Executive Function Coaching
"Well, Dr. Freud, I start where you leave off. You meet people in the artificial setting of your office. I meet them on the street and in their homes, in their natural surroundings.
You analyze their dreams, I give them the courage to dream again." - J.L. Moreno
Executive function coaching is an evidence-based practice which provides the brain "boosting" and love to reach our full potential and find the courage to dream. As clients learn to befriend their own minds, they come into deeper connection with others. They experience themselves as whole and resourceful, capable of making a unique contribution to the world.
Because Executive Dysfunction/ADHD is often observed with other learning disorders, the expertise of an educational therapist is particularly beneficial during coaching.
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What are Executive Skills?
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Executive skills are the broad brain-based skills that are required to perform tasks. They include:
~Metacognition
~Response inhibition (impulse control)
~Emotional self-regulation
~Sustained attention
~Task initiation
~Planning/prioritization
~Organization
~Time management
~Goal-directed persistence
~Flexibility
~Working memory
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Development & Function/Dysfunction:
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With proper support, during our childhood and adolescent years we learn how to organize our internal and external environments to meet the expectations of school and the worlds beyond. As we enter adulthood, the more demands we are expected to meet in life and the more executive skills we are required to apply independently. At any developmental point, we may find that our goals seem out of reach because one or more of these skills had not been fully developed and supported. As a result, it is easy to become frustrated and ashamed of our limitations, which often leads to a range of emotional and behavioral challenges. A diagnosis of ADHD/ADD or other assessment of our position along the attentional continuum may help shed light, but carries little significance if the appropriate interventions are not put in place.
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What Does Executive Function Coaching Look Like?
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Coaching goals are determined based on the results of ongoing assessments and in collaboration with members of the client's support team, which may include parents/guardians and other allied professionals.
These goals may include:
~Developing positive behaviors and habits of mind to manage moods
~Moderating the level of intensity needed to complete tasks
~Prioritizing goals
~Exploring a balanced life
~Managing anxiety and stress
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