Executive Function Coaching

The Importance of Executive Functioning Skills

Those who seek our support in strengthening their executive functioning skills frequently mention feeling overwhelmed and in need of more effective time management skills. In these instances, students and adults, alike, often lack the foundational skills required for long term success and can benefit from executive function coaching.

“Executive functioning skills” are a hot-topic in education circles today, and while this buzz phrase can sound like a passing fad, The Harvard University Center on the Developing Child defines executive functioning as “the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.”

Coaching for Children — Coaching for Adults

What is Executive Function Coaching?

In our capacity as academic and executive function coaches, we help students and adults to develop the higher-order thinking and self-regulation skills that they need to succeed in school and in life.

While developing strategies that pertain to executive functioning can be particularly useful for those who have learning differences, ADHD, or trouble with self-regulation, everyone can benefit from these skills.

Approach & Process for Children

Executive functioning skills are always a part of your child’s education, but deficiencies are often illuminated during the changing expectations of middle school.

When difficulties arise, parents will sometimes feel like their child “should” know how to manage their time, plan ahead, stay organized and self-regulate by their age. Unfortunately, it does not work like that. Executive function skills are not inherent. Like any other skill, they must be learned and practiced, regardless of a student’s age.

Through our executive functioning work, we guide students in shaping thought and behavior patterns that help them to solve problems, act with initiative, and reflect on their practices so that they are always aware of what is working for them and what is not.

It is important that we continue to emphasize and acknowledge that students are human beings who will always have areas of weakness. Our goal is to not change the person that they are but to find ways to expand their strengths so they can remain confident in the face of challenges.

Approach & Process for Adults

Executive functioning skills tailored to adults who need support with organization, time-management, productivity, are a necessity when aiming for a life that is both externally productive and internally fulfilling.

Clients who seek out assistance in these ways often list the ways that they regularly feel overwhelmed, struggle with time management, and internalize residual discouragement after not accomplishing things in the manner in which they assume is the “correct” way.

Through our process, we prefer to challenge clients to approach the process with eagerness and positivity. Rather than opening the discussion with perceived flaws, we encourage the client to share their idealized version of life that will exist upon successful completion of our consultation. Does the client envision a more constructive and fruitful professional life? Perhaps a healthier relationship with their family and loved ones, or finally reaching their personal goals for health. Each individual has varying visions for a prosperous future, though recurring themes are often present: dreams of increased confidence, competence, productivity, and internal peace.

The process is to identify the client’s goals and develop a series of cornerstone habits that feed directly into this objective. What is the next smallest thing that can be done to move towards this goal? Through backward planning, we will establish the steps necessary to create incremental change.

Ultimately, there is no evergreen approach nor magic bullet for success. Rather, it comes down to decisions that we make each and every single day.

In our work together, we help each client to reconstruct their daily lives and individual choices so that they can achieve their goals.

Some of the Skills We’ll Develop:

Organization

A lack of organizational strategies is an enormous obstacle. With our support, students begin to cultivate habits and systems that help them to bring a grounding sense of control and order to their studies.

Time Management

Through forward and backward planning, list-making, prioritizing, and self-reflection, we help our students and clients to manage their time so that they give can each task the proper time and attention necessary.

Brain-storming

A great way to help a student make sense of overwhelming thoughts and ideas, we guide and encourage students as they develop strategies to make sense of their own unique processes.

Breaking-Down Tasks

Anxious students often have a difficult time getting started on tasks, so we help students to break down big projects and assignments into smaller, more manageable bites.

Working Memory

We help students to develop strategies to help develop their memory while also ensuring that they have systems in place to help compensate for memory deficiencies.

Self-regulation

Through reflection, breath, and systematic breaks, we help students to learn how to soothe themselves when they feel distracted and overwhelmed.

Self-advocacy

Learning how to advocate for themselves is a crucial skill for all students, and with our support, your student will learn to correspond with teachers and problem solve on their own.

Exploration

An exploration of the physical and psychological elements that influence executive functioning, these include: a deep-dive into the happening of the prefrontal cortex, exploration of the fight, flight, or freeze responses, and aligning emotions with goals.

Scheduling

Time management exercises that provide clients with the fundamental mechanisms for taking control of their daily schedules.

Backwards Planning

Developing a series of cornerstone habits that feed directly into the client’s long-term goals for success.

Accountability

Establishing an element of accountability with us, an outside source, and regular assignment check-ins that keep the client on track with their ambitions.

The Benefits of Executive Function Coaching

Executive function skills are the foundation for success later in life, and they are one of the only skills taught in school that will undeniably be utilized by all students regardless of the career path they pursue.

As we tell our students, they may not use trigonometry as an adult, but they will undeniably face difficult tasks and have to overcome them. That is what they are really learning how to do.

With the help of strong executive functioning skills, your student will have the foundation necessary to assess difficult tasks, break them down into manageable bites, focus intently on the work that needs to be done, and complete their work effectively.

“Lindsay has been a great resource for me. I came to her looking for help with my executive functioning skills namely organization and time management. Not only has she been great in helping me to develop processes that allow me to be more productive but also in my overall mindset.”

– Forrest F., Chicago, IL

Invest in Yourself

Hiring a professional to support your growth and development is an investment, so let’s have a no-risk, free consultation to see if my services are the right fit for you or your child.

Busy Parents, Happy Kids Book Available Now

In Busy Parents, Happy Kids, executive functioning expert Lindsay Zoeller introduces the vital importance of executive functioning skills. In these pages, you will learn what these skills are, why they matter, and what you can do to strengthen them.

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