Shane Ward

ADHD Life Coach and Accountability Partner

 ADHD is not a myth, and does not magically get cured when you turn 18.  ADHD, especially amongst adults in South Africa, is under-diagnosed.  ADHD can be managed with medication, therapy and coaching.

When I was diagnosed in 2018 at the age of 45 I realized that as a South African my only resources to succeeding with ADHD existed outside of our borders.  Medication is available but access to therapy that recognizes ADHD as a chronic condition is very limited – and at the same time often out of touch with the realities that we face in our everyday lives.

I understand the impact of trying to manage the challenges of life with ADHD blindly, and how a diagnosis can revolutionize your future if you are prepared to reframe your approach armed with knowledge.

While ADHD Life Coaching is modelled on traditional Life Coaching, ALC acknowledges the additional challenges people with ADHD face with Executive Function and Emotional Regulation in everyday tasks.
We consider:

• How ADHD has/is impacting your life
• Discover obstacles that you are not even aware of to achieving your potential and experiencing life
• Clarify and prioritize your goals, what’s important to YOU
• Identify new “work-around” systems and strategies that leverage your strengths, taking into account your unique abilities so you’ll experience sustainable change.
• Work with the Curious Accountability Model where goals are attained through the successive engagement with obstacles and practical resolution thereby eliminating the “failure” paradigm many people with ADHD fear.

“Curious Accountability is a positive evaluation process based on respect and trust that focuses solely on learning from actions (or inaction). The learning, in turn, raises the awareness necessary for developing new skills and tools and achieving goals. Applied consistently over time, Curious Accountability increases self‐knowledge and resilience and fosters effective behavior change.”

[Gott et al. 2017]

Additionally, I work with clients who were diagnosed with ADHD within a rehabilitation context.  Addictions (Substance Use Disorder) are a common comorbidity of undiagnosed ADHD, and statistics show that up to 40% of rehab patients have ADHD (often undiagnosed).  As a Recovered Alcoholic I firmly believe that, where ADHD was the root cause of addiction, full recovery is possible.  Working together we will examine your unique triggers linked to your ADHD presentation and develop healthier coping mechanisms that are relevant to YOU as an individual.

Principal clientele:

• Newly Diagnosed Adult ADHD
• Young Adults transitioning from structured school environment to unstructured life
• Post Rehabilitation*
• Self Diagnosed Adult ADHD**
• ADHD Accommodations in the Workplace (Employment Equity)

*As a Coach it is incumbent on myself to ensure that I work with the individual and not the substance.  While I will engage with those who have not fully accepted their addiction, it is my ethical responsibility to ensure that you seek professional medical assistance and will determine a coaching relationship conditional on such.

** My model allows me to work with any individual irrespective of formal diagnosis.  However, as an ADHD Life Coach I am not qualified to diagnose any medical condition.  While I can provide guidance on seeking Accommodations within an Employment Equity context , any representations made on your behalf will potentially be insufficient without a formal diagnosis from a Psychiatrist.

Qualifications

Certified ADHD Life Coach (CALC, ICF ACSTH Accredited).
Prior to pursuing ADHD Life Coaching I had spent 27 years in HSE within the Petrochemical Industry (qualified as an Analytical Chemist).  This experience ensures that I view ADHD through a scientific lens and critically review all the latest literature on ADHD.