaching cost?
Working with a private coach is priced similarly to services like psychotherapy and consulting. With an ADD coach, you should expect to pay at least $150-250 an hour, depending on the coach's experience.
Consider that the number of years of experience an ADHD Coach has can make a difference in how quickly the coach will help you reach your goals. A Senior Certified ADHD Coach will most likely be able to help you more efficiently than someone with less experience.
My fees range from $525 to $800 a month, determined by the duration and frequency of your sessions. Sessions of 60 minutes are $200 each; 45-minute sessions are $175 each. Clients typically choose a monthly package of either three or four sessions a month, and can change their coaching package each month if they wish.
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How is ADD - ADHD Coaching different from psychotherapy?
Coaching is not psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is based on creating understanding of the past, and becoming aware of your motivations. Although recognizing feelings and motivations is an important part of understanding yourself, coaching focuses more on going forward, creating strategies and taking action to produce the changes you desire. A coach will help you hold your focus and move ahead, but YOU are responsible for the movement, one small step at a time.
ADD - ADHD coaching is concerned with actions and behavior in the present, and on helping you learn how to build strategies to reach goals for the future. In a coaching process, every session will generate a set of actions that you will work on to get you closer to your goal.
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What kind of training does an ADD - ADHD coach have?
ADD - ADHD coaches should be, first of all, skilled and trained in coaching in general. There are many different training institutions for learning the coaching process. An ADD - ADHD Coach must be also trained to understand, identify, and work with the many unique traits of ADD - AD/HD adults.
I am a 2001 graduate of ADD Coach Academy (www.addca.com), an excellent training ground for ADD - ADHD Coaching. Its founder, David Giwerc, is a prominent Master Coach, speaker and workshop leader in the international ADD professional community and a recent president of ADDA.
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How can coaching help when self-help books have not?
With Attention Deficit Disorder, your brain is "wired" differently than the non-ADD brain. So strategies that may work well for 80% of the general population won't work well for ADD - ADHD adults. In addition, no two people with ADD are alike. Even a book advising you on what to do with ADD - ADHD may not really give the right strategy that works with your particular set of traits.
Also, it can be hard for many people with ADD - ADHD to focus for long on a book if they don't find it very interesting. Many people buy self-help books on various topics, hoping they will contain the one nugget of "truth" that will provide a breakthrough. But ADD is complex. There is no "one-size-fits-all" solution.
The coaching process addresses the unique complexity of the individual, allowing for tweaks along the way to find and perfect the most effective strategy for you as an individual.
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How can I focus over the phone?
You may find it hard to believe that you can learn a great deal about yourself on the phone. In typical past phone conversations, unless the interaction was very interesting, you may have found yourself drifting off. But when you are genuinely interested, you will be surprised how avidly you will be able to focus on a coaching call. And since the whole conversation is about you, your interest will remain high!
As an added plus, you don't need to figure in travel time and inconvenience to visit another location every week.
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If ADD - ADHD coaching works, can I stop medication?
ADD - AD/HD medication is intended to help your brain focus at will, in a way that it doesn't do naturally. But improved focus doesn't help create the right strategies for doing things effectively, if you have a lifetime of habits to overcome. That is where coaching comes in, helping you develop the self-knowledge and effective habits that work for you. So both coaching AND treatment for your focus ability are important.
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How can I convince my spouse (parent, child, etc.) to get ADD - ADHD coaching?
ADD - ADHD coaching only works with someone who wants to change, and is willing to take the steps to move towards their goals. Some people are not ready to acknowledge that they have ADD (or ADD traits). Without a willingness to "look in the mirror," it isn't possible to be coached successfully.
It may take a heartfelt discussion with a loved one to tell them how their traits, tendencies or habits are affecting you before they'll consider getting help. Also, assure the person that coaching is not about "fixing" them - they're not broken! It's simply a process of learning how to achieve the results that they want.
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How do I know if ADD - ADHD coaching will work for me?
ADD - ADHD coaching is a partnership. The coach provides the process and guidance, but you're the one who ultimately needs to do the work. So the most important factor in successful ADD - ADHD coaching is you - whether you are willing to take small steps to do things differently than you have been. If you continue to only do what you have done in the past, simply talking every week to a coach won't create much progress.
You'll want to be able to trust and connect with your coach, and feel understood when you talk. The best way to determine that level of rapport is to talk to a coach. Explain what goals you would like to reach in coaching, what you would like to change, and what your expectations are. The coach will tell you if ADD - ADHD coaching can realistically meet your expectations.
What is the next step?
If you think that ADD - ADHD coaching sounds like what you're looking for and want to explore it further, let's talk about it in a complementary phone consultation. To set it up, just phone me at 914-478-0071, or email me. We'll talk about your own coaching goals, so that we can determine if I am the right coach for you.
Can I learn to coach myself?
You can begin to work more effectively with your ADD challenges with the self-paced coaching/learning tools I've created for Thrive with ADD.
- THRIVE WITH ADD Self-Coaching Workshop In-a-Box is a package of Workbook, Set of CD's and extra bonus downloads. Click here to find out about it.
- Teleclass Recordings with Notes allow you to "listen in" at your convenience to recordings of Thrive with ADD downloadable telephone classes on a variety of Adult ADD topics. The class recordings come with easy-to-follow notes, so you can don't have to take your own. Click here to see the list of topics.
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