Coaching The Twice Exceptional ADHD Adult: Redefining a Life of Potential
Event Information
Giftedness can be a double-edged sword, particularly when it comes with a side of ADHD that can make fulfilling promised potential difficult.
Twice exceptional (2e) adults with ADHD and intellectual giftedness face unique challenges due to the complex interplay of their exceptional abilities, emotional sensitivity and executive functioning difficulties.
Many gifted ADHDers with this asynchronous developmental profile learn from a young age to equate their self-worth with performance, fueling perfectionism, shame, paralysis around failure and self-criticism.
Coaches have a unique opportunity to partner with 2e individuals and help them challenge rigid concepts of what it means to be “smart”.
This presentation will identify some of the challenges, opportunities and considerations in coaching 2e clients. We’ll explore how coaches can partner with their brilliant but overwhelmed clients to develop self-awareness and self-compassion, reframe pressure-filled narratives of unmet potential and create a more nuanced vision of success.
Presenter
Liz Welshman, ACC
Liz Welshman is a certified ADHD coach partnering with adults and families sick of executive function challenges getting in the way of their brilliance. Liz’s practice is centred around helping smart but burned out professionals, frazzled caregivers and out-of-the-box thinkers reimagine their potential and accept ADHD traits with a sense of humour. Her interest in ADHD began on a (flailing) search for “good enough” parenting strategies to help her son embrace his square-peggedness. Liz has a background in communications and holds degrees in Law and Journalism alongside her ACC credential with ICF.
Key Takeaways
- Define the concept of twice-exceptionality and understand its prevalence among the adult population.
- Understand the challenges, strengths, and opportunities experienced by 2e adults with ADHD and giftedness.
- Recognise some of the cognitive, behavioural, and emotional characteristics of 2e individuals.
- Explore coaching best practices and considerations for fostering self-awareness, self-acceptance, and overall well-being in 2e adults.
Describe a strengths-based coaching approach that leverages the exceptional abilities of twice-exceptional clients.
