Common Questions About Coaching
If you’re new to coaching or unsure what to expect, that’s completely normal. The questions below address common questions about how coaching works, what sessions look like, and whether this approach might be a good fit for you.
-
Coaching is a collaborative, goal-oriented process designed to help you better understand how you think, what motivates you, what matters to you, and what keeps getting in the way.
This is especially important for ADHD adults. Lasting change rarely comes from finding a better planner, stricter routine, or more detailed to-do list. Plans and strategies that are disconnected from your actual motivations, values, capacities, and way of functioning usually do not last. Sustainable systems have to be built around the person using them.
My role is to create a space for exploration, reflection, and learning. I provide structure, ask questions, reflect patterns, and share information about ADHD when it may be useful.
Rather than telling you what to do, I help you better understand yourself, identify what gets in the way, and uncover approaches that fit who you are.
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential." I value this definition because it emphasizes partnership. Coaching is not something done to you; it is work we do together.
-
Coaching with me may be a good fit if you are diagnosed ADHD or otherwise neurodivergent, or strongly suspect ADHD or neurodivergence. It may also be a good fit if you are willing to consider how this factors into your life, learn more about how you function, and experiment between sessions.
If that sounds appealing, coaching may be worth exploring.
-
Each one-hour session begins with a topic connected to your larger coaching goal; often something that feels challenging, stuck, or unresolved.
We'll spend some time reviewing what has happened since our last conversation, exploring your current situation, and identifying what you're learning about yourself along the way.
Before the session ends, you'll identify a next step or experiment to carry forward between meetings.
Over time, these conversations help you better understand how you function, what gets in the way, and what kinds of habits, routines, structure, and support help you move forward more consistently.
-
No. Coaching is not advice-giving or directive guidance.
My role is not to tell you what to do, but to help you examine your thinking, clarify your priorities, and determine what makes sense for you. I ask questions, reflect patterns, and help you translate insight into practical next steps.
Coaching assumes you are capable and resourceful. The work is not about outsourcing decisions, but about strengthening confidence in making them for yourself.
-
I am trained through the Coach Approach Training Institute (CATI), an International Coaching Federation (ICF)-accredited program grounded in core coaching competencies and strengths-based practice.
My coursework includes Coaching Essentials, Strengths-Based Coaching, Brain-Based Coaching, Life and ADHD Coaching, and Coach Integration. I completed Level 1 training in April 2026 and am currently enrolled in Level 2 coursework with a focus on neurodiversity.
ICF credentialing requires both formal coursework and a significant number of paid coaching hours completed under supervision and mentorship. I am actively building those hours and anticipate applying for Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credentialing in 2027.
I am also an active member of the ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO), the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO), and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD).
-
Years of working directly alongside people in their homes gave me a close-up view of how executive function challenges actually show up in daily life.
I wasn't seeing ADHD in theory. I was seeing it in overflowing paper piles, abandoned projects, missed deadlines, difficult decisions, broken routines, and the gap between what people intended to do and what actually happened.
That experience taught me something important: information and good ideas are rarely the problem. Most people already know what they should be doing. The challenge is figuring out how to follow through consistently in real life.
Coaching allows me to work on that deeper level. My organizing background gives me practical experience with the kinds of challenges many ADHD adults face, while coaching provides a framework for creating meaningful and lasting change.
-
Therapy and coaching serve different purposes, and many people benefit from both.
Therapists are licensed professionals trained to diagnose and treat mental health conditions. Coaches are not. Coaching does not address trauma, mental illness, or psychological treatment. If I believe therapy would be more appropriate, I will say so.
Coaching is generally focused on the present and future. It is a goal-oriented process designed to help you better understand yourself, identify what gets in the way, and create meaningful change in your daily life.
Many ADHD adults find that therapy helps them process the emotional impact of living with ADHD, while coaching helps them build the habits, routines, structure, and support that make life more manageable.
The two approaches can complement each other well.
-
The coaching relationship is confidential but is not protected by legal privilege.
Everything shared during our coaching sessions will be kept confidential except in situations where disclosure is required by law, where there is risk of imminent harm to yourself or others, or where you have provided written permission for disclosure.
I adhere to the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Code of Ethics, which places strong emphasis on client confidentiality, professional conduct, and maintaining appropriate boundaries.
-
Every new client begins with a trial month of four weekly sessions. This gives us enough time to clarify your goal, establish a rhythm, and determine whether coaching feels like a good fit.
For most clients, the first month is just the beginning. ADHD affects all areas of life, and meaningful change takes time. Some clients work through a specific challenge and conclude after a few months. Others stay longer as they strengthen new habits, build consistency, navigate life transitions, or pursue additional goals.
Coaching renews in four-session increments. At the end of each cycle, we'll decide together whether continuing makes sense.
Consistency matters. Meeting regularly helps maintain momentum and supports follow-through. Sessions are typically held weekly, though some clients eventually transition to a biweekly schedule.
-
Coaching does not guarantee specific outcomes. What it offers is a structured process for understanding yourself more clearly and creating meaningful change over time.
Many clients find that they follow through more consistently, rely less on urgency and last-minute pressure, feel less overwhelmed, and develop greater confidence in their ability to handle everyday challenges.
Perhaps most importantly, they develop a better understanding of how they function. Over time, they learn what helps, what gets in the way, and what kinds of habits, routines, structure, and support allow them to function better.
The degree of change depends on many factors, including your goals, your circumstances, and your willingness to engage with the process both during and between sessions.
-
All coaching sessions are conducted virtually via Zoom.
I currently work with clients throughout the continental United States and Canada.
-
All new clients begin with a 15-minute introductory call. This gives us an opportunity to discuss what you're looking for and determine whether working together feels like a good fit.
