Navigating ADHD & ASD Through Coaching
What is “Neurodivergency”?
This is simply an umbrella term that has been created by the mental health community to communicate that “this person’s brain works differently.” It is a term that communicates that this person’s thought patterns, behaviors, or learning styles differ from what is considered “normal” or “neurotypical.” It generally encompasses issues like Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, and more.
Why Coaching?
Mental health coaching works on non-clinical mental health issues. It helps clients see a life past the obstacles in the way of their best self. It is a support system for those who struggle but it does not work with or attempt to treat mental illness. Coaches help teach their clients practical life skills, and with the neurodivergent there are very often skills deficits that they may not even know they have. In fact, YOU may not even know they have them! When you have a different brain, it is critical to know how it works and how to use it!
There are those who are “too healthy” for therapy or where therapy may not be exactly what they need. However, they may need or want practical skills and applications of these skills to help them live a better life with these difficulties. A coach who specializes in Neurodivergence is critical as these types of brains will not do well with the standard mental health coach. These brains work differently from what we deem the typical brain and working with a coach who doesn’t specialize can actually set these clients up for failure and make the problem much worse than when they started!
How is coaching different from therapy?
The simplest way to put this is that therapy generally works through past issues while coaching aims to work in the current moment. Therapists generally work through talk therapy, though they will also use other techniques. The general consensus is that therapists assist clients to work through past issues that may be causing or exacerbating mental health symptoms. However, the general consensus is that therapists don’t teach life skills. Therapists will often refer out to a coach for this, and a good coach will know when to refer out for therapy. If done right coaching in adjunct with therapy can be a very useful and important part of a patient’s care plan! Patients with both often move forward much faster than those who do therapy or coaching alone.
What makes you different?
The coaching industry has taken off recently and unfortunately has gotten a bad reputation as an unregulated and potentially harmful industry. There are quite a few well-meaning but not well educated individuals calling themselves “coaches” and doing a LOT more harm than good. I am a coach but I am also educated as a therapist. This means that I understand the line between the two and know when to refer out. It also means I know how to handle a crisis should one arise.
I also have lived experience as a neurodivergent person, parent, spouse, and entrepreneur. I haven’t only studied these difficulties- I’ve lived them. They won’t have to find the words to explain the unexplainable. I’ve been working with this population in multiple ways for over 25 years.
We are a valuable untapped resource for Neurodivergencies such as ADHD, Autism, Trauma, or other psychological struggles that involve different types of brains. My name is Danielle Ralston and I am the CEO of The Original ADHD Coach and I specialize in teaching Neurodivergent teens and adults how their brains work and how to best handle moving through their struggles through practical application of techniques specifically created to assist these types of brains. I work with individuals, couples, parents, and children age ten and up. While my team and I do work with men we specialize in neurodivergent women’s issues.
We are in a time of crisis with mental health and medicine. This means that many primary care providers and other clinicians are helping to stem the tide of the massive amount of care that is needing to be provided. However, this means that these providers are simply doing the best they can in unfamiliar territory. You may or may not be aware of what resources are out there for your patients to support your care team as you work to help them. Most often, care providers think to send to a therapist when a patient is struggling with mental health. However, with these types of issues, there may be a different option: Coaching.
Coaching fills a critical space within medicine and therapy where patients may not need medical or mental health care but do need assistance in growing or building skills with regard to managing life with their particular difficulty. While I am working as a coach it is important to me that you know that my education is actually as a trained therapist. I am not currently working under that license but it makes me uniquely aware of when to refer out and when a client needs more help than I can give in this capacity. This keeps them safe!
My interest in this was piqued as a neurodivergent person myself who struggled to find access to the care I needed. So, I decided that I’d work to fill that need myself. While this means that I’m uniquely qualified to understand and work with neurodivergent clients, it also means that I understand their issues intimately. This being said, I understand that money is a particular issue for those who deal with these kinds of struggles and I work to have multiple sources of information at affordable price points. Most people think that coaching is out of their reach as it has a reputation for being upwards of $200/hour. I have programs that range from free to a monthly membership fee. The resources are tailored to how these patients work, and I often see their quality of life turn around quickly after beginning coaching.
Where can I find out more? How do we reach you?
205-597-8976
Danielle@theoriginaladhdcoach.com
