Why belong to the ACO?

I belong to the ACO because: “I believe that, in time, ADHD coaching will catalyze social change and that it has a very wide application beyond ADHD.”

Help us spread the word about the ACO:
Please forward this newsletter to appropriate friends who might not otherwise know about the ACO.

First Annual Meeting

     The first annual meeting and member reception will be held during the ADDA convention in Orlando, Florida. Join us on Saturday, May 5 from 4:30 to 7 for hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.
     Meet other members. Have something to say about the forward motion of the group.
     We are excited to see many of our current members and we hope to attract more. ADDA is a great place to meet other ADHD coaches.
     We’ll have a beautiful cloisonné ACO button for each member. If we miss you at the event, we’ll send you one in the mail.
      Please let us know if you'll be there.

Membership Directory to be Distributed at ADDA

      We’ll be publishing a directory of member coaches for distribution at the event. WE only have the info you’ve provided in the member directory. So log in to the members area of the site. Choose "Update your profile." Then check to be sure your listing is complete. We’ll include your name, city, state, phone, email web address, training and your quote. But not your whole biography.
      If you do NOT want any of this information to be published, please drop me a note by April 15.
      Also at the ADDA event, ACO will have a display table to spread the word about our organization. Board members have agreed to staff it, but they could sure use some help. Please drop a note to Glen Hogard (Marketing Chair) so he can keep track of who’s volunteered. We promise not to take up all your time.
      Even if you can't help – please stop by, say hello, and pick up your button.

Welcome New Members

      The Membership Committee is calling all members to welcome them to the ACO community. They are polling the group to learn how the ACO can best meet the needs of our members and to be sure that if you want to be involved, you get a job. If the committee misses you, please return the call.

ACO Round Table Teleconferences

      The next Round Table call will be on April 18 at 8 pm Eastern time. The topic of the call will match the theme of this issue of Circle and be on determining when to refer a client to a different professional. Check out the new calendar of events for information about the dates of the calls and the topics we'll be discussing.
     The first in this series of teleconferences was held in March. There were about a half dozen members there talking about coaching clients with anxiety issues. Participants were excited about the experience.
     To sign up for the next session, please send an email to teleclass@adhdcoaches.org

More Teleconferences: Coaching Support for Coaches

      Here’s another opportunity to talk regularly with other ADHD coaches about your sticky wicket ADHD coaching issues. Do you have a client-issue you're struggling with? Maybe you have a particular coaching issue you'd like to get some input on? Or do you want to just bounce some ideas off a fellow coach to help you coach better? Then this is your opportunity. Pauline Laurent hosts the ACO's new monthly Coaching Support for Coaches call.
      Coaching Support for Coaches is scheduled for the last Tuesday of each month at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. If a month has five Tuesdays, Coaching Support for Coaches will meet on the 5th Tuesday. So mark your calendars now for the next session: April 25th at 8:00 pm Eastern!
      This call is open to all ADHD Coaches. Please RSVP by email to Pauline at plaurent@gutsycoaching.com or call her at 707-578-4226 for the bridge line and access code to participate in this call.

Use the ACO Logo on Your Site

      We encourage members to use the ACO logo on your website and personal stationary. Please link it to www.adhdcoaches.org. For information about how to display it check out the website. You’ll be asked to log in before you can see the info.

ADHD Coaches Website Update

      The website has been mostly overhauled. The colors changed and more information is being added all the time. If you find any errors or broken links, please drop me a note. Include a link to the page with the broken link as well as the specific link that’s broken. It’s not very helpful if you say, “The links on the calendar page don't work.” But rather please report: “On this page: [paste page URL here] the link to the bylaws at the top if the page doesn't work.”

Dear ACO Members,

I’m excited to say that in three short months we are 26 members strong. I’ve become acquainted with quite a few of you. And my excitement about our growth is only exceeded by the commitment I hear toward ADHD Coaching and dedication to people with and affected by ADHD.

ACO began as and will continue to be a grass roots organization. As a member you have increased opportunities to impact the world of ADHD and ADHD coaching. Within the organization itself, Membership and Marketing Development and Strategic Planning are led by Ken Zaretzky , Glen Hogard , Cathy Jantzen respectively. Our already highly acclaimed publication, “Circle” is written by and for members with editorial leadership by Kerch McConlogue. We encourage members with interest in any of these areas to get involved. Contact the leader of your area of interest. In addition, I encourage members with specific interests or talents contact any ACO Director to see how they might contribute to the ADHD world through or together with ACO. At this time the ACO Board is meeting weekly. So action on new ideas can be taken quickly.

If we haven’t met, don’t hesitate to introduce yourself. Please call me -- or any ACO Director -- with your questions, suggestions or ideas.

The ACO is all about community. And when you become a member of ACO you expand that community. I expect the ACO to really Rock the ADHD World!

Welcome to your ADHD Coaches Organization.

Warmly,

Cathy Jantzen

Coaching gives people clarity, direction, and support. People diagnosed with a disorder such as bipolar illness or borderline personality disorder are as coachable as anyone else. They need clarity, direction and support just as much as anyone and they can get it from working with a coach.

What coaches can't do is attempt or claim to cure or treat any form of illness, whether mental or physical. In situations where an illness IS the issue, a competent ethical coach will always refer to an appropriate professional whether that is a physician, therapist or social worker.

Join the ACO. Get access to the rest of the article about what this kind of coaching can entail.

Referring clients to other professionals.

Sometimes the work ADHD coaches do with “stuck clients” can seem overwhelming. The referral process to another health care provider should not be made quickly.

If progress is sometimes being made, keep coaching. Be sure to “call it” when the client has made progress that he didn't see. Ask what made the progress possible. Practice noticing when the client is promising what your experience tells you that he will not do.

When you're feeling particularly stuck over what to do, you could call another ADHD coach and outline the situation – the particulars aren't necessary. Or post a message to the ACO Bulletin board See what advice you get from a peer. That’s part of the value of the community of the ACO. It’s a group of people who might have different and, therefore, valuable information to share.

Read more about this on line

A Portrait Is More than Just a Photograph

All of coaching is about the relationship. It’s hard enough to build one when you're sitting across a table – face to face – with the client. But when you're miles away and maybe you've never met, a good photograph is a really important.

When you prepare for a portrait session, spend some time thinking about your idea client. If you had to dress up to meet that person, what would you wear? What would you say – if you couldn't talk to him? Your portrait must tell that story.

If you use a professional photographer, have a discussion about copyrights before he begins work. Yes, it is your face, but he made the art. So get him to sign over to you the copyrights to the image. Or if you choose to let him retain the rights, negotiate the fee structure for future use -- both yours AND his.

In the online version of this story, you'll see examples and learn more about preparing for the photography.

Thanks for reading.

It would be great if you'd contribute. What is your particular expertise? Drop me a note and let's talk about it.

At this time we can't pay writers who submit articles to this newsletter, but we'll give you credit and links as appropriate. Articles received by the 15th of the month will be considered for the upcoming issue. Sometimes we'll elect to hold an article for later publication. Writers' guidelines are available on line at this minute at newsletter.adhdcoaches.org/writersguidelines.html

I'm looking forward to making this publication top notch. So if you've got any questions, comments, concerns or gripes, please drop me a note. It does no good to grumble alone!

Onward and upward!