Case Study: Impact of ADHD Coaching for a College Student
Client Background
Position: Student
Education: Tulane University and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
Scenario
The student started coaching at age 17 as a freshman in college. He continued coaching throughout college, during study abroad, through to graduating with a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology. In addition to ADHD, the student has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.
Coaching Engagement
The coaching engagement began with weekly sessions in 2017 and will likely end in 2025. The coaching is sponsored by his parents.
Goals
Improve personal presence and create social life outside of his family unit
Manage his executive function deficits to achieve success in school
Impulsivity
Quickness to anger
Inappropriate/aggressive conversations with others
Managing overwhelm
Creating strategies to better manage executive function deficits
Coaching Approach and Consulting Interventions
Assessment: Read clinical diagnoses summaries and do background interviews with the parents and the student prior to starting coaching.
Goal Setting: Define clear objectives and measures for success based on personal and academic goals.
Coaching: Weekly sessions with text, email and editing support between sessions.
Relationship Management Consulting: With a co-existing condition of Asperger syndrome, this client needs more full-time coaching access to develop communication and relationship building skills and emotional management support. This support was mainly provided via text and email between sessions with the occasional “emergency” phone call.
Writing Support: In order to navigate a variety of interpersonal and professional relationships, this client requested regular assistance in crafting appropriate verbal and written responses. This was accomplished by helping the client understand the communication methods used and build on this knowledge over time to become more of an independent communicator.
Outcomes
Enhanced Interpersonal Skills
The client developed enhanced personal presence, communication skills, anger-management strategies, an understanding of when to rely on external resources for relationship management and key strategies for repairing relationships when communication was poor
Improved Communication
With consistent editorial support both academically and with interpersonal communication, this client developed a set of skills to better communicate without coaching support; with continued relationship building, this client also developed a stronger sense of empathy
Academic Growth
While initially driven to give relative attention to his academics due to the desire to meet his parents’ expectation, this student found his passion for learning towards the end of his undergraduate career. With this passion and a clear direction for his career, this student invested in his studies and will soon earn a Ph.D.
Maintaining a Romantic Relationship
At the beginning of the coaching relationship, this client had difficulty relating to peers and did not have any friendships or romantic relationships. Post undergrad, this client met a romantic partner and has sustained that relationship for three years.
