At Divergent Support Services, I provide personalized, neuroaffirming coaching for autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD teens and adults. My approach focuses on building confidence, understanding your needs, and developing practical strategies that work for your brain and your life.
Understanding Neurodivergent Coaching
What is the difference between neurodivergent coaching and therapy?
Therapy typically focuses on mental health, emotional well-being, psychological concerns, and treatment. Neurodivergent coaching focuses on practical, present-day challenges, personal development, and building skills for everyday life.
As a coach, I help autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD individuals develop strategies for executive functioning, communication, motivation, self-advocacy, relationships, and managing daily responsibilities.
My philosophy is simple: We don’t have to spend all our time looking backward. Let’s focus on what we can work on together today to make tomorrow easier.
Coaching is not a replacement for therapy, but the two can complement each other.
What is a neurodivergent life coach, and how can one help me?
A neurodivergent life coach helps autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD individuals better understand their needs, recognize their strengths, and develop practical strategies for navigating everyday life.
Coaching can help with motivation, organization, communication, emotional awareness, managing energy, building independence, navigating relationships, and advocating for accommodations.
At Divergent Support Services, I use a personalized, strengths-based approach that focuses on progress rather than perfection.
Is it better to work with a coach who is also neurodivergent?
A neurodivergent coach may bring valuable lived experience and an understanding of challenges such as masking, sensory overload, executive functioning differences, and navigating neurotypical expectations.
However, shared neurodivergent identity is not the only factor in finding a good coach. Experience, professional training, a neuroaffirming approach, and the ability to understand your individual needs are equally important.
The best coaching relationship is one where you feel respected, understood, supported, and empowered to be yourself. Full disclosure, I am neurodivergent- ADHD.
Do I need an official autism or ADHD diagnosis to work with a neurodivergent coach?
No. You do not need a formal autism or ADHD diagnosis to benefit from neuroaffirming coaching.
Many individuals recognize neurodivergent traits in themselves long before receiving a diagnosis, while others may be self-identified or exploring whether autism, ADHD, or AuDHD describes their experiences.
My coaching focuses on your individual needs, challenges, strengths, and goals, regardless of diagnostic status.
Autistic Burnout, Masking & Energy Management
What is autistic burnout, and how can coaching help?
Autistic burnout is a state of significant physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that can result from prolonged stress, sensory overload, masking, and navigating environments that do not accommodate autistic needs.
It may involve increased sensory sensitivity, reduced capacity for everyday activities, exhaustion, and difficulty managing responsibilities.
Neuroaffirming coaching can help you identify sources of overwhelm, recognize early warning signs, establish boundaries, explore accommodations, and develop personalized energy-management strategies.
Coaching is not a medical treatment for autistic burnout, but it can provide practical support for reducing demands and making daily life more manageable. Significant or persistent symptoms may also warrant assessment by a healthcare professional.
What is autistic masking, and how can I learn to unmask?
Masking involves consciously or unconsciously hiding, suppressing, or modifying natural autistic traits to meet social expectations or avoid judgment.
Over time, masking can become exhausting and may contribute to stress, disconnection from personal identity, and burnout.
Coaching provides a supportive space to explore your authentic communication style, recognize situations where masking feels necessary, establish boundaries, and make choices about when and how you feel comfortable expressing yourself.
Unmasking is not about forcing yourself to change overnight. It’s about giving yourself permission to be authentic, safely and at your own pace.
What is a social battery, and why do autistic and ADHD individuals experience social exhaustion?
Your social battery describes the amount of mental and emotional energy available for social interaction.
For some autistic and ADHD individuals, social situations require additional energy due to sensory input, processing demands, communication expectations, or masking.
Coaching can help you recognize your energy limits, identify draining situations, plan recovery time, communicate boundaries, and develop strategies for maintaining relationships without consistently exceeding your capacity.
Can coaching help with executive dysfunction and motivation?
Yes. Executive functioning differences can affect planning, organization, task initiation, time management, prioritization, and follow-through.
Rather than assuming someone simply needs more discipline or motivation, I work collaboratively to understand what makes tasks difficult and identify practical solutions.
Together, we may explore visual reminders, breaking tasks into smaller steps, creating realistic routines, using external supports, and finding strategies that fit your natural thinking and working style.
Coaching for Teens, Adults & Families
Where can I find a life skills coach for my autistic or ADHD teen?
