Frequently Asked Questions |
Question: Which of the Academy’s programs would help me improve my overall understanding of my loved ones’ ADHD and/or how to more effectively manage it?
Answers: There are two programs that are part of our prerequisites and anyone wanting to learn more about ADHD and supporting their loved ones can take. Both of these programs will meet the objectives of overall understanding and greater understanding of how to manage ADHD.
The first program, simply ADHD: will provide you with an overall understanding of how ADHD manifests in an individual ADD yours life so that the individual as well as the people supporting him or her will have a greater awareness of the situations that support their strengths and those that exacerbate their ADHD challenges.
The second program which is part of our prerequisites is personal transformation: in this program many individuals with ADHD are becoming aware of their strengths maybe for the first time in their life. They are not aware of basic foundational needs that allow them to grow. In this program you will learn the essential ingredients of a powerful foundation that will support your ability to take what you've learned about your ADHD and customize it into a potential plan would set of skills that you will need to learn in order to be successful in managing your ADHD.
Question: I recently was diagnosed with ADHD and I feel ashamed I don’t know how to explain my ADHD to others; which program would you recommend?
Answer: I would definitely recommend simply ADHD to give you both a greater overall understanding of your own ADHD but will also give you the tools and language that will allow you to concisely and powerfully communicate with ADHD are and how it shows up in your life.
I would not take personal transformation until I have taken simply ADHD first because the two works together and they build upon each other. However, if you do take simply ADHD I highly recommend you take personal transformation as well because it will not only give you better language to communicate that will help you understand what you are missing so that others will know how to support you in completing those gaps in your life.
Question: I want to be a coach but I'm not sure I want to be a full-time professional coach. I want to get an understanding of the skills and possibly use them in my profession and with my loved ones, which program would you recommend?
Answer: I would highly recommend taking the basic program which will give you the basic skills plus it includes the prerequisite programs of simply ADHD and personal transformation.
Question: What makes the ADD coach Academy's program different and more effective than all the other ADHD programs out there?
Answer:
There are a number of powerful elements that make the ADD coach Academy's program more effective and unique in all the ADHD coach training programs available. First of all, the fact that we are the world's largest and only ADHD coach training program that I know of that has over a dozen countries involved and that the ICF certified our experience coach training program speaks for itself.
In terms of the actual elements in the program that make it so effective let's list them:
our models and strategies have been tested in the field with our coaches and clients and are constantly being monitored and revised to make them even more effective.
All of our trainers are either MCC or PCC level ICF certified coaches who have also been trained specifically as tele-class leaders to ensure that the concepts and skills sets of the coaching process are powerfully taught and reinforced in a number of different contexts.
Our program is not only designed to coach individuals with ADHD it is designed to work for the ADHD brain by incorporating different learning styles into the live tele-class sessions as well as the outstanding beautifully illustrated and written manuals for each skill and concept we are proud each.
All tele-classes are recorded and are available for each student by using their special password to access the recordings of any session 24horus seven days a week from anywhere in the world.
We have created a very safe and trusting environment where all students in the program immediately connect and develop a bond that for many of our graduates has lasted for many years. We encourage curiosity, creativity and collaboration in a classroom setting as well as the body coaching which is a foundational part of our program.
Each lesson is highlighted and outlined in the manual so that each student will be able to read the materials and expose themselves to the information prior to class. The entire schedule for the basic and advanced programs is outlined in the student section of the website which is privately protected with a password.
In both the basic and the advanced programs supervised coaching sessions will occur so that each student will identify which skills sets they are strong in executing in the coaching process and which ones they need to gain additional supervision and/or instruction with a mentor coach.
We have created a wonderful network and community of the world's best trained ADHD coaches many of whom have successful and thriving practices. They are an excellent model and resource for students going through the program to be mentored in growing their practices as well as developing their coaching skill sets.
The ADD coach Academy is the only program in the world that effectively integrates ADHD education, understanding and proven models with the coaching competencies designated by the ICF as essential to the coaching process.
Question: I want to take a program that will understand my unique learning styles; I don’t want to feel stupid when I ask questions or share an experience, how does this program accommodate those issues?
Answer: this program was specifically designed like no other program in the world. It incorporates all the different learning styles of visual, verbal, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic and conceptual entire tele-class sessions as well as our materials. Every student in our program is considered a unique individual with a unique brain that processes the world in their own unique style the honor that in everything we do.
Also, one thing we are very proud of is the safe trusting environment. Created the Academy and we know and stress that there is no such thing as a stupid question or a stupid experience to be shared. Every question is considered to be part of the basic human need of curiosity and for people with ADHD this curiosity must be satisfied that the very frustrated. We do not believe in frustration we believe in curiosity being fulfilled is the first step towards creativity.
Question: Are the classes virtual or are the held in a physical location?
Answer: All classes are held on our protected teleconference bridge line that can accommodate are average class size of 18 -22 students with excellent sound quality. This makes it very convenient for everyone to learn as long as they have access to a phone they can be available for the classes. We have also been consistently told that all of our students enjoyed the teleconference format because they could purchase a head set and walk around during the class which really helped them sustain their focus during the calls. They also were able to create an environment with less distractions they can control that if they were in another physical learning environment.
