What is Executive Function Coaching?
(Image Credit: Elana Kanter)
Executive function (EF) skills are the skills that allow us to plan, organize, and manage our thoughts and actions. EF coaches work much like any other type of coach, just with a special focus on strengthening and addressing EF skills. Read more about EF skills in a previous blog post.
Coaches wear many hats: mentor, educator, advocate, motivator, friend, role model, and assistant. EF coaches are very similar to a sports coach. Both aim to:
Develop strategies and tools for facing tasks and obstacles.
Create a play book of strategies and routines.
Inspire and encourage people to meet their potential and reach their goals.
Build positive relationships.
Promote honesty and a growth mindset.
Reward effort.
How Does Coaching Work?
Coaching will look differently with every client. The “how” will be individualized based on the unique needs and make-up of each client (i.e., their age, stage in life, goals, neurology). Kanter Coaching starts at weekly, 50-minute sessions. The meeting time and frequency can be adjusted as needed to best suit the client and their goals.
In addition to my undivided attention in our sessions, we will stay in-touch between sessions via text, quick call, email, shared GoogleDoc, or a shared app. Support and follow-up is individualized to your needs and could include texts/emails with your “homework” or next steps. I will also provide suggested resources, when applicable, like books to read or relevant podcasts to listen to. Finally, I am available to sit with you for a co-working sessions online (aka “body doubling”) to give you accountable time to accomplish a task and work towards your goals.
What Does Success Look Like?
Success is difference for each client. We will work together to set goals and benchmarks that help you feel success sooner than later to help give you the perseverance and motivation to keep working towards the bigger goals.
*Meet “Sarah”. Sarah is in her late-30’s and has ADHD. When she first sought out coaching, she said her goal was to improve her time management because she didn’t want to keep being late dropping-off and picking-up her children from school and other activities or playdates. Upon a deeper dive - empathetic detective work I call it - I realized that everyone was getting to bed late, which was throwing off the morning routine and having a ripple effect in the timing for the rest of the day. However, the true linchpin was actually dinner time. The reasons bedtimes were delayed and inconsistent was due to the inconsistency of dinner time. In order to get dinner on the table at a more consistent time, a lot of meal plannings and interventions were needed.
Through coaching, Sarah learned to prioritize her day differently, with dinner planning and food prep often at the helm. We created reference documents and visuals for her kitchen that help Sarah easily write and see her meal plan for the week, when she has to food prep, and even reminders of easy, go-to recipes or take-out options when in a pinch. With dinner time more organized, the after school and nighttime routine works a lot more smoothly at Sarah’s house.
How Can Kanter Coaching Help You?
Coaching can help you:
Determine your goals.
Create structure, routines, and a toolkit of strategies.
Create new habits and break habits that aren’t serving you or your goals.
Address real-life challenges related to executive functioning in real-time (like as a work/school/personal challenge arrises).
Promote positive thinking, self-confidence, and self-esteem.
*Disclaimer: The client’s details are changed to protect client identity.
References
McCarthy, L. F. (2022, July 13). What is an ADHD coach? ADDitude. Retrieved from https://www.additudemag.com/shopping-for-a-coach/
Perler, S. (2020, June 6). What is executive functioning? How does it affect my child? Seth Perler. Retrieved from https://sethperler.com/executive-function-holy-grail/
Scully, K. (2021, August 24). 10 executive functioning skills: The ultimate guide. The Pathway 2 Success. Retrieved from https://www.thepathway2success.com/10-executive-functioning-skills-the-ultimate-guide/
What is executive function? How executive functioning skills affect early development? Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2020, October 30). Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/what-is-executive-function-and-how-does-it-relate-to-child-development/