If we decide to move forward, you'll begin with a trial month of four weekly coaching sessions.
If at any point either of us feels that coaching together is no longer serving its intended purpose, we can discuss that openly. A strong coaching relationship depends on mutual trust, alignment, and commitment to the process.
-
The introductory call is a brief, low-pressure Zoom conversation.
We'll talk about what prompted you to explore coaching, what feels difficult or stuck right now, and what you hope might change. You'll also have an opportunity to ask questions about coaching and how I work.
The goal of the call is simply to determine whether working together would be useful. If it seems like a strong fit, we'll discuss next steps. If not, there is no obligation to continue.
-
If, at the end of the introductory call, we both feel that coaching together would be a good fit, we'll discuss scheduling and next steps.
After the call, I'll send an onboarding email that includes my professional services agreement, a payment link, a client intake form, and the schedule for your first four sessions.
Once the agreement is signed, payment is received, and your intake form is completed, your trial month is officially in place and we begin our work together.
-
I require at least 24 hours' notice to reschedule a session. Sessions missed without notice may be forfeited.
This policy protects both of our time and supports the consistency that makes coaching most effective.
Additional Questions
Do I need an ADHD diagnosis to work with you?
No. A formal diagnosis is not required to begin coaching. Many clients come to coaching because they recognize themselves in ADHD patterns and want to better understand what is happening.
That said, diagnosis matters.
By the time many adults receive a diagnosis, they have spent decades wondering why seemingly simple things require so much more effort. They have received countless messages that their struggles are a character flaw, a sign of weak will, or a moral failing. Most ADHD adults carry significant accumulated shame as a result.
Diagnosis reframes all of that. ADHD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition associated with differences in executive function, self-regulation, and dopamine regulation. For many people, this understanding brings enormous relief.
Diagnosis can also open practical doors. It is often the gateway to medication, workplace accommodations, and a more informed support team.
Diagnosis does not erase decades of struggle, nor does it automatically create new habits, routines, structure, or support. But for many people, it marks the beginning of relating to themselves differently.
What does an ADHD support team look like?
Most ADHD adults benefit from more than one kind of support, and the mix looks different for everyone. A support team might include a prescribing physician or psychiatrist, a talk therapist who specializes in ADHD, a coach, and sometimes an ADHD-informed professional organizer.
Each plays a distinct role. Prescribers manage medication. Therapists address the emotional and psychological weight of a lifetime of struggle; the shame, possible depression and/or anxiety, and the accumulated grief of time lost. Many therapists who specialize in ADHD also use coaching techniques.
ADHD Coaches focus on the practical present and future: building strategies, structure, and self-knowledge that make daily life more workable.
Medication can make self-regulation more possible, but it doesn't automatically build the habits, routines, structure, and support that make daily life work better. That's where coaching comes in.
You are the driver. Everyone on your team works in service of your goals.
What does a coach who serves ADHD people do?
A coach who works with ADHD adults helps them understand how their ADHD shows up in daily life and develop practical ways to work with it more effectively.
Coaching often focuses on challenges such as procrastination, follow-through, overwhelm, emotional regulation, decision-making, and managing competing responsibilities. Together, we identify what gets in the way and build habits, routines, structure, and support that fit the individual.
Over time, many clients develop a much clearer understanding of how they function; what creates momentum, what causes things to stall, and what helps them succeed more consistently. This growing self-knowledge becomes a practical resource they can continue drawing from long after coaching ends.
The goal is to reduce chaos, increase consistency, and create a life that works better.
Can coaching help ADHD adults?
Yes. Many ADHD adults find coaching helpful because it focuses on practical implementation rather than information alone.
Most people already know what they should be doing. The challenge is turning that knowledge into consistent action. Coaching helps bridge that gap by creating a structured process for learning, experimenting, and building supports that fit your life.
Over time, many clients find that they rely less on urgency and last-minute pressure, follow through more consistently, feel less overwhelmed, and develop greater confidence in their ability to handle everyday challenges.
Coaching does not replace therapy, medication, or medical care. It can, however, be an important part of a broader ADHD support team.
Why do people sometimes struggle with ADHD more at certain times?
ADHD doesn't come and go, but life circumstances do.
During periods of increased stress, major transitions, burnout, hormonal shifts, health challenges, or simply taking on more than your current systems can support, ADHD-related challenges often become much harder to manage.
Strategies that worked well in one season of life may stop working in another. The demands have changed, but your understanding of yourself, your habits, routines, structure, and support may not have changed with them.
One reason people seek coaching is because the gap between what life requires and what their current approaches can reliably support has grown too large to ignore.
Coaching helps close that gap by increasing self-understanding and developing new ways of working with your ADHD.
Does ADHD affect self-esteem?
Yes, often significantly.
The groundwork is frequently laid early. By age 12, children with ADHD have received an estimated 20,000 more negative messages from parents, teachers, and other adults than their neurotypical peers, according to ADHD specialist William Dodson, MD.
Years of struggling with things that others seem to manage effortlessly can erode confidence and self-trust. Many ADHD adults carry a persistent sense of falling short, even when there is plenty of evidence that they are capable, intelligent, and successful.
That feeling rarely comes from one experience. It accumulates over years of stalled projects, failed systems, missed opportunities, relationship challenges, and the exhausting gap between what you intended to do and what actually happened.
Part of the coaching process involves recognizing strengths, acknowledging accomplishments, and developing a more accurate understanding of both your challenges and your capabilities. Building self-trust is often just as important as building better habits, routines, structure, and support.
“If you have ADHD, there are several reasons why it is difficult for you to accomplish things, and none of them have to do with laziness or not trying hard enough.”
— Tamara Rosier, PhD
