ADHD Coaching 101
What is it? And does it help? Plus 5 free or low cost ways to get it...
Hello! I’m Shannon, aka ADHD Designer. I’ve relaunched my newsletter on Substack after a year’s hiatus, so you might have forgotten you signed up if it was a while ago. I’ll be writing about everything I’ve learned managing adult ADHD since being diagnosed 3 years ago, and sharing as much of the good stuff as I can with you.
I recently announced the relaunch of the newsletter on Twitter, and mentioned that I was working with my ADHD coach to finally get it done. There were a lot of questions about what ADHD coaching actually is, so I figured this would be a good place to start!
What is ADHD coaching?
You may have heard of a life coach, a business coach, or, of course, a coach on a sports team. In general, a coach is anyone who helps somebody achieve their goals.
An ADHD coach is specifically trained help people with ADHD manage the symptoms that get in the way of them achieving their goals, while also providing a valuable source of accountability.
How does it work?
With traditional ADHD coaching, 1-on-1 sessions may take place in person, over the phone, or online, usually once a week. Usually you work together for a minimum of a few months.
Each coaching session is guided by you, which means you bring to the coach the things that are most important to you. You discuss any goals you may have, or challenges your symptoms have been presenting, and your ADHD coach suggests tactics and strategies for getting the tasks needed to achieve your goals done. This can include things like:
Planning and scheduling in tasks
Prioritising which tasks are most important for you
Identifying why certain tasks are important, aligning them to your values and long term goals
Coming up with new ways to approach tasks
Setting check-in times with you throughout the week for certain tasks
Identifying any potential blockers that could get in the way
At the end of each session, you have a plan of how to proceed until the next session, and an accountability partner you can check in with.
The 2 big problems with ADHD Coaching
That all sounds great, right? Someone to help me stay on track with the things ADHD makes hard for me to do? Perfect!
Unfortunately, there are a couple major issues with ADHD coaching.
1. There’s no regulation
A lot of people I’ve spoken to about ADHD coaching love the idea of it, but have no idea how to find one. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a minefield out there, because ADHD coaching is not a regulated profession, like, for example, a therapists are.
There are some ADHD coaching certification programs available, but in my experience, these don’t necessarily mean much. When I was first looking for a coach, I spoke to several fully certified ADHD coaches who were, putting it lightly, absolutely clueless. Frankly, they came off as unprofessional, and weren’t able to answer basic questions I had about their coaching practices. I moved on quickly.
I eventually found a coach I liked through recommendation, but in general, I think the same rule applies to finding an ADHD coach as it does when finding a therapist: Good vibes only
Picking someone based on vibes may sound a bit woo-woo, but there is actually scientific evidence that the relationship itself is the biggest value in these kinds of situations.
“Now we understand that the main curative part of psychotherapy is the relationship itself. It appears not to be relevant whether the practitioner is an analytic Freudian or a counselling Rogerian, a transactional analyst or a life coach, or from an eclectic school. What matters is the quality of the relationship and the practitioner’s belief in what he or she is offering.”
2. It costs a TON of money
I did 3 months of weekly sessions with my ADHD coach, and you may be absolutely stunned to find out the cost was £1,850 ($2,300USD) for 12 x 45min sessions! That’s over £600/month!
While I found the coaching to be hugely helpful, that would be absolutely unaffordable for the vast majority of people, including myself. While you can find traditional 1-on-1 ADHD coaching for cheaper than that, it is still going to be way more than most people can afford.
Luckily I didn’t actually have to pay for that coaching myself, which I’ll talk a bit more about next…
5 Lower Cost (or Free!) Ways to Get ADHD Coaching
Since ADHD coaching can be so unaffordable, I’ve discovered some ways to keep up with it that cost a lot less than normal 1-on-1 coaching. I’ve tried all of these personally, and all work for different situations, so your mileage may vary. Here’s the breakdown:
Lower Cost ADHD Coaching
Shimmer
I’m currently doing ADHD coaching through Shimmer, which is an ADHD coaching app. Essentially, you sign up, get matched with a certified ADHD coach, and have weekly calls with them. I’ve been using it for 3 months, and have found it’s a great lower-cost alternative, in terms of both money AND time, to traditional ADHD coaching. It costs more than all of the other options I’ve included, but for me as a self-employed person, it’s basically paid for itself with how much more organised I am now.
