FAQs
What is coaching, Anyway?
The International Coach Federation defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment. Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole.”
What are the Benefits of coaching?
Numerous studies demonstrate that coaching can elevate school and work performance and professional satisfaction, creating immediate and lasting returns on investment.
In this 2017 TED Talk, “Want to get great at something? Get a coach,” Atul Gawande, a surgeon, Harvard professor, and author of The Checklist Manifesto, says that coaching isn’t just good for athletes — it can also help professionals from doctors to lawyers to scientists to musicians get better at what they do.
For people with an attention disorder, a recent research review shows that coaching supports broad improvements in ADHD symptoms, executive functioning, and measures of well-being for all ages.
According to Professional Coaching for Lawyers, an April 2019 article in the ABA Journal, “coaching is for individuals who want to elevate their performance, increase their personal and professional happiness, and acquire missing skills that are necessary for success.” The article concludes:
At times working as a lawyer can become a vicious cycle of constantly trying to bill more hours and attract more clients. Many lawyers do not take the time to reflect on what they really want. Some do not know what steps to take to achieve their goals. Others know the steps but cannot get themselves to take action. Still others have trouble balancing work, family, and leisure. A coach can help provide solutions to these issues.
How does coaching differ from therapy?
A coach does not diagnose or treat any condition, including ADHD. Coaching can be a standalone intervention for ADHD, or part of a comprehensive plan that also includes other modes of treatment.
The ICF website discusses some distinctions between coaching and therapy:
Professional coaching focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes and managing personal change. Therapy … deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual’s emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways.
Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. ... Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one’s work or personal life.
It is not necessary to have a formal diagnosis to work with an ADHD coach.