Executive Functioning Coaching
Executive Functioning Coaching at AURA Coaching & Education services takes a holistic approach to increasing all domains of executive functioning for teens with ADHD and high functioning Autism. Read below to find out more about the approach from Paul M. Benton, AURA’s founder.
“After leaving a career as a special education teacher and school Principal due to health issues from Lyme Disease, I jumped into IPEC, one of the leading life and executive coaching programs. After the first 30 hour workshop, it was clear that I had stumbled upon something that is so desperately needed in education while also largely staying off the radar in schools. Over the last two years, I spent time inserting coaching into every layer of school communities: whole schools, leaders, teachers, staff, parents, and, most importantly, students and it is clear there is a huge opportunity to do things better.
Specifically, Executive Functioning Coaching provides organizational, social, and emotional scaffolding for students that may struggle with ADHD, Autism Spectrum disorders, and even extremely busy schedules. Often, I find my teen clients are lacking in their ability to find themselves in their own life. And, if we are being honest, adults, I think we can relate.
Coaching helps bring out who that self is and authentically articulate it to the world. Personally, I can’t think of a better time in life than adolescence for this because their number one job is already underway. They are already individuating out of childhood and away from parents in order to stand on their own as adults. What that looks like for them is largely impacted by the sense-of-self they stand on as their foundation of life. Luckily, this can change!
What might your teen need to walk this path of adolescence with a strong sense-of-self?
A great starting place is supporting them in deciding and defining their beliefs of themself. Once it’s understood that our BELIEFS encapsulate our THOUGHTS that create our EMOTIONS that drive our ACTION (or inaction) in the world, it’s hard to hear or say “I cant” without understanding what that truly creates in life. A belief like “I’m just not good at math” leaves little room for seeing how math skills can improve and creates the appropriate emotional response for when a task is too great. You might see shutting down (dissociating from the problem), acting out (protecting from the problem), perseverating without traction (anxiety), or hopelessness (depression). Regardless, the intrinsic value in improvement is lost to a belief that suggests trying is a lost cause or tirelessly ineffective.
What might happen if that belief shifted to “I’m capable in math AND it will help create the meaningful vision I have for my future”?
There truly is a better way! Click this link to sign up for a time to chat about how executive functioning coaching and Energy Leadership can help your teen authentically and joyfully thrive on this path of life. Thinking about executive functioning coaching for a community of kids? Let’s chat about supporting them through group courses or custom school, teacher, and parent workshops!
All the best,
~Paul M. Benton”