I often have adults reach out to me to help with executive functioning issues. I am an educational therapist and this combines a master’s degree in counseling with a special education degree. How does this allow me to “coach” adults with executive functioning issues? Typically, it is a person struggling with organization at work and/or at home. Some have diagnosed ADHD, others just have difficulty maneuvering through the expectations of their job or school due to an inability to prioritize and follow through with the day to day routine tasks that are required to be successful at work, school, or at home.
A psychologist or social worker may pick up on these kinds of issues, but tend to use therapy time to investigate personal or social behaviors that cause a patient to be unhappy or dissatisfied with the course of their life. The past is often explored as to what was the catalyst of this behavior, and ways to reframe thoughts and feelings in order to change and grow psychologically. When I am introduced to an adult client looking for ways to improve their executive functioning skills, I do wish to know how they handle things now, and if this was always a stumbling block for them in the past. Then we begin with expectations in the areas of their life that need to change to make day to day functioning run smoothly, without so much chaos and stress in their lives.
We begin with creating a list of what needs to be the priorities each day, whatever area needs the most attention. For some, it is school and/or work, for others, it is managing their home life. Then there are those where it is more than one of these. Our sessions are usually once a week and we begin with a plan of action for those areas that most need organization. For instance, a list of to-do tasks is created, with the priority of issues numbered from 1-10, with one being of the highest importance to accomplish. Each item is discussed with a deadline to complete it by. It could be by next week when we meet, depending on when it needs to be completed. The accountability factor makes a difference for adult clients as this usually falls upon them to manage. Knowing there will be a person who is there to help with fulfilling your agenda, is a very important piece to create the change needed.