ADHD coaching supervision is a reflective space where coaches explore their work with a suitably experienced supervisor. You can bring client situations, ethical questions, boundaries, uncertainty and your own responses to the work. The aim is to develop understanding and support thoughtful professional practice.
You do not need to wait until a session has gone badly. Supervision can help you learn from work that feels useful, notice patterns you have missed and consider choices before a difficulty grows.
What is the purpose of coaching supervision?
Coaching involves more than knowing which question to ask next. You are working within a relationship, making decisions about boundaries and responding to experiences that may be unfamiliar or emotionally demanding.
Supervision gives you time to step back from the immediate conversation. A supervisor can help you examine what happened, what you assumed and how your own reactions may be influencing the work. They may offer questions, observations or relevant perspectives, while you retain responsibility for your professional decisions.
It is different from a client coaching session. The focus is your practice and the relationships and responsibilities involved in it. It is also different from a training assessment, although feedback and learning may be part of the conversation.
Why might ADHD-informed supervision be useful?
Working with ADHD clients can raise questions about attention, follow-through, shame, emotional experiences and the fit of familiar coaching approaches. An ADHD-informed supervisor can help you reflect with those experiences in mind, without assuming that every situation has the same explanation.
For example, a client may repeatedly arrive with goals they have not acted on. You notice yourself becoming more directive. Supervision could help you explore your expectations, how the goal was agreed and whether accountability has begun to feel like pressure. You might leave with a different question to bring to the client rather than a stronger reminder system.
The supervisor does not need to provide a quick answer to every situation. Sometimes the value is recognising an assumption or becoming clearer about what you need to ask.
What can you bring to a session?
- A client conversation you keep thinking about, whether it felt difficult or went well.
- Uncertainty about the boundary between coaching and another kind of support.
- Questions about contracting, endings, fees or between-session contact.
- Your own frustration, worry or impulse to rescue a client.
- Patterns across several coaching relationships.
- Questions about adapting your practice or seeking further training.
You can also bring a situation that you cannot yet describe neatly. “I feel stuck, and I am not sure why” is a useful starting point. You do not have to turn the experience into a polished case study.
How does group coaching supervision work?
In a group, coaches reflect together with a supervisor facilitating the process. Hearing other perspectives can reveal options you had not considered. Listening to another coach’s experience may also help you recognise something in your own practice.
The arrangement should make clear how time is shared, how confidentiality works and what participants can expect. Group supervision offers shared learning; individual supervision may provide more space for a particular issue. Suitability depends on your needs and the format offered.
Protect client privacy when preparing material. Follow your coaching agreement, professional obligations and the supervision group’s arrangements. Remove identifying details and share only what is needed for the reflection. Confidentiality should be discussed rather than assumed to be absolute.
How can you prepare without over-preparing?
Note the situation briefly, what you are wondering about and what you hope to understand. It may help to distinguish what the client actually said from the interpretation you made afterwards.
After supervision, capture the learning that feels relevant. You might decide to revisit an agreement, seek specialist advice or try a different way of asking a question. Review what happens rather than treating the supervisor’s perspective as a script.
If an urgent safeguarding concern arises, follow the relevant safeguarding procedures and seek appropriate help promptly. Routine supervision is not an emergency response service.
Explore supervision with Barrett
Barrett’s Open Group Coaching Supervision offers a supportive, confidential and non-judgemental space for reflecting on client work, ethical questions and professional growth. The approach is ADHD-informed and neurodiversity-affirming, with supervision from Gill Jordan and Charlotte Green.
The groups are open to coaches and practitioners beyond Barrett graduates. Visit the supervision page for current arrangements and booking information, or get in touch if you would like to discuss whether the format meets your needs.
Supervision can become a regular place to think with others, develop your judgement and stay curious about your work. You are welcome to bring questions before you have answers.
