We all deserve the chance to achieve our personal best and to share our strengths and passions with the world, regardless of the way we are wired.
If you are struggling with an attention disorder and all that goes with it, whether in yourself or in a loved one, coaching can give you a new focus and help move you from where you are to where you want to be.
New Focus Coaching: Bringing your best into focus.
Motivation · Organization · Planning · Awareness · Action
AD/HD coaching will help you better understand your learning style and identify the approaches and systems that work best for you. We begin by exploring and honoring your passions, strengths and talents. From there, we develop new skills and strategies that compensate for your areas of difficulty. Coaching is offered in person, by phone or by Skype.
Coaching is an "alliance" between client and coach. My role is to listen without judgment, heighten your self-awareness, introduce new strategies and inspire action toward the achievement of your goals. Your role is to be prepared, communicate honestly, stretch and accept challenges — all at a comfortable pace, within a safe and confidential environment.
First, we'll assemble a complete picture of your personal history, difficulties faced and learning style. Then we will identify measurable goals and create a custom program just for you. During weekly sessions we will review and acknowledge your accomplishments. I will provide feedback, help you tackle roadblocks and set manageable goals for the week ahead.
Get organized. Use a planning system. Take better notes. Improve study skills and test-taking strategies.
Learn to self-motivate and be accountable. Understand time distortion and management.
Boost memory, deal with distraction and overwhelm. Make smart choices. Improve self-esteem.
Learn to prioritize, plan and schedule. Get organized. Turn off the inner critic. Step out of your comfort zone.
Understand time distortion and plan for procrastination. Boost memory and learn coping strategies.
Make important life transitions. Educate others about AD/HD.
Make daily life more pleasant and productive. Establish reasonable expectations, limits and rewards.
Maximize your role as your child's advocate. Address opposing parenting styles.
Get organized and let go of stress. Foster independence. Inspire and lead your child.
A two-year ADHD coaching research study published in 2010 by the Edge Foundation linked ADHD coaching to improved executive functioning and improved success in school for students. The study showed that students receiving coaching, "…showed significant improvement in their ability to organize, direct and manage cognitive activities, emotional responses and overt behaviors. They were able to formulate goals more realistically and consistently work toward achieving them, manage their time more effectively, and stick with tasks even when they found them challenging."
Students with AD/HD are vulnerable because AD/HD impacts the portion of the brain that regulates what is known as executive functioning, including attention, planning and organization, prioritization, impulse control, memory, time management and higher-order conceptual thinking — all necessary skills for success in school and in life.
I help students with attention disorders understand how they learn best and introduce them to strategies for attacking their work and sustaining the motivation to power through it. Through coaching we'll also address the issues that can pull students off focus such as poor self esteem or trouble navigating difficult social challenges. Students will develop life skills to help them be happy with who they are and work within the world in a way that supports their unique needs.
Many people who have grown up with AD/HD have been doing things the same way for so long and, while they realize a lot of their approaches aren't working, they just don't know any other way. These same adults often can only find the energy to do the things they WANT to do and then feel guilt or shame when things slip, believing they are letting themselves or others down.
Does this sound familiar? Coaching can help! Together we can determine the places in your life where you want to see change, understand what stands in your way and, most importantly, discover what will move you forward.
Adults often come to coaching because they constantly feel behind or are managing one area of their life well while another is suffering. Whether you can't get started with that project until the deadline is upon you or you just didn't remember that important meeting until you looked at your planner too late, I can help you untangle your life and uncover the systems that work best for you.
I know from personal experience how stressful and painful as well as joyful and wonderful it can be to raise a child with an attention disorder. I am often reminded of the movie Parenthood in which Steve Martin's character compares being a parent to riding a roller coaster. For those parenting a child with unique needs, it can seem full of extra ups and downs. Parent Coaching can help you even out the ride.
Through coaching, I will guide you in creating a home life that bolsters your AD/HD child and supports your entire family. Parents often become overwhelmed and paralyzed, feeling that every issue must be addressed at once. It's easy to get so focused on the AD/HD child's needs that you neglect yourself and other family members.
While your child's behavior may at times appear otherwise, all children want to be good and please their parents. Most importantly, they all want and deserve to be loved for who they are at any given time. Through coaching, you will better understand how AD/HD impacts your particular child and learn to focus first on what matters most. Together we will identify the next steps and strategies to help you find balance and peace, and move your family forward, one step at a time.
I formed New Focus Coaching, LLC in 2005 as a commitment to improving the lives of those who struggle with AD/HD and related issues. My focus is to help my clients develop important skills and strategies that will help them live more productive, balanced and fulfilling lives.
I received my coaching certification and general coach training through CTI (Coaches Training Institute) and my AD/HD specialized training through JST Coaching and ADD Resources. Memberships in Children & Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD), the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA), and the Learning and the Brain Society help me stay current and expand my knowledge.
I have been honored to give presentations for teacher staff training and development sessions to help teachers more seamlessly support AD/HD and executive function deficits in the classroom. I also have presented at conferences including the Annual International Conference for Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder, as well as the Society of Learning and the Brain. I am proud to be a contributor to the book 365 Ways to Succeed with ADHD, an Amazon #1 bestseller.
Before beginning my coaching practice, I spent 18 years in publishing with Time-Life Books where I helped launch the Custom Publishing division, received the Time-Life Books Award for Excellence, The Time Inc. Entrepreneurial Award, and was appointed to the Future Leaders of Alexandria.
My husband, an architect, and I live in Alexandria, Virginia. My inquisitive AD/HD son is now pursuing his passion for computer science at college. He inspires and impresses me with his tenacity and entertains me with his sense of humor and unique way of looking at life.
Paige Totaro
Audrey Decker
Luis Aparicio
Mona Lewis
Karen Beattie, Nationally Certified School Psychologist
N.C., Mother of High School Student
I.C., College Freshman
E.D., High School Student
T.H., Middle School Student
K.C., Small Business Owner, Arlington, VA
J.K, College Sophomore
M.C., Mother of three children with unique learning differences, Alexandria, VA
L.G., Parent, Alexandria, Va
P.M., Lawyer, Washington, D.C.
C.P., Parent, Alexandria, Va
Jodi-Sleeper Triplett, Internationally known Master Certified Coach & Trainer
M.V., Client from Arlington, Virginia
L.A., Graduate Student, Johns Hopkins, Alexandria, Virginia
S.R., Teacher, Annandale, VA
S.W., Parent, Alexandria, Virginia
703-980-0809
201 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Get directions to the office
I look forward to hearing from you. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any further questions you may have or to schedule a session.
