Frequently Asked Questions

What is coaching?

Coaching is a partnership in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires a person to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.

When you partner with a coach, you are in the driver’s seat. Your coach provides support for accountability and self-awareness and helps you gain new perspectives. Coaches ask questions not to get an answer they desire, but to encourage you in meaningful exploration that can help you reach a new level of depth and performance.

Coaching is not the same thing as mentoring or therapy. A mentor provides subject matter expertise, wisdom and guidance based on their own experiences. Therapy deals with healing pain, trauma, dysfunction or conflict of some kind, typically with the goal of resolving difficulties that impair an individual’s emotional health and psychological functioning.

By contrast, coaching focuses on facilitating individuals or groups to draw upon their own experiences and capabilities to set and reach their own objectives. The coach is the expert in the coaching process, but you are the expert on your life journey.*

What is the distinction between an ADHD coach and a general coach?

A coach who specializes in ADHD coaching has a knowledge base in a specialty area that the general coach does not have. It’s much like a coach who specializes in small business possessing a special business knowledge base. The coach can draw on this knowledge base in his or her coaching, and generally be more conversant and effective in that specialty.

For example, ADHD coaches have spent far more time than general coaches learning about neuroscience and how the ADHD brain works. They are familiar with concepts such as executive functioning in the brain. They have a deeper understanding of the role of medications and in general how meds work. They recognize distraction, overwhelm, restlessness, fidgeting, and other traits as possibly being ADHD related. As clients become better educated as to how their ADHD brain is impacting their functioning, this leads to the client taking more appropriate actions.

An ADHD coach is also far more likely to understand how the person with ADHD thinks, going beyond empathizing with their problem. The ADHD coach is able to validate, understand, support, and acknowledge what their clients are going through. They truly “get” it. This is very important to people who have ADHD, who often don’t feel understood and need validation. A general coach simply will not have the knowledge base to coach on this level.*

Why work with an ADHD coach?

• Create a more ADHD-friendly work and home environment

• Increase executive functioning skills

• Improve focus on work/school priorities and productivity

• Build ADHD-friendly habits and routines

• Nurture self-compassion

• Improve time awareness and arrive to places on time

• Understand what ADHD is and what it isn't

• Learn to set achievable goals and cultivate the motivation to reach them

• Improve relationships and communication skills

• Know what to say to other people about ADHD

Do you coach remotely or in person?

At this time, I coach via video conferencing only. I use Google Meet (the Google version of Zoom). When you sign up for a session, a Google Meet invite will be sent to you. If you need to dial in by phone, each invite includes a phone number to join the meeting by phone. In the future, I will also have in-person coaching available in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

What are your rates?

I am in the process of setting my rates for my practice. For a limited time, I am offering a four-session package at CAN $320. ($80 per session)

My eventual decision on my rates will be influenced by an excellent webinar series by business coach Bear Hebert called Freely: An Anti-Capitalist Guide To Pricing Your Work. 

Finances shouldn’t be a barrier to getting the help you need, so let’s talk. Skills trades and sliding scale prices are available.

I don’t have an ADHD diagnosis. Would ADHD coaching still benefit me?

You don't necessarily have to have ADHD to be coached. If you struggle with executive function skills (self-awareness, inhibition, non-verbal and verbal working memory, emotional self-regulation, self-motivation, planning and problem solving), then you can benefit from coaching.

Coaches cannot diagnose ADHD or other neurodiversities. A licensed medical practitioner or psychologist can assess you for diagnosis, if that is a goal you wish to pursue. For the purpose of coaching, your desire to improve your life is all that’s required.

*Adapted from ICF & PAAC.