Question: What makes you so sure that I will be able to learn in a teleconference setting with a number of other ADD individuals on the teleconference line?
Answer: We have been doing it successfully for 11 years and pride ourselves in our ability to integrate many different learning styles on our specially designed and protected tele conference line….. it's a matter of fact, many people who found him live lectures to be difficult to sustain focus long enough to process the information have found that teleconferences give them the flexibility to move around and to create an environment that works the way they are brain works without any pressure. Countless number of people that were afraid they would not be able to learn on a teleconference program has done a complete reversal and now prefers teleconference long-distance learning to all other types of environments and learning styles.
The best way to find out how this environment work for you is to come sit in on one of our free intro to ADHD coaching seminars which we entitled launching your ADHD success. I think after you experience one of these you will understand the philosophy of the Academy and how we have been so successfully and effectively training coaches in educating people with ADHD for 11+ years.
Question: Who are the types of people that enroll in your programs?
Answer: We have a wide range of diverse individuals who are professionals, therapists, psychologist’s counselor’s teacher’s parents or those who simply want to support a loved one or close friends with ADHD. Approximately 75% of the individuals who take our program also have ADHD or been diagnosed with ADHD themselves and want to empower others to learn how to manage their ADHD but also how to become successful by understanding how your ADHD manifests in the world. One of the advantages that our program has been no other program in the world can offer is that you not only learn the skill sets and models to effectively coach people with ADHD but many of the people who have it themselves have consistently told us that their lives have been transformed.
Question: Will this program give me the knowledge and skills to coach in both the parents/kids/teenagers as well as adults? How?
Answer: The Academy's program is designed to coach every age segment including children and adolescents teenager’s young adults and senior citizens. We have a number of training coaches that have successfully developed coaching practices in each of these age segments and have learned the skills through our tele-classes and labs.
Every coaching model and every skill we teach is designed to be used for repair child or an adult by making slight modifications. One of the excellent elements of our program is that we encourage students to bring their own challenges for the challenges of a relative or client they are currently working with so that we can use those real-life scenarios to practice the coaching skill sets as they are being taught.
We've applied what we have learned no matter what the age group and then receive feedback from the instructor and observations from the class. The Academy's program is not designed to just teach one age segment of the ADHD population it is designed for all age segments of the population and for those who are willing to coach and have the ability to process and articulate what is going on in their lives. So, a three or four-year-old child with ADHD that was having processing challenges and unable to communicate what is going on would not be a good candidate for coaching. However attend rural 11-year-old that is able to identify or respond to what to what Cheryl images are impairing their ability to move forward in life is able to do that an effective successful coaching can occur.
All of our modules and. lessons are designed to accommodate all the different age segments. The sessions are also dedicated to coaching around specific scenarios that facilitate an ability to practice the individual coaching skills and receive valuable feedback.
Question: If I have ADHD myself, will this program help me with my own ADHD as well as giving me the skills to help others?
Answer: Most definitely. One of the great benefits that only the ADD coach Academy coach training program can offer is for those who have ADHD themselves they will go through the process of identifying their own challenges how they impair their quality of life and then begin the process of customizing strategies that work the way they're unique brain wiring works and then began to implement them. This significantly improves their ability to understand their client and receive them with listening skills that reveal a sincere awareness and understanding of what their clients go through on a daily basis. This understanding of individuals ADHD and the ability to get right to the bottom line of what's going on is what makes our coaches so excellent and it is the foundation for building a strong and powerful foundation for trusting partnership between coaching client.
Question: Are there any free programs I can observe to gain a better appreciation for the philosophy of your program?
Answer: Yes there are a number of programs that you can observe one is the free intro to ADHD coaching entitled leveraging your ADHD for success. You can also download our free success which has a wonderful 30 minute DVD recording which will give you a strong indication of the philosophy we have at the Academy. The free intro classes are held on a monthly basis and you can register for those on our website at www.addca.com
Question: How does the Academy view ADHD in the context of success versus a disorder?
Answer: At the Academy we receive every student in the divine human being born with a unique brain wiring. ADHD when understood can empower the individual who has it to be able to manage their weaknesses and accentuate their strengths. I don't believe that ADHD has to immobilize those who have it. I know after coaching thousands of ADHD individuals over the last 12+ years I know that with the right coach who empowers them to understand their own ADHD while developing strategies that work the way they do they can all create a very fulfilling and successful life. We have thousands of examples where we have seen this become a new reality.
Question: What kind of impact are your coaches making in the ADHD world?
Answer: Many of the coaches who have been trained at the ADD Coach Academy are making a significant and positive difference in the world.
In the United States many of our coaches have been:
Working at the some of the finest ADHD clinics in the world like the Hallowell Center and the Rochester behavioral Center for Medicine coaching children and or their parents, adolescents, teenagers, young adults, adults and senior citizens.
