What Actually Happens in Executive Functioning Coaching?

"Executive functioning coaching" can sound a little vague, and perhaps wordy. I have been asked time and time again, “what is executive functioning coaching, actually?”

“Is it just for executives?”

“Is it business coaching?”

“Is it just for people with ADHD?”

No, no and no.

Think of executive functioning as the control center of your brain. The management team, so to say, is responsible for all “higher-order” tasks like planning, organization, time management, getting started on important things, completing them, thinking flexibly and creatively, resisting impulses, setting goals, prioritizing, etc. When this management system is weak, your daily functioning becomes slower, and less efficient. You might know what you need to do, but have a difficult time doing it. Your brain gets lost in all the weeds and has a hard time sorting things out. Executive functioning coaching helps to strengthen the parts of the brain responsible for these tasks, and teaches you skills, techniques, and shortcuts that improve and strengthen your brain.

If you or your child struggle with any of these tasks, keep reading, because there is a clear and very accessible solution. Maybe homework takes hours. Maybe you procrastinate until the last possible minute. Maybe the backpack or desk is a disaster. Maybe you know what you need to do, but getting started feels impossible.

But what actually happens in executive functioning coaching?

At Focus Forward, the answer is not handing a student a planner and teaching them how to make a to-do list. Those things can be helpful, of course, but executive functioning goes much deeper than organization. Through repetition and scaffolding, we are creating and strengthening communication pathways in the brain.

The goal is to figure out where a person is struggling, help them understand why, and then give them practical ways to work with their own brain.

First, We Figure Out What's Getting in the Way

Executive functioning challenges look different for everyone.

Executive functioning is an umbrella term that refers to a set of many skills, and therefore everyone’s profile of strengths and weaknesses differ, and our first task is to map our individual's exact profile, so we know what is most crucial to target first. In other words, what skills are interfering the most with their functioning, and where do they need the most relief.

One person may have trouble keeping track of assignments but have no problem getting started once they know what to do. Another may be incredibly organized but procrastinate for hours because task initiation is difficult. Someone else may struggle with working memory, time management, emotional regulation, attention, or shifting from one task to another.

That's why we don't start with a predetermined set of strategies. At the beginning of the Focus Forward protocol, we spend time getting to know the individual and completing a brief executive functioning assessment. From there, we identify three key areas to focus on throughout the program. This gives us somewhere specific to start rather than simply saying, "You need to be more organized." Because chances are, they've heard that one before.

We Help Them Understand Their Own Brain

This is an important part of the process.

Before we expect someone to use a new strategy, we want them to understand what executive functioning is and how it shows up in their everyday life. For a student, that might mean finally understanding why they can sit down to do homework, know exactly what needs to be done, and still feel completely stuck when it's time to begin. Or why a project that seemed like it would take "maybe an hour" somehow turns into an entire Sunday afternoon. 

There can be a lot of frustration around these struggles, especially for kids and teens who have been told they are capable but aren't consistently showing what they can do. Giving them language for what is happening can be a big first step. We believe that educating them about their brain and executive functioning weakness goes a long way in both getting their “buy-in” as well as empowering them to make a change.

Then We Get Practical

This is where coaching really comes to life. Over the 10-week Focus Forward program, we work directly on the executive functioning areas identified at the beginning. And the strategies need to make sense for the person using them.

In each of the ten areas of executive functioning, we have several interventions and skills that we teach and repeat with both academic and non-academic tasks. Through repetition and scaffolding, we create and strengthen neural pathways that support the behavioral change we expect to see. We creak down each “missing” skill and teach the building blocks before we send the person out to practice it on their own.

There isn't one magic strategy that works for everyone. A big part of coaching is figuring out what actually works for you. Therefore, every intervention is tailored to the client’s age, occupation, and lifestyle. We want to teach you skills that you will actually adopt and use.

We Practice With Real Life

Executive functioning doesn't happen on a worksheet.

It happens Monday night when there are three assignments due Tuesday.

It happens when a student realizes they forgot about a quiz.

It happens when a college student has several long-term projects and no one reminding them when to start.

It happens when a high level professional gets ready for a business meeting and organizes their thoughts and agenda.

It happens when something feels overwhelming and the easiest option is to avoid it altogether.

That's why we want the skills being taught in coaching to connect to what is happening outside of the session. Real assignments, real schedules, real responsibilities, real challenges. The more a student practices using strategies in everyday life, the more likely those strategies are to become something they can eventually use on their own.

For Younger Students, Parents Are Part of the Beginning

For students in our Youth Track (grades 3-12), parents participate in the first two sessions, at minimum. We do this intentionally. Parents can provide important information about what they're seeing at home, and it also gives everyone a shared understanding of what we're working on and why.

From there, coaching gives the student space to build skills, practice strategies, and take increasing ownership of the process. Because ultimately, we don't want a parent managing every assignment forever. We want the student to develop the tools to begin managing more of it themselves.

Coaching Is Not Therapy or Tutoring

This distinction is important. Executive functioning coaching is not psychotherapy, and it isn't subject-specific tutoring.

A coach isn't teaching algebra or writing an English paper with a student. Instead, they may be helping the student figure out how to plan for the algebra test, break the English paper into smaller steps, manage the time available, organize their sources and materials, and actually get started.

At Focus Forward, our coaches are master's and doctoral-level professionals with background and education in areas including psychology, education, human development, and brain functioning. The program is overseen by a Ph.D. level clinical psychologist, and the work stays focused on building practical executive functioning skills. It is structured, and data driven, not “ad-hoc” in any way.

The Goal Is Bigger Than Getting Through This Week's Homework

Of course we love when homework becomes less stressful or a student starts remembering assignments more consistently, those wins matter. But the bigger goal is helping students become more independent.

We want them to recognize when they're getting stuck. We want them to have strategies they can try before someone else has to step in. We want them to understand that one system may work beautifully for them while another doesn't, and that figuring that out is part of the process.

Each week, we build on the skills of the previous week, a concept called scaffolding. We do not just move on to the next intervention and task, rather folding the practice of old skills into the learning of new skills. This is all meticulously planned, as part of our unique protocol.

Executive functioning skills follow us well beyond school. We use them in college, at work, at home, and pretty much everywhere else life asks us to manage ourselves. That's why Focus Forward offers three tracks: for youths, college and graduate students, and high level professionals in the workplace. These skills are responsible for many of the difficulties that we experience in our daily functioning, but they can be taught and strengthened. 

Individuals going through the Focus Forward program learn lifelong skills and create changes in their brains that support their new habits. If you or your child are struggling, or not quit accessing your potential, reach out and start the conversation.