Brian

Phone coaching increases awareness and provides structure

Brian returned to school in his early 30s after leaving an unfulfilling career path. He had hoped that with maturity, school would be easier the second time around—but instead, he found it even more difficult. Testing revealed that Brian had ADHD. An eager learner, Brian instituted nearly all the recommendations for students with ADHD, one of which was to work with a coach. Brian’s goals in working with me were to increase his understanding of himself and how he functions best, and to have both strategic support and accountability for completing his school assignments and maintaining his apartment.

Brian and I found a combination of regular phone calls and email support was most helpful for him. Having the opportunity to “verbally process” allowed Brian to gain many insights. He became more aware of how his ADHD affected him and how he could use that knowledge to modify certain behaviors and perspectives. He gained a new appreciation for his strengths and was able to apply them in creative ways to boring tasks. He also accepted that certain tasks were more challenging for him, and he redefined his expectations of himself, while still ensuring he was fulfilling his commitments to others.

One of Brian’s greatest insights was the value of having an underlying foundation of structure in his life. Coaching allowed him to identify the core elements that keep him on course. These elements are his stabilizers, and whenever things get a bit off-kilter, he returns his attention to his core elements and finds that he can recover.

Brian has discovered that he can succeed in school, although he has decided the goal of straight A’s is no longer that important. Instead, he is focusing on putting into practice what he is learning and developing meaningful relationships.

Names and demographic information have been changed to protect client confidentiality.