I love mentoring and training emerging coaches to be great ADHD coaches and create profitable and sustainable coaching businesses. Having been a coach for 20+ years, I know how much coaching can make a positive difference in people’s lives, and I want to do everything I can to ensure great coaches serve our community.

However, when it comes to getting certified as a coach, there still seems to be some controversy with people on both sides of the “to be” or “not to be” certified fence. You see, currently, there is no legal  requirement to use the title of “coach.” Unlike doctors who must go to school and pass an exam to use the title, anyone can call themselves a coach. Many coaches forego approved coach training and base their expertise on life experience.

Other coaches follow the course of training and certification. Despite the current lack of legal obligation to do so, many dedicated coaches spend time and money to seek accreditation and credentialing from approved training programs before they use the professional title of “coach.”

So, when coaching is becoming widely known, and the need for ADHD coaches is increasing, which direction should a person go if they want to become an ADHD coach? Here are my thoughts:

There is a difference in what you can bring to the coaching session when you have become a certified coach. Coaches who have invested the money, energy, and a couple of years of training to become an accredited ADHD coach will be more skilled, experienced, and professional than someone who hasn’t gone through that rigorous process. Coach training takes your life experiences and teaches you how to incorporate them into the coaching model. In addition, coach training honors your expertise in other areas of your life and helps you mold these to use in your coaching to serve your clients. Without this training, you may be providing comfort, lending an ear, or giving advice. Still, you would need to be more skilled at eliciting your client’s wisdom, honoring them as fully capable, or genuinely empowering them to make lasting changes.

More and more people are asking about credentials. When I started coaching, the profession was emerging, and I rarely got asked if I had a coaching certification.   In the past ten years, I have noticed this change. It is common for me to be asked about my training and experience. Potential clients are becoming informed consumers, interviewing multiple coaches, and asking great questions. Thanks to organizational and leader support, our community is becoming educated about ADHD coaching and learning that there is a difference between the quality and skill of well-trained certified coaches.

Certified coaches are pushing to have the laws changed. However, coaches who have put in the long hours and financial investment into ensuring they are professionally trained will continue to lead the way and lobby for the privilege of using the title “coach.” I see a day not too far off when being certified or credentialed will require using the title “coach.”

Even if a potential client doesn’t know to ask, credentialed ADHD coaches like myself educate our community about what they can expect from their coaches, including the coach training. I want people with ADHD to succeed, so being the best coach I can be, and supporting and training emerging coaches, is incredibly important to me. If you are considering becoming an ADHD coach, there is a program that will fit your needs and provide the support, direction, and training for you to become a certified coach.

Coaches have a weak spot. We always want the best for our clients. Don’t shortchange yourself or your clients. Invest in yourself to become certified. Be the best coach you can be and experience the fulfillment and satisfaction of seeing your client’s progress. You and your clients will be glad that you did

What do you think? Where do you stand on the ‘to be’ or ‘not to be’ certified fence? Questions about training to be an ADHD?

Please email me at support@coachingforadhd.com, and I can give you some guidance on the first steps to obtaining your certification.