Education is Key to ADHD Coaching Says Top Albany ADHD Coach

ADDCA In The News | ADHD Education

Examiner.com
Health & Fitness
by Jane Tolman
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Education is key in helping patients with ADHD overcome challenges in their lives, says David Giwerc, founder of the ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA) at 1971 Western Avenue, Albany, NY. "If a person doesn’t know which aspects of their behavior are affected by their ADHD, a coach can't expect them to understand which behaviors they have the ability to change," Giwerc said. “You don’t know ADHD until you know your own brand of ADHD.

ADHD coaching is an alternative treatment sometimes used instead of, or in combination with, medication and therapy, to treat the symptom of ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Coaching emphasizes education so that patients can learn about the individual traits of the disorder that are specific to their own personalities. This knowledge can help accelerate the development of personal coping strategies.

Giwerc himself has ADHD. He had two successful careers that left him bored and wanting more. Oddly enough, it was ADHD that challenged that boredom. When he began to research why there was not more attention being paid to adults with ADHD, it sparked a passion in him that had been missing in his prior working life. In 1998, together with his wife, Marla, they launched the ADD Coach Academy website (ADDCA). It is now the largest virtual ADHD coaching program in the world, and the only ADHD coaching program based in Albany. Several successful graduates of the academy remain in the Albany area.

ADHD coaches are trained to guide and support a person in overcoming the challenges of living with ADHD at work, school or home. Specifically, ADHD coaches help their clients:

Create structures and tools to stay on track

Improve organizing skills and design organizing systems

Plan projects, get clear on tasks and manage time

• Increase self-awareness
  Set and reach their goals
  Improve crucial lifestyle habits such as diet, sleep, and exercise
  Improve relationship and communication skills

ADHD coaches are difficult to find, but there are coaches, for adults and children, in Albany. The ADDCA website is one place to start. To find an ADDCA Certified Coach, visit the ADDCA Coach Directory.