Dr Paula Korczynska - What happens during an ADHD coaching session?

What happens during an ADHD coaching session?

People considering ADHD coaching often have a practical question: what actually happens during a session?

It is a reasonable question. ADHD coaching is increasingly discussed as a form of support for adults experiencing executive functioning difficulties, yet the process can remain surprisingly unclear to someone who has never worked with a coach. Some imagine a session focused on motivation, productivity advice or being held accountable for completing tasks. Others worry they will arrive with a long list of things they have not managed to do and leave with an even longer list.

In practice, ADHD and executive function coaching can look quite different.

We start with everyday life, not a perfect routine

People rarely seek coaching because they lack information about calendars, reminders or to-do lists. Many already know what they should be doing. They understand the importance of planning, prioritising, responding to emails, maintaining routines and completing important tasks. The difficulty is often translating that knowledge into consistent action. This is sometimes described as an intention–action gap. A person may genuinely intend to do something, understand its importance and possess the necessary skills, yet struggle to initiate or sustain the behaviour when it is needed.

During an initial coaching session, I am interested in understanding how these difficulties appear in the person's actual environment. When do they occur? What makes them worse? What already works? What strategies have been attempted, and why have they been difficult to maintain? Someone struggling with email overload may not need another lesson in time management. They may need a more reliable way to separate incoming information from actual tasks, make decisions about priorities and return to work after interruptions. Someone repeatedly abandoning a routine may not need a more ambitious routine. They may need one designed to survive changes in energy, responsibilities and daily circumstances.

The starting point is not a judgement about discipline. It is an examination of the demands being placed on executive functioning.

Coaching is collaborative, not prescriptive

ADHD coaching is generally described as a collaborative, goal-oriented process. The ADHD Coaches Organization identifies three interrelated elements: coaching, skills development and education. CHADD similarly emphasises helping individuals translate goals into concrete actions and develop strategies for daily functioning. This is consistent with how I approach executive function coaching.

I do not believe that a strategy is useful simply because it is widely recommended. It must work for the person who is expected to use it. A detailed digital planner may be helpful for someone who benefits from visual organisation and structured scheduling. For another person, maintaining that planner becomes another task requiring the very executive functions they are already struggling to access. A reminder may solve a forgetting problem without addressing a task initiation problem. A perfectly organised calendar may still fail if the person consistently underestimates how long transitions or interruptions will take.

The aim is not to identify the most sophisticated productivity system. It is to understand what creates friction and develop an approach that is sufficiently simple, accessible and realistic to use. Sometimes that means introducing a new tool. Sometimes it means removing several.

What do we actually work on during a session?

The topic depends on the individual. Common areas include task initiation, prioritisation, time management, working memory, procrastination, organisation, emotional regulation, workplace difficulties and maintaining everyday routines. But coaching is not simply a conversation about these difficulties. It involves examining a specific situation closely enough to identify where a practical change might help.

Imagine an adult who returns home from work exhausted, aware of several responsibilities but unable to begin any of them. A conventional productivity approach might recommend making a list, setting priorities and applying more discipline.

I would be interested in a different set of questions. What happens during the transition from work to home? How much cognitive effort has the person already used? Are the tasks clearly defined? Is there a need for recovery before further demands are introduced? Does the environment provide useful cues, or does everything depend on remembering, deciding and initiating without support?

Depending on the answers, we might explore a short recovery period, a visible starting cue, a different task sequence, fewer competing decisions or a smaller first action. These are examples, not universal solutions. The point is to understand why a task becomes difficult in a particular context and what could make it more manageable.

What happens during the first session?

The first session usually involves understanding the person's goals and current difficulties. We may discuss work, family responsibilities, study, sleep, daily routines or other areas where executive functioning demands are creating problems. I also want to know about strengths. What does the person do particularly well? Under which circumstances do tasks feel easier? Are there situations where attention, motivation or problem-solving work differently? These questions matter because ADHD-related difficulties are rarely uniform across every task and environment. We may identify one or two priorities rather than attempting to reorganise an entire life in a single appointment.

For example, someone may arrive wanting to improve productivity, sleep, household organisation and financial management simultaneously. Trying to address everything at once can create more cognitive overload. A more useful first goal may be developing a manageable system for capturing commitments or creating a reliable starting point for one recurring task.

There is no requirement to arrive with a perfectly articulated goal. Exploring what needs to change is part of the process.

What happens between coaching sessions?

