Why belong to the ACO?

"I belong to the ACO, because of the sense of community of ADHD Coaches and the support and knowledge that they share."

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

The ACO board announces a change in criteria for being listed as a Professional Member of the ACO.

Read the full article below.

First Annual Meeting at ADDA convention

The ADDA convention was a great success for the ACO. Here are a couple photos to let you see what you missed.

Board members at the wine and cheese reception. Standing from left: Sarah Wright, Kerch McConlogue, Jan DeLaura, Glen Hogard, Ken Zaretzky, Cathy Jantzen and Laurie Dupar.
Coach Cameron Gott, right, gets a handshake from Membership Chair, Ken Zaretzky after signing up as the ceremonial 100th member of the ACO. Photo by Glen Hogard	The ACO booth was a gathering places for many coaches throughout the event. Below new member Dana Rayburn hams it up grabbing the chocolate. Photo by Glen Hogard

Welcome New Members

• Be sure to sign up for the members listserv. (You'll need your login name and password.) Share information or ask questions of other members on this email list. Emails will have [Members] in the subject line and replies go back to the list. That way we can share info with the whole group. Or send an introductory email to members@adhdcoaches.org and we'll be sure you get "buzzed in."
• Be sure to Update Your Profile (After logging in, choose "Update Your Profile" in the navigation bar on that page)
• We're looking forward to finding out what you’re most interested in, and learning how you might want to get more involved. The Membership Committee will be contacting you soon.
  In the mean time, let me know if there's anything I can do or if you'd like to contribute to Circle.

ICF Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
May's featured SIG: Coaching and Psychotherapist Communities

The ICF Special Interest Groups (SIGs) give you the opportunity to get very specific in our greater coaching community. Through the SIGs, you can connect with other coaches who have similar interests or goals and share best practices, challenges, and new ideas. SIGs are open to all ICF members at no additional cost.

If you are a member of the ICF, visit the ICF Web site for further information. For May, the Featured SIG is the Coaching and Psychotherapist Communities SIG. Visit http://www.coachfederation.org/ICF/For+Current+Members/Find+a+SIG/ for more information.

ACO Round Table Teleconferences

      The next Round Table call will be on June 20 at 8 pm Eastern time. The topic of the call this time it will be dealing with organizational issues. The topic always matches the theme of the current issue of Circle. Check out the calendar of events for information about the dates of the calls and the topics we'll be discussing.
     We've had a few of these teleconferences. They've proved to be lively, intimate and useful. If you miss the call and would like to hear a recording of the discussion, dial 1 (218) 936-1055, then enter 107287#. Each teleconference is available until a new one is recorded over it.
     To sign up for the next session, please send an email to teleclass@adhdcoaches.org .

More Teleconferences: Coaching Support for Coaches

Overheard on the last Coaching Support for Coaches: "This was the most useful hour of talking to other coaches that I've participated in in two years!" Topics covered in the one hour call ranged from the simple -- like how to start the conversation when your client calls so it doesn't sound like you've hit the ground running and they're just catching up to the more complicated -- like my client has been stuck on the same problem since November and I just can't find a way to forward the action.

Coaching Support for Coaches is scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of each month at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Mark your calendars now for the next session: June 27, 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.

Organizing a Coaching Business:
Planning, Paperwork and Follow-up

by Laurie Dupar, MSN, RN, CPCC, ACC

Keeping my own coaching business organized can sometimes be a challenge. Just as with our clients, there seem to be some specific areas that consistently need my attention lest they turn into unmanageable chaos. One is planning, a second is paper work and a third follow-up. Here are a few ideas that work for me.

• I set aside 30 minutes at the start of my day to review my schedule,
• For managing paper work, I use a single file drawer near my desk as a sort of temporary filing system to hold papers of projects that I'm working on now.
• I keep a simple form to record pieces of information I regularly need when I'm working with clients. Then I can easily review our previous session. You can find a copy of my form on line in the Coaches’ Tool Box.

If you are a member you can read more on line.
           Join now!

