Helping people of all ages develop key skills
Although the executive function coaching process will be tailored to you and your own neurodivergence, identifying your executive function skill strengths and challenges is often a good foundation to commence from.
Executive functions are the basic skills of self-management that allow people to live a healthy and fulfilling life. The ability to organise activities, regulate emotions and remember tasks are significant processes, and if these are impaired this can have detrimental effect on a child and adults' well-being.
Executive functioning hinges on three types of brain function, working memory, mental flexibility, and self-control. These functions are highly interrelated, and the successful application of executive function skills require them to operate in coordination with each other.
What are the Specific Executive Function skills?
Flexibility
The ability to be adaptable, to improvise, and to shift approaches to demands.
Meta-cognition
The ability to assess one's own actions, to self-monitor, and observe.
Social Thinking
The ability to understand social conditions and respond to them appropriately.
Organisation
The ability to use a systematic approach to achieve a goal or complete a task.
Planning
The ability to develop a set of strategies in order to accomplish a goal.
Regulation of Affect
The ability to manage one's feelings effectively for decision making and task completion.
Response Inhibition
The ability to stop or delay an action rather than display impulsive behaviour.
Goal-Directed Persistence
The ability to persevere with tasks that require sustained effort.
Task Initiation
The ability to initiate a task without procrastination.
Sustained Attention
The ability to maintain one's focus and attention in the presence of distractions.
Time Management
The ability to respond to things in a timely fashion.
Working Memory
The ability to remember relevant information and apply it to the task at hand.
What does Executive Function Coaching look like?
How does it work?
- Before we even start the coaching relationship, I recommend that you schedule a free 30-minute consultation. This will give you an opportunity to ask any questions that you may have and will be a good time to see if I am the right 'fit' for you.
- Once we agree that we will be a good fit for each other, an executive function skills questionnaire is then completed. This creates a starting point and gives me a rough idea of your executive function skill strengths and areas requiring development. If you would like to complete this questionnaire prior to scheduling your free consultation, please just let me know and I can send that over to you.
- We will then take some time getting to know each other and to start building a relationship, as this is vital if we are to trust each other and communicate effectively. I take a holistic approach and want to understand you as a whole and the context you live in, as opposed to a total emphasis on the issue that is troubling you.
- Then, we move the executive function coaching forward by developing targets in accordance with your core values, and looking at the best strategies to achieve those targets. If you are interested in completing a values exercise prior to scheduling an initial consultation please reach out to me.
One way we can maximise the likelihood of meeting these targets is through a process known as mental contrasting. This involves looking at potential obstacles that may arise when trying to achieve objectives and finding solutions to those beforehand. It is through this vital preparation that we can devise the best methods to keep you on track to achieving your objectives.
You may have a child with ADHD who has difficulty controlling their emotions, you may be an A-Level student struggling to stay organised or you may be looking for a new job. You may have received a diagnosis or may be waiting for a diagnosis, or you may even just realise that something is getting in the way of you progressing towards desired goals. Whatever may be the case – every client is an individual, there is no 'one size fits all' approach. We work together to look at your circumstances as a whole and work in partnership to advance your growth.
Please contact me for more information about executive function skills coaching.
Skills Sessions
Within these sessions we will work on specific activities and exercises to improve the identified executive function skill areas that require development. This may be followed up throughout the week via optional check-in sessions. Check-ins can be conducted by phone, email, Zoom or another preferred form of communication. Wherever you are in the UK or abroad, my executive function skills coaching can be tailored to best suit your circumstances.
Contact Dr Paul
To find out more about neurodiversity coaching and executive function coaching get in touch with Paul by emailing drpaulholland@outlook.com.
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