Referring clients to other professionals.
by Kerch McConlogue, CPCC
Sometimes the work ADHD coaches do with “stuck clients” can seem overwhelming. How do you know when it’s time to share your problem client with a mental health care provider? When should you suggest that a client needs more help – or different help – than a coach can provide?
The referral process should not be made quickly.
The first step is to notice that there might be an issue. "AD/HD coaches who have personal experience in living with depression, addictions, anxiety and other coexisting conditions have an distinct advantage in identifying these issues in their clients," says ACO member coach Pauline Laurent If you have experience with depression’s debilitating pall, then noticing a client’s general attitude toward his life and circumstance might be an indicator that reinforcements could be in order.
Clients with ADHD are certainly consistently inconsistent. Sometimes clients think they’re not making progress but the coach sees something different. This is a problem especially for clients with ADHD precisely because they can be so poor at self monitoring. It’s the coach’s job to point that out, to encourage the client to see the progress they might be missing.
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 no progress is being made, call a friend.
“When a client won’t be pinned down to any plan of action -- when the client swears that this week’s plan is the best thing since sliced bread and then the next week nothing has changed -- maybe there’s something that coaching is missing,” says member coach Warren Simonoff
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.
When you do decide to refer out, help your client be clear about the process.
Offer your client specific names of professionals if you have them. If you don’t, be sure you have a good handle on what kind of professional you’re suggesting. That means you’ll have to know the difference, for example, between the work done by a social worker, a psychiatrist and a neurologist.
Help your client be very clear about the questions he wants the new professional to help answer. What facts does the client have and what is the best way to share them to make the visit most productive? For example, help the client notice what happens when he takes his meds and when he forgets. Help the client construct a specific written list of both what the coach notices and what the client thinks will help insure that the client doesn’t forget important details.
Give the client a release form so that you have permission to talk to the new professional. You can find a sample in the new ACO Tool Kit section of the web.
Finally, don’t just pass the client off. Keep in touch. Accountability is important. The education from a new professional will be worthwhile both for the client and for the coach.
About the author:
Kerch McConlogue, CPCC, PCC is a Baltimore-based coach in private practice who works with adults who have too many ideas. You can find her on the web at www.mapthefuture.com. Contact her by email using kerch@mapthefuture.com or by phone at (410)233-3274.