I became an ADD coach when I realized it was what I was meant to be.
For most of my adult life, I’ve been surrounded by people who have
attention deficit disorder - my husband, children, business partner,
and very close friend. All of them are bright, caring, and
resourceful. And all of them have struggled with disorganization,
impulsiveness, distractibility, and feeling overwhelmed.
For 20 years, I’ve been helping the people closest to me get
organized, stay on track, and recognize their intrinsic worth. During
that time, I also became aware of my own ADD-like traits and developed
strategies to help us all. Finally, the light bulb went off. Why not
turn what I was doing anyway into my life’s work? My personal
experiences and professional background in counseling and social work
gave me unique qualifications. So I went back to school and graduated
from a professional ADHD coach training program. It was the
best decision I ever made.
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Mimi Handlin received her B.A. in Human Services from Western
Washington University and her Masters Degree in Social Work from the
University of Washington. For her professional coach training, she
graduated from the American Coaching Association and studied advanced
coaching with Jodie Sleeper Triplett. She keeps
up with continuing education about ADHD through conferences,
workshops and classes and is a certified AD/HD coach. Mimi has been a speaker at the ADD Resources
National Conference and facilitates telephone and in-person support
groups. She is genuine, compassionate, and experienced working with
individuals and families.
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ADD coaching is a supportive partnership designed to help you
understand and manage the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. It
helps both individuals and families, because ADD is a family affair.
When a spouse or child is struggling with frustration,
distractibility, impulsiveness, or other symptoms - everyone under the
roof is affected. My coaching has two purposes. The first is to help
people gain insight into the behaviors and internal messages that are
holding them back from where they want to go in life. And the second
is to help them learn strategies, skills and new habits so they can
reach their goals and experience more success in work, school,
relationships, and life! Underlying my coaching is the knowledge
that my clients have a neurochemical difference. They may have real
difficulty in areas such as memory, focus, decision making, and
follow-through – in spite of the best intentions. Therefore, ADD
coaching supports people in learning strategies, skills and habits
that are “ADD friendly”. For example, there is no point in spending
time writing ideas in a planner if you won’t be able to find it the
next day. And it doesn’t make sense to expect your child to do three
chores in the morning, if he can barely get dressed and out the door.
But a planner can eventually become a part of your life, if the only
skill you work on first is to always carry it with you. And your child
can still do three chores, just not in the morning. Coaching can teach
you ways to work with the traits of ADD instead of against them.
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Coaching is not therapy or counseling. Although I may be able to help
a client through a particular emotional issue or difficult time,
coaching is not intended for people experiencing significant
psychological problems. If, during the coaching process, it becomes
apparent that a client would benefit from therapy, I refer to
qualified professionals. At that time, the client might seek therapy
along with coaching, or put the coaching on hold for awhile. ADD
coaching is not crisis intervention or a quick fix. Changing a
lifetime of habits doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to become
self aware, learn new skills, and develop positive habits on a day to
day basis. It also takes practice. Effective coaching usually takes a
minimum of three months. |
