Psychotherapy & Coaching

Executive Function Coaching

What is the difference between psychotherapy and Executive Function (EF) coaching?

The difference between an EF coach and therapist is that an EF coach sets clients up with methods that focus on short-term or long-term goals often in brief schedule rather than ongoing, regular sessions. In EF coaching, clients work collaboratively with an EF coach to clarify goals identified by the client, obstacles also identified by the client and then action plans to achieve results. Therapy often focuses on past traumas whereas EF coaching often focuses on the future supporting clients to take action to move toward their goals.

What are Common Weaknesses in EF skills that may become a serious liability for students and professionals?

These include:

• Professional performance difficulties– difficulty starting and maintaining a job search, conflicts with co-workers and collaborating on projects, difficulty taking notes in lectures and meetings, poor follow-through on assigned tasks
• Organizational challenges– procrastination and difficulty initiating tasks, organizing work or home materials, poor tracking of important paperwork (e.g., bills, notices, etc.), problems organizing and planning for writing projects or managing longer-term projects
• Time management difficulties– despite being plugged in (maybe too plugged in) misses deadlines, procrastination (again!), overscheduled and stressed all the time, difficulty maintaining optimal and efficient work schedule, difficulty taking more time than needed or taking too little time to do things

Problems in these areas can lead to slowed academic and/or occupational advancement or even problems maintaining reliable and consistent employment.

How EF Coaching Can Help

• Learn to practice mindfulness meditation practices to effectively reduce stress
• Understand how the brain works, specifically gaining insight about motivation, and make that knowledge work for you
• Learn and apply simple, practical strategies to stay on task and maintain focus
• Learn how to initiate and persist in challenging work
• Learn how to transform your life one morning at a time
• Develop personalized methods -paper and pencil, apps, etc.- to optimally organize materials, devices and workstations
• Learn how to effectively divide larger projects into smaller bits
• Make and stick to realistic plans when and how to do work
• Simplify use of technology to improve productivity
• Learn self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills, i.e., belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task and advocating with a skillful, soft touch for your needs in the academic and/or workplace
• Develop metacognitive skills (i.e., thinking about your thinking) to help form healthier, self-reinforcing habits

We offer both individual and group EF coaching sessions.