Advocating for parents and their children in school systems, colleges and Universities across the country to support them with the optimal accommodations for the improvement of each child’s academic performance and to dramatically improve the child's or young adult's academic experience through out their academic years.
Most of the coaches at the Academy have created their own coaching practices that serve all the major categories and age groups of individuals with ADHD that are challenged by their lack of understanding of ADHD and who want to be empowered, to successfully manage their challenges and identify their strengths, values and passion so they can integrate more of those into their life.
We have coaches who have also served on the boards and committees of organizations like ADDA Attention Deficit Disorder Association and CHADD have started and been leaders of CHADD chapters across the United Sates and Canada.
The efforts of our coaches are not just limited to the US, we have some excellent coaches who have graduated building a coaching practice in their respective countries and students who have trained and/or are training from England, France, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Israel, Turkey, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Brazil, Italy. They are building practices in their
We know that through the work and efforts of all ADD Coach Academy coaches and staff we are making a huge and positive difference for many individual with ADHD around the world.
Question: What can I hope to leave with when I complete the requirements for the basic programs? Advanced?
Answer: You will receive a certificate of completion stating that you have fulfilled all of the ADD Coach Academy's requirements for that program and you will receive a designation of for the Basic program and a designation of AAC, Associate ADDCA Coach, for the Basic coach training program and a designation of ACG, ADDCA Coach Graduate, for the advanced coach training program
Question: How will the Academy prepare me for certification for the ICF (International Coach Federation, www.coachfederation.org, and PAAC (Professional Association of ADHD Coaches, www.paaccoaches.org ?
Answer: First of all, all instructors at the Academy must be ICF certified and have at least a PCC crednetial.The ADD Coach Academy considers the ICF the governing body of all coach credentialing and certification and embraces their coaching competencies as the standard of coaching profession. We take that philosophy very seriously and integrate all the ICF coaching competencies into our curriculum.
Any individual, going through our training program, will learn the ADHD coaching skills based on their alignment with the ICF coaching competencies. What this means is whenever you are introduced to a new coaching skill we not only teach you the the ADHD elements of how that skill set works , we also introduce and teach you the associated ICF coaching competencies aligned with that specific coaching skill you are learning and practicing at the Academy.
You will also learn and practice how to integrate the ICF coaching competencies into the coaching process. Each student is evaluate based on a coaching supervision and evaluation form that all academy instructors use to evaluate each students competency level when they are conducting an actual coaching session in class.
You will receive the evaluation form when you begin your basic coach training. The form lists all 11 ICF coaching competencies and areas for each competency that demonstrate or show a need for improvement your for specific coaching competency. This is tremendously beneficial for preparing all of our coaches for the recorded and live sessions ICF conducts for accreditation. The ADDCA students who decide to apply for ICF certification are well prepared and confident going into the testing and credentialing process. many of our students have done very well and have received credentials from ICF.
Also, of the four instructors at Academy, three (3) are ICF assessors who actually conduct and review the individuals recordings and tests for ICF to determine if candidates have the necessary ability and understanding of the coaching process to receive an ICF credential. Our fourth instructor is currently going thought the training to become an ICF assessor. In the near future all of our instructors will not only be if ICF certified they will also be ICF assessors.
Question: Are the skills, models and strategies you teach at the Academy been proven in the field and if so how?
Answer: A 2007-2008 study was conducted with ADDCA, ADDCA graduate Michael Anderson in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Russ Ramsay, head of their Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, and program
Through research conducted by the ADD Coach Academy, with 77 ADHD clients, over a two-year period, we identified some very consistent and dominant patterns.
The most significant one that surfaced was that clients with ADHD did not have a clear understanding of how their ADHD manifested and how it was getting in their way. Without understanding their own ADHD, these persons experience even more challenges in getting others to understand.
By providing proven, effective tools and models that we used to train coaches at the academy we discovered that we quickly empowered ADDers to understand and succinctly communicate their challenges; we also observed they could then realize greater individual progress. It also reduced the negative stigma and labels that are often attached to the diagnosis of ADHD.
We clearly saw a dramatic shift in individuals’ ability to make significant progress in their lives. This only occurred when they understood that their ADHD is not an excuse but an explanation that validates the unique brain wiring they possess.
It also helped others understand how ADHD manifests in different situation in a person’s life. Once a person’s own ADHD is understood, individuals have the ability to explain their own ADHD with simple language, awareness, and appreciation.
Understanding is the first step in creating a powerful new awareness that eventually leads to positive change.
We named this pre-requisite module Simply ADHD because we want to give you a foundational understanding of ADHD in clear, simple, non-medical language. We will be describing the traits for you from how you may hear or notice them appearing in a client’s language and life. We know from experience that the simple, unique models and tools we have developed and introduce here have dramatically improved understanding, communication, and relationships for ADHD clients and those who live and work with them. This knowledge can provide a foundation for positive self development and growth, and ultimately, it can improve the quality of an ADHD person’s life. This is our hope and our goal.