They have several plans, and I decided to go for the lowest cost one, which includes a 15 min coaching session every week with my wonderful coach, Alex, who I love. It’s just enough time to go through goals and make a plan for the week, without feeling too overwhelming, or like something that gets in the way of my busy schedule, like longer sessions sometimes can.
Cost: $115USD(£90)/monthADHD Wise Adult Group Coaching Course
I did this 8 week course with ADHD Wise, a social enterprise based in the UK that offers online coaching, back in 2020, and it honestly changed my life. I learned a TON about ADHD, including strategies I use to this day, but the biggest surprise benefit was the social sessions after the lesson part of the course finished. It was the first time I’d been in a (Zoom) room filled with only other ADHD folks, and it was amazing to feel fully understood and accepted.
The course runs regularly, check the link to see when the next one starts. Also note, although ADHD Wise is based in the UK, the course is online, so anyone can join. When I took it, there were also folks from Australia and the US who attended.
Cost: £160 ($199USD) for 8 sessions
(PS, when I did it, they let you take the course for a second time for free, which I did, because they acknowledge they cram too much info into it for you to remember the first time around, because otherwise ADHD folks would find it dull!)
Free ADHD Coaching
Government Grants
Remember earlier when I said I didn’t actually pay that £1,850 for my 1-on-1 ADHD coaching? This is how. I applied for a UK government grant called Access to Work, which helps people with disabilities pay for accommodations that help them get their job done. People with ADHD are eligible, and ADHD coaching can be covered! (PS, Let me know if you’d like me to write more about my experience with Access to Work)
While I’m not an expert on government grants outside the UK, I do know that there are such things available in other countries. For example, I know that Canadians were able to access coaching through Shimmer for free via an ESDC funded grant.
Peer coaching
Remember when I told you ADHD coaches aren’t regulated? That means anyone can do it. While I don’t endorse charging others money for it without proper training, it’s perfectly okay to do the coaching process with a friend, and then they in return do it with you. Essentially, each week you meet up or call to review each of your goals, check in on where you both got to, brainstorm ideas or solutions, and then schedule stuff in together. You can also do it in a larger group.
I won’t get into the details of how it works here, but there is an excellent, and very in-depth explanation of how to do it in the book The Drummer and the Great Mountain - A Guidebook to Transforming Adult ADD/ADHD by Michael Joseph Ferguson, if you’re interested in trying it yourself.AI-powered ADHD coaching
The future is now! I’ve just recently started reading about how some people are using Chat-GPT as their own personal AI ADHD coach. I tried it myself (to middling success) for the first time the other day, but I think there’s a lot of promise here for the right situation. Here’s a great twitter thread with more info on how Nick Dobos used Chat GPT as a sort of robo-coach.
The TL;DR
Overall, I’m a massive fan of ADHD coaching. It’s helped me understand my diagnosis better, identify my values and big dreams, and stay on track with my day to day goals and habits. There are lots of ways to make it work for you, and they aren’t all pocket-drainers!
Follow me on Twitch for free co-working livestreams!
I stream body-doubling sessions live on Twitch 2-3x a week. If you have trouble getting things done, the streams provide structure, and is a great spot to chat with a community of friendly ADHD folks about strategies for work, school, career, or whatever. I’ll also answer just about any question you ask during work breaks!
Please note: Some links contained in this publication are affiliate links. I never share anything I haven’t personally used and had success with myself. By using my links, you don’t pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your purchase paid to me by the vendor, which means you help support me and my content. 💜
Absolutely wonderful and informative article. Although I’m an ADHD Coach, there’s so many that need one. I love the breakdown that you’ve presented for those that can and cannot afford one. This is so impactful and helpful to all. I’ll definitely be hoping on Twitch. I help others but still need coaching. I feel even therapist need a therapist.