ADHD affects executive functioning skills, which are the brain skills we use to execute goals. Cognitive coaching services can provide individuals with ADHD with a diverse "toolbox" of executive functioning supports to improve everyday functioning. Coaching can be an excellent complement to medication, counseling, and other supports or accommodations. Coaching services are not considered medical services and are not reimbursable through an insurance company, but may be eligible for payment with a Health Savings Account (HSA); some employers may also pay for employees to receive ADHD coaching services to improve work performance. Coaching services are available to older teens and adults and are provided either at the person's home or virtually. If appropriate, coaching sessions will include interim communication between sessions (e.g., texting or e-mailing) to establish consistency and grow habits early in the goal achievement process. 

Executive Functioning coaching provides tools, strategies, supports, and skills to enhance the following areas of cognitive functioning:

• Organization

• Time Management

• Procrastination (task initiation)

• Goal-directed persistence

• Memory for future intentions

• Attention processes and on-task behavior

• Planning and prioritizing

• Metacognition (thinking about one's own thinking; self-monitoring)

• Study skills

• Complex task execution 

I draw from a diverse and unique professional background in cognitive rehabilitation to provide practical strategies and results to maximize executive functioning. Some of these tools involve visual aids, use of apps, metacognitive strategy training, and environmental modification (modifying settings to enhance cognitive performance). I am an ADHD certified clinical services professional (ADHD-CCSP) and offer a high standard of person-centered coaching to the Gallatin Valley. 

Have you ever felt like your attention, memory, language, or other cognitive skills were not working effectively? Have these areas always been somewhat challenging?  Personally, when I experienced extreme sleep deprivation and a hormonal roller coaster after my baby arrived, the efficient thought processes that I always relied on to carry me through work and life were suddenly not so automatic. I ultimately reached for the same tools that I have taught clients to help their cognitive processes for years, to meet the demands of daily functioning.

Throughout life, anyone may experience suboptimal cognitive functioning for an array of reasons. This may include distractibility, inconsistency in memory, slower processing, or feeling less effective than is possible with "executive skills" (the skills we use to execute goals, such as organization, planning, prioritization, decision-making, problem solving, task initiation, and others). Tools and strategies that exist in the world of cognitive rehabilitation can benefit anyone who wants to maximize cognitive functioning. Learning about your own brain function and how to best work with it helps individuals to gain traction through thinking strategically and systematically about their own brain processes. This can be an incredibly empowering experience given that changing one's own cognitive function can feel nebulous without sufficient knowledge and tools. 

Cognitive wellness and coaching services empower individuals to reach a fuller potential with their cognitive processes. Individuals can learn to work "smarter, not harder" with thought processes and "offload" mental representations through the use of strategies and cognitive aids, in order to allocate cognitive resources more effectively. Learning internal aids and metacognitive strategies that work for an individual and using them consistently can actually enact "rewiring" processes under sufficient conditions, creating positive lasting effects of clients' efforts. Results include gaining confidence and self-efficacy in managing one's own cognition. 

Cognitive wellness and coaching sessions are not considered a medical sevice. They is not intended to diagnose or directly treat a medical condition but potentially could indirectly impact the effects of cognitive issues from a medical condition. 

Has test taking always been challenging? Is it difficult to process and retain what you are reading? Does difficulty focusing get in the way of processing what you hear when attending a seminar, lecture, or religious service? 

Study skill coaching can be helpful for maximizing cognitive abilities for these situations. I utilize my extensive background in neurorehabilitation to put together a "toolbox" of strategies, aids, and adaptations to empower clients to gain traction and become more effective with learning information, studying, and test taking. Hands on practice opportunities are provided to optimize learning.

Neurological disorders affecting a person's communication and cognition impact more than the person living with the condition: There can be tremendous impact upon family, spouses, and loved ones, because of the very nature of these types of challenges. Medical services primarily address the person living with the neurological condition, leaving care partners' needs largely unaddressed. While care partners can access counseling services for their own grieving or adjustment needs due to their loved one's medical event, a major gap can exist in the complex situation of sudden role shifts and coping with the changes to the loved one's communication or cognitive status. In my experiences in healthcare facilities, I often had the feeling (or was told directly!) that care partners could benefit from an entire session just for themselves to address their unique needs, but unfortunately this service was not covered under any insurance (therapy could only be performed for the patient themself) and there was no other "service" that existed to allow for this need. 

To meet the complex needs of care partners of individuals with cognitive and communication disorders, I offer care partner coaching and educational services. It is often critical that care partners also work with a mental health professional to address grieving needs, depression, or anxiety that may come about or be exacerbated from the shift in role and demands of caregiving. Care partner coaching that I offer is not intended to replace this very important mental health service. Rather, care partner coaching is aims to address the following areas and needs:

• A session that is all about your needs and experiences as a care partner: While the majority of neurorehabilitation services focus on the patient, care partner coaching is an opportunity with me as a neurorehabilitation professional who uniquely understands that challenges associated with caring for a person with communication or cognitive disorders (aphasia, dementia, neurodegenerative diseases, etc)

• A safe place to navigate and process daily challenges related to your loved one's communication or cognitive disorder

• Supportive strategies and troubleshooting skills related to your loved one's communication or cognitive difficulties

• Learn techniques to facilitate your loved one's communication or cognition to improve the quality of daily interactions and reduce frustration