Organizing the Unorganized Client

by Carrie Greene

Getting organized is a very executive-function-intensive task, so people with ADHD often have trouble with it. While some of the houses of people with ADHD are as neat as a pin, the ones with total chaos like you've seen on TV are not rare. But most houses are somewhere in between with many piles and a lot of clutter. The prevailing sensation I feel in these homes is a lack of control over piles and things. Their stuff owns them. Their stuff is in charge, instead of the other way around.

ADHD coaches often help clients break down the seemingly insurmountable tasks into manageable bites. Sometimes those tactics help clients attach the problem, sometimes they don't. What can coaches really do to help? Remember, being organized is not about having a neat living space ready for a surprise visitor.

Organization is highly individual. It requires decisions about the value of the stuff and about whether the client actually wants it to be part of their life.

If you are a member you can read more on line.
           Join now!

New Criteria for ACO Professional Membership

Announced June 1, 2006 by the ACO Board of Directors

It’s not just ADHD coaches who are noticing the number of other professionals who are co-opting the title “coach.” Some management consultants, some therapists, some teachers and tutors, and a host of others in helping professions are calling themselves coaches.

According to the International Coach Federation (ICF)

Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful. The coach's job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has.

Key in that definition is training: specific coach training. The ACO supports the value of coach-specific training, as well as education in the field of ADHD and ADHD coaching, as critical to the effective practice of ADHD coaching.

Therefore, because ACO Coaches are, first and foremost, coaches who endorse and accept the coaching paradigm of the ICF, and who additionally have specific training and expertise in coaching people and/or groups affected by ADHD, the ACO is implementing specific criteria for Professional Membership.

It is not the intent of the ACO to credential or certify any member’s qualifications or skill level. However, it is important to our mission of promoting ADHD coaches and coaching worldwide that we protect the integrity of the “Professional Member” designation of the ACO.

Therefore, beginning on July 1, 2006, in order to be listed as a Professional ACO Coach, new members will need to provide information declaring:

• evidence of an active coaching practice
  and either
• 72 hours of ADHD coach specific training taught by an ICF credentialed MCC or PCC coach
  OR
• 60 hours of coach specific training provided by an ICF approved school or taught by an ICF credentialed MCC or PCC coach, plus
• 12 hours of addition training about ADHD and/or ADHD Coaching provided by a Masters or PhD level expert or by an ICF credentialed MCC or PCC coach or by a specific source recognized by the ACO .

How will the organization find out what level of coach I am?

Current members are being welcomed by phone by the Membership Committee.  During those calls membership levels will be ascertained. People who do not meet the new, more specific requirements will be welcomed at the ACO as ASSOCIATE Members.

At the completion of the new member interviews being conducted by the Membership Committee and beginning July 15, 2006, only Professional Members will be listed in the public version of the "Find a Coach" directory on the ACO website.

So what's the difference between a Professional Member and an Associate Member?

The only difference in benefits between the two levels of membership is that Professional Members only are listed in the publicly searchable "Find a Coach" directory. The entire database listing all members is available to all members after logging into the members-only portion of the website. This way members looking for others with particular skills, training, or for other information can find members who might fill a specific need.

Associate Members who wish to become Professional Members will be supported and encouraged by the ACO and its membership in their efforts to do so.

To support this new policy, members joining after July 1, 2006 will be listed as Associate until the membership committee completes an evaluation of the application. This should not take longer than 30 days. You will be contacted by a member of the ACO for a new-member or, in the future, for a renewing-member interview.

Additionally, the ACO will implement Continuing Education requirements. As of July 1st 2007, all renewing professional members must demonstrate 6 Continuing Education hours in the previous year. The membership renewal procedure will be described in more detail in next month's Circle.

For complete information, please check the FAQ online at www.adhdcoaches.org/content/FAQ.html

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.

Next month's topic is depression. How does it coexist with ADHD and what do you do when you think you're up against it? Got an idea? Send me a note at editor@adhdcoaches.org

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!