Coaching is intended to connect reflection with everyday action. Depending on the person's circumstances, we may agree on a small experiment to try before the next appointment. This might involve testing a planning method, adjusting an environmental cue, simplifying a routine or noticing when a particular difficulty occurs. I think it is important to distinguish an experiment from a test of personal discipline. If a strategy does not work, that gives us information. Was it too complicated? Did it depend on remembering something at the wrong moment? Was the timing unrealistic? Did it require more energy than the person had available? A strategy that fails repeatedly does not necessarily mean the client is unwilling to change. It may mean we have not yet identified the right conditions for that strategy to be useful. At the next session, we can examine what happened and adjust accordingly. This process of testing, observing and adapting is one way coaching can help people develop greater independence rather than permanent dependence on external accountability.

What if emotions come up during a session?

Executive functioning difficulties rarely occur in an emotional vacuum. Repeated experiences of missed deadlines, unfinished tasks, criticism or feeling unable to meet expectations can carry considerable frustration, anxiety or shame. Sometimes a conversation about a seemingly practical issue, such as an overflowing inbox or an unfinished project, reveals how much emotional effort the person has been using to manage everyday demands. When that happens, there is no need to rush immediately into problem-solving. A pause can be appropriate. The person may need time to process what has emerged before deciding whether to continue, change direction or return to the practical issue later.

That does not turn coaching into psychotherapy. Emotional experiences can be acknowledged within a supportive coaching relationship, while recognising that the assessment and treatment of mental health conditions require appropriately qualified health professionals. The boundaries of coaching matter.

Is ADHD coaching the same as therapy?

No, although some of the skills and topics may overlap. ADHD coaching generally focuses on practical functioning, individual goals, developing strategies and putting those strategies into action. Psychological therapies may address similar functional problems while also providing clinical assessment and treatment for psychological conditions. A psychologist or other appropriately qualified clinician may be needed when depression, significant anxiety, trauma or other mental health concerns require treatment. Coaching may complement healthcare, but it should not be presented as a substitute for diagnosis, medication assessment or evidence-based psychological treatment.

It is also important to recognise that the research evidence for ADHD coaching is developing. Studies suggest potential benefits in areas such as self-management and executive functioning, but intervention methods vary and larger, rigorous studies are still needed to establish which approaches work best, for whom and over what period.

How many coaching sessions will I need?

There is no universal number. Some people want support with a specific difficulty, such as returning to study, managing work responsibilities or developing a more reliable planning system. Others have several interconnected challenges that require more time to explore. Progress may also be uneven. A strategy that works during a relatively calm week may need to be adjusted when work becomes demanding, sleep deteriorates or personal circumstances change. The purpose of coaching is not to create a life in which executive functioning difficulties never occur. It is to develop greater understanding of those difficulties and more effective ways to respond when they do. A useful question is not only whether someone can apply a strategy during a coaching session, but whether it remains workable when the coach is no longer present.

Do I need an ADHD diagnosis before seeking coaching?

Executive functioning difficulties are not exclusive to ADHD. Problems with planning, attention, initiation, working memory or maintaining routines can occur for several reasons, including stress, poor sleep, mental health difficulties and demanding life circumstances. Coaching may be relevant to adults seeking support with these everyday challenges, whether or not they have an ADHD diagnosis, provided the service is appropriate to their needs. However, coaching does not establish whether someone has ADHD. Where diagnostic clarification or clinical treatment is needed, assessment by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional is important.

What should I expect to leave with?

Not necessarily a detailed plan covering every area of your life. A useful session may lead to a clearer understanding of a recurring difficulty, one practical adjustment to test, a more manageable priority or a different way of interpreting a pattern that has been causing frustration. For some people, progress begins with recognising that a problem they have interpreted as a personal failure is partly a mismatch between the demands of a task and the systems available to manage it. For others, the important change is practical: fewer missed commitments, a more reliable way to capture information, a clearer approach to prioritisation or an easier transition between activities. These outcomes are individual, and no particular result can be guaranteed.

In my own work, I approach ADHD and executive function coaching through a combination of neuroscience-informed understanding, psychoeducation and practical strategies adapted to everyday life. I offer online sessions across Australia and limited in-person appointments in Sydney.

The central question is not simply, "What should this person be doing differently?" It is, "What would make the next step more accessible, manageable and sustainable for this particular person?" Because understanding a difficulty is valuable. But the real challenge is helping that understanding translate into something that works beyond the coaching session.