Coaching For ADD Women

Coaching For ADD Women – How to Get the Best Results From Your ADD Coach

The most frequent request I receive from midlife ADD
women is: “Tell me more about ADD coaching.” Of course the questions
behind the question are: “Does coaching work?” And more importantly:
“Will it work for me?”

The simple answer is, yes, ADD
coaching works. The support, the acknowledgment, the steady
accountability that comes from a coaching relationship can and has
changed the lives of ADD women for good.

The best coaching results, however, spring from three important prerequisites:

1) A good match between coach and client

How well does your prospective coach “fit” you? Do your energies meld
well? Are you comfortable with your coach’s approach to ADD, especially
on the issues that are most important to you?

As you
choose a coach — and you are encouraged to interview several — you
want to find someone you trust. You want a coach who believes in you.
You want someone you like – at least most of the time!

2. Your willingness to play at 100%

Are you truly willing to do whatever it takes to make changes in your
life? Are you open to new ideas? Can you listen deeply to yourself for
answers? Are you willing to walk through the breakdown to reach the
breakthrough?

Half-hearted attempts at coaching are doomed
to failure. If coaching is just “one more thing to check off the list”
you won’t allow yourself to reap the rich rewards that are possible. If
you are eager or desperate or excited, your motivation will sustain you
through the coaching process.

3. Your long-term commitment

Are you willing to commit to coaching for three, six, even 12 months or
longer to achieve the results you seek? Can you count on yourself to
hang in there even when progress slows or stops temporarily? Will you
believe in your coach even if you don’t believe in yourself?

Like
dieting, ADD coaching is not a quick fix. Life coaches typically work
with clients for three to six months. ADD clients take a little longer
to implement and sustain changes in routine, organization, attitude.
ADD coaches often work with clients for six months, twelve months or
even longer. By the end of a year, most ADD clients are well on their
way to creating lives they love.

3a) Financial considerations
are a subset of commitment. Coaching is not covered by medical
insurance, so fees are paid out-of-pocket. Prices vary by geographic
location and experience of the coach, but generally parallel those of
local psychotherapists and counselors.

It won’t help your
self-esteem or your ADD if you get started with a terrific coach only
to quit after a couple of sessions because you ran out of money. Many
ADD women have challenges with managing money and debt. You and your
coach are not well served by digging deeper into debt — unless one of
the issues you want to tackle is financial stability!

So, if you
are truly ready for ADD coaching, start interviewing! My suggestion for
your first question to prospective coaches: “Do you have ADD-specific
training?” If the answer is “Yes,” find out more and listen to your
intuition. You can trust yourself to choose the right coach. And then,
watch our world; you’re gonna soar!