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Anyone can call themselves an ADHD coach, as it’s not a protected title (Picture: Getty Images) Within just a few minutes of scrolling through ADHD coaches on social media, I come across a number of dubious – if not outright incorrect – assertions. ‘In five days, you’ll learn everything you need to rewire your brain,’ promises one, while another claims their ‘secrets and knowledge’ can help you ‘master dopamine control’, and a third says their sessions ‘work for everyone’ without ‘willpower, medication or discipline.’ After being diagnosed with ADHD five years ago, I furiously searched for hacks and tricks that could ‘fix’ me. It was hard to come to terms with the truth, that my brain is simply wired differently – there’s no switch you can flip to wake up neurotypical, and managing the symptoms of this lifelong disorder takes work. But who needs facts when you’re selling a dream, right? And in the burgeoning world of ADHD treatment, there’s plenty of money to be made. According to Dr Selina Warlow, clinical psychologist and founder of the Nook Neurodevelopmental Clinic, questions about who can call themselves an ADHD coach ‘come up all the time’ on industry forums she’s a member of. A small minority also take a more negative stance, making comments like ‘ADHD coach is a pretend term’, or ‘the qualifications are just a pyramid scheme.’ ‘It’s a really big concern among psychologists, because there’s no formal regulation to the coaching industry,’ she tells Metro. ‘Although it’s not the case across the board, there’s the risk of certain ADHD coaches saying they can cure it, or “do seven steps and you’re going to be transformed.” They are working with a vulnerable group of people, which introduces the potential for exploitation.’ Some coaches are charging more than trained psychologists (Picture: Getty Images) Dr Warlow has seen some coaches charging ‘ridiculous’ fees that are ‘much higher than other professionals who have had seven plus years of training.’ She continues: ‘What’s worrying is there are clients that we know would pay thousands because they’re so distressed and desperate for support. And if someone tells you they can transform your life, you’re going to go, “okay, I’m interested,” even if there’s no evidence they can deliver that.’ The benefits of ADHD coaching None of this is to say that every ADHD coach is unscrupulous, or that their work can’t be beneficial. For example, Dr Warlow works with one coach who helps patients build practical strategies to reach their goals in areas of day-to-day life like time management or organisation, while she provides evidence-based therapies to address their emotional issues, mental health conditions, and underlying behavioural patterns ‘There are some brilliant people that brand themselves as an ADHD coach, that actually have got breadth of experience,’ she says. ‘People need support, and because we don’t have enough psychologists, we need to rely on other services.’ When it’s used ‘hand in hand’ with therapy, consultant chartered psychologist Dr Bijal Chheda says coaching can have ‘very positive’ results. The founder and director of Nos Curare Mental Health Clinic tells Metro: ‘An ADHD brain has differences in its cerebral cortex – what we call the executive functioning brain, where the focus, organisation and sequencing lives. ‘These techniques focus on neuroplasticity, so developing behavioural habits which when done repetitively help to form a neural pathway in your brain… it’s not just about thinking differently, it’s doing differently and practicing that in your daily lifestyle.’ An unregulated industry But while some people find the accountability helpful, experiences shared on the r/ADHDUK Reddit page highlight how hit and miss coaching can be. ‘I just can’t bear to sit in another meeting with someone who’s going to regurgitate things that I know and try (key word) to do already,’ writes hibiscusma25, while swindberc – who had NHS and workplace-provided neurodiversity coaching – says: ‘It could definitely be useful for others but I didn’t feel it provided me much benefit.’ Another, polarbearpoop, adds: ‘I had free calls with a few and they were absolute rubbish and clearly did not know how to coach, or were professional about what they did… I also found that a lot of coaches were charging way more than my actual therapist which was bonkers.’ Some find coaching useful, but experiences are hit and miss (Picture: Getty Images) Part of the reason for this is that – as Dr Warlow mentioned – it’s not a protected title like psychologist is, and although the likes of the International Coaching Federation or the European Mentoring and Coaching Council offer accreditation, no formal body regulates qualifications or standards in the industry. When it comes to qualifications specifically, it can be something of a wild west, with training running the gamut from week-long courses priced at £1,500 to six-month advanced study programmes surpassing £10,000. Despite this, coaching is often one of the first options made available for neurodivergent people through the Government’s Access to Work grant scheme. When someone is awarded funding for support, they’re told what they can use the money for (for example, six sessions of ADHD coaching) but there’s no set list of providers and recipients are responsible for choosing their own coach. Essentially, this means people are left to sort the bad actors from the genuine professionals themselves. How to find the right ADHD coach When they’re diagnosed, Dr Warlow first advises clients to learn about the foundations of ADHD through a book or free online course. From there, a HCPC registered psychologist is likely your best bet, but if coaching is the only option available to you (or you want to see a coach in tandem to therapy) it’s important to look into their background. What kind of training have they done? Are they a member of a professional body? Do they have experience working with neurodivergent people? These are all good questions to ask. Some coaches have ADHD themselves, which could be seen as an advantage when it comes to understanding what life is like for a client. However, since experiences differ so greatly from person to person, having the same diagnosis shouldn’t be the basis of your choice. ADHD Awareness Month 2025 Throughout October, Metro’s ADHD Awareness Month series shared real stories to demystify what it truly means to live with this misunderstood condition: I have a debilitating condition — it’s not a ‘superpower’ I went 27 years without ADHD medication — I thought nine months would be okay I revealed my diagnosis to my parents — and confirmed what I feared Next, Dr Warlow recommends finding out whether a coach integrates evidence-based approaches into their work – for example, if they’re trained in cognitive behavioural therapy – and how they measure progress so you know their approach is working. Therapeutic relationship is actually one of the biggest factors in how successful interventions are, so an initial call or session can give you a feel for how you get on. That said, you should be extremely cautious of anyone using these introductory chats as sales pitches to tie you into an expensive agreement. Going forward, Dr Chheda warns patients to be wary of coaches who give ‘generic feedback’ that’s not tailored to you, don’t have enough knowledge of ADHD, or make you feel unsupported or undermined in sessions. If any of these red flags pop up, ‘that’s when it could go wrong.’ Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
