The Most Underrated ADHD Coaching Tool— Backed by Science
- Eliza Barach
- May 20
- 4 min read
New research shows identity-affirming care significantly improves outcomes for neurodivergent individuals. Here's why validation is a cornerstone of effective ADHD coaching.
The Power of Validation — How ADHD Coaches Help Clients Thrive Without Formal Diagnoses
One of the most impactful interventions ADHD coaches bring to the table isn't flashy or complicated—it’s as simple as offering validation.
This is especially true when working with clients who self-identify as neurodivergent, an do not have a formal diagnosis.
Why Many Clients Don’t Pursue Formal Diagnosis
Many individuals seeking ADHD coaching may delay or forego official diagnosis due to systemic barriers, including:
A lack of knowledgeable mental health professionals
Financial obstacles to accessing assessments
Fear of stigma or being dismissed
Rather than gatekeeping support based on paperwork, effective ADHD coaches meet clients where they are. We validate lived experiences, collaborate with the client’s unique brain, and help design a thriving, sustainable life, regardless of whether a diagnosis is present.
New Research: Identity-Affirming Care Makes a Measurable Difference
A recent study in Frontiers in Psychology (Kroll et al., 2024) lends empirical weight to what many ADHD coaches witness daily: affirming neurodivergent identity leads to significant client growth, even in the absence of formal diagnosis.
Key Findings:
At Intake:
Neurodivergent clients—diagnosed or not—reported more severe mental health symptoms than neurotypical clients.
Those without a formal diagnosis showed the highest levels of distress.
At Discharge:
After receiving identity-affirming care, improvements were significant and similar across all groups.
Validating treatment helped level the playing field.
Why This Matters for ADHD Coaches
It’s not necessarily the diagnosis itself that drives transformation—it’s the experience of being seen, believed, and supported.
Validation isn’t fluff. It builds trust, reduces internalized stigma, and empowers clients to take ownership of their growth.
The Coaching Arc: From Acceptance to Life Design
Validation can be levaraged continuously throughout the coaching relationship. In my practice, clients don’t need a formal diagnosis to begin their journey. Instead, we follow a three-phase model that integrates identity-affirming care at every step from insight to implementation.
1. Psychoeducation (Acceptance)
We start by helping clients understand what ADHD actually is, moving beyond stereotypes to illuminate how neurodivergence shows up in real life.
This is validating in itself: accurate information challenges internalized shame, reframes past struggles, and reflects the client’s lived reality.
2. Self-Discovery (Application)
Next, we explore which ADHD traits resonate with the client’s experience. What fits? What doesn’t? Clients begin to map how their brain works—not just in theory, but in context.
This phase affirms the client’s intuitive self-knowledge. We name patterns they’ve often sensed but never been supported in exploring.
3. Life Design (Creation)
Finally, with this self-understanding in place, we co-create strategies and systems that work with the client’s brain.
This is a powerful form of validation: it says, “You don’t have to change who you are to thrive. Let’s build a life that works with how you work.”
At every stage, validation is leveraged as a mechanism of change. From attachment theory, we know that mirroring—accurately reflecting and affirming someone’s internal state—is foundational to developing self-trust. If we don’t affirm our clients when it’s appropriate, how can they learn to affirm themselves?
How ADHD Coaches Can Practice Identity-Affirming Validation
Here’s how we can apply this framework in day-to-day coaching:
Meet Clients Where They Are Assume competence. Respect the client’s experience, even without a formal diagnosis.
Affirm, Don’t Pathologize Affirm ADHD traits, acknowledge challenge and help clients reframe ADHD as a brain-based difference.
Prioritize Functional Support Focus on what works for the client’s brain. Diagnosis may inform the work, but it doesn’t define it.
Support Identity Exploration Give space for clients to unpack what being neurodivergent means to them without shame.
Address Systemic Barriers with Compassion Acknowledge the real challenges clients face accessing care, and support advocacy if appropriate.
Conclusion: Validation Is an Intervention
Validating neurodivergent experiences facilitates real psychological shifts.
We’re helping clients shift from self-doubt to self-trust.
We’re dismantling internalized stigma.
We’re creating the conditions where thriving becomes possible.
This latest research only strengthens what many ADHD coaches already intuitively know: affirmation is a catalyst for meaningful growth.
Ready to Grow Your Coaching Skills? If you're a practitioner, join the ADHD Practitioners Community to get access to the latest ADHD & coaching research, ADHD informed coaching tools, and collaborative case consultation with peers who get it. Together, we’re shaping what evidence-based, identity-affirming ADHD care looks like.
If you're an ADHDer ready looking for evidenced informed ADHD support, I offer 1:1 ADHD coaching grounded in the latest research and best ADHD coaching practices. You don’t need a formal diagnosis to begin. Learn more or book a strategy consult with me, Dr. Eliza Barach.
Reference
Kroll, E., Lederman, M., Kohlmeier, J., Kumar, K., Ballard, J., Zant, I., & Fenkel, C. (2024). The positive impact of identity-affirming mental health treatment for neurodivergent individuals. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1403129. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1403129
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