ADHD and coaching: What can we do as coaches?

As a coaching psychologist, when I am having conversations with clients who may have ADHD, my assessment involves gathering information with a deep interest in a non-diagnostic capacity.

Regularly, my role is to identify behaviours, patterns, and challenges that might suggest ADHD traits and to support my clients in developing strategies to manage those challenges.

I tend to apply the following structure during my interview and assessment.

Offer an intake questionnaire

I create a detailed questionnaire or survey that covers common ADHD symptoms and issues. I include questions about attention, focus, impulsivity, hyperactivity, organisation, time management, and emotional regulation. Common signs might be:

• difficulty focusing on tasks
• forgetfulness or frequently losing things
• difficulty completing tasks or projects
• impulsivity when making decisions
• struggling with priorities and organisation
• procrastination

Review client history

ADHD typically appears in childhood, so understanding if these challenges were present in early school years can offer important insights. So, I will discuss their childhood and educational history. For many clients, having a friend or family member with them during the interview is a positive step. Some things to inquire about:

• Did they have trouble focusing or sitting still in school?
• Were they often described as ‘daydreamers’ or ‘troublemakers’?
• Did they have difficulties with academic performance or managing school tasks?

Observe behavioural patterns

You can observe their behaviour during coaching sessions. ADHD-related behaviours may include:

• started many projects but struggled to complete them
• difficulty staying on topic during conversation
• easily distracted by external stimuli
• trouble listening or following instructions
• overwhelmed or frustrated with tasks that require sustained attention

Explore strengths, challenges and executive functioning skills

An assessment can help me understand the client’s strengths and areas where they feel most challenged. ADHD often comes with strengths like creativity, problem-solving, and high energy, but it can also involve significant challenges like time management, forgetfulness, or difficulty following through on commitments.

Executive functioning is often impaired in ADHD, e.g:

• Time management: Do clients struggle with punctuality or estimating how long tasks will take?
• Organisation: Is their workspace or schedule chaotic? Do they have trouble keeping track of appointments or essential tasks?
• Prioritisation: Are they easily overwhelmed by tasks? Do they find it hard to focus on one thing at a time?

Gather self-reported feedback

The perfect ADHD assessment involves considerable high-energy discussion so:

• Encourage your client to reflect on their own experiences.
• How they perceive their challenges in focus, time management, and organisation.
• Their emotional regulation, e.g. do they experience frustration or impulsivity?
• Do they feel like they’re ‘stuck’ or can’t seem to meet their goals?

Gather feedback from others

If appropriate, you should consider getting feedback from family members, friends, or co-workers for a clearer picture. ADHD can affect relationships and work dynamics, so understanding how others perceive your behaviour can be helpful.

Use ADHD screening tools

There are several ADHD screening tools and self-report questionnaires you can use to help you identify areas where your client might be struggling. A web search will make you aware of the wealth of firms out there working in this area.

Why would we work in this area?

As a coach, I am aware that clients seek an ADHD assessment for one or more reasons:

• to understand their behaviour
• to improve their quality of life
• to explore treatment options
• seek out educational or workplace support
• improve relationships
• self-improvement

What next?

As a follow-up, my coaching role helps clients understand their symptoms and create practical strategies to manage them. We can work together and…

• teach emotional regulation and focus techniques
• develop personalised time management strategies
• create structured routines
• offer tools for organisation and prioritisation

By combining my observations with the tools above, as a coach I can offer targeted support to help clients effectively navigate their challenges, regardless of a formal diagnosis.

If your assessment suggests that your client may have ADHD, encourage them to seek a formal evaluation from a licensed clinician (psychologist, psychiatrist, or medical doctor). A formal diagnosis is essential for accessing treatments like medication.

As coaches, we provide a range of relevant, ethical and significant resources and advice.