Meet Valerie English CooperI am a trained ADHD Coach, completing ICF (International Coaching Federation)-accredited courses in coaching children, teens, and college students with ADHD. I trained with Jodi Sleeper-Triplett, a founding member of the Edge Foundation (www.edgefoundation.org) and a well-respected expert in ADHD coaching of adolescents and young adults with ADHD. My training used the same coaching model employed in the pivotal two-year Edge Foundation Study, which demonstrated that students who received ADHD coaching services showed significant improvement in their ability to direct and manage cognitive activities, emotional responses, and overt behaviors. They were also better able to formulate goals more realistically and consistently work toward achieving them, as well as manage time more effectively, organize, and stick with tasks even when they found them challenging. Results from the pilot study were published in the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability in 2011.
In addition to my ADHD coaching training, I am completing a Masters Degree in Counseling & Human Services. Each course, each assignment, is selected to explore current research on executive function assessment and skills development. I also attend national and regional conferences in my field. The interdisciplinary field of mind, brain, health and education is an evolving science: it is important for me to be informed of new research findings so that I can better support my clients in our coaching collaboration. My personal and family experience with ADHD further deepens my understanding of ADHD and how it can influence one’s life in very positive ways when managed effectively. I studied basic sciences in college, and though I never completed my Ph.D. dissertation (a coach might have helped!), I used that hyperfocus hallmark of ADHD to build a career in medical communications. I sold my business some years ago; now I bring my experience as founder and president of a medical communications company to coaching through my understanding of current medical literature in ADHD, my knowledge of the executive function skills needed to manage a company, and my focus on communication as an essential component of effective coaching partnerships. I am passionate about helping young people to develop skills, gain confidence, and achieve their goals through coaching. Please contact me if you wish to learn more about ADHD and executive function skills or how ADHD coaching can help students find their individual paths to success. Past and current professional memberships include the Institute of Coaching (IOC, www.instituteofcoaching.org), the ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO, www.adhdcoaches.org), the Edge Foundation (www.edgefoundation.org), CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD, www.chadd.org) and the American Medical Writer's Association (www.amwa.org). |