Divergent Support Services offers virtual, neuroaffirming life skills coaching for autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD teens.
I help teens develop practical skills related to independence, communication, organization, motivation, school responsibilities, self-advocacy, emotional awareness, and preparing for adulthood.
Coaching is individualized and collaborative, with small, achievable tasks and takeaways designed to build confidence without overwhelming the teen.
I also offer parent update sessions to help families understand progress and support strategies while respecting the teen’s privacy and autonomy.
Can neurodivergent coaching help adults who struggle with everyday life skills?
Absolutely. Many autistic and ADHD adults experience challenges with routines, household responsibilities, managing time, relationships, communication, employment, and maintaining a healthy balance between responsibilities and personal well-being.
Coaching helps identify practical barriers and develop realistic systems that work for your needs.
Whether you’re managing daily responsibilities, navigating a major life transition, or simply feeling overwhelmed, we can work together to build strategies that make everyday life more manageable.
Can coaching help late-diagnosed or late-identified autistic and ADHD adults?
Yes. Discovering that you’re autistic, ADHD, or AuDHD later in life can bring relief, validation, uncertainty, and a new understanding of past experiences.
Coaching can help you explore your identity, understand your needs, reconsider expectations, recognize masking patterns, establish boundaries, and develop strategies that support your authentic self.
The focus is not on changing who you are, but on building a life that better accommodates how your brain works.
How can coaching help neurodivergent teens struggling in school?
Autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD teens may experience challenges with organization, motivation, completing assignments, communication, sensory demands, social expectations, and advocating for support.
I help teens identify barriers, develop practical learning and organizational strategies, strengthen self-advocacy, and better understand available school accommodations.
Coaching can complement existing educational supports, including IEPs and 504 plans, but does not replace school-based services or formal evaluations.
Can neurodivergent coaching help with friendships, relationships, and communication?
Yes. Coaching can help autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD individuals better understand their communication preferences, express their needs, navigate misunderstandings, establish boundaries, and build relationships that feel authentic and mutually respectful.
The goal is not to teach you to communicate like a neurotypical person. It’s to help you develop confidence and communication strategies that honor your identity while supporting meaningful connections.
Employment, Careers & Self-Advocacy
Can an ADHD or autism coach help with workplace challenges?
Yes. Neurodivergent employees may experience challenges related to workplace communication, executive functioning, sensory environments, competing priorities, burnout, and navigating expectations.
With more than 25 years of experience in human resources, organizational development, and workplace inclusion, I bring a unique perspective to helping neurodivergent individuals navigate employment.
Coaching can focus on identifying workplace barriers, exploring accommodations, strengthening communication, managing responsibilities, building confidence, and advocating for support.
How can I learn to advocate for accommodations at school or work?
Self-advocacy begins with understanding your needs and feeling confident communicating them.
Coaching can help you identify barriers, explore reasonable accommodations, prepare for conversations with educators or employers, and practice communicating your needs clearly and confidently.
My goal is to help you develop the skills and confidence to advocate for yourself while recognizing that you deserve accessible and supportive environments.
Working With Divergent Support Services
How do virtual neurodivergent coaching sessions work?
Coaching sessions are conducted virtually through Google Meet or Microsoft Teams and typically last 45–50 minutes.
Our initial intake process focuses on understanding your needs, strengths, challenges, and goals. Together, we’ll develop a personalized plan and begin building your toolbox of strategies.
Each ongoing session focuses on current challenges, practical solutions, and small, manageable tasks or takeaways that you can apply between sessions.
I generally recommend weekly sessions for the first six – eight weeks, followed by biweekly sessions when appropriate, depending on your needs and progress.
How much does neurodivergent coaching cost?
At Divergent Support Services, the initial coaching intake is $100 and includes reviewing your intake information, identifying goals, planning, and establishing your initial toolbox.
Ongoing individual coaching sessions are $50 for 45–50 minutes.
Parent update sessions of approximately 30 minutes are available upon request at no additional cost.
Can I work with a neurodivergent coach online from anywhere?
Divergent Support Services offers virtual coaching, making support accessible without the need to travel to an office.
Online sessions can be particularly helpful for individuals who prefer familiar surroundings, have transportation challenges, or find traditional office environments overwhelming.
I can practice in the US as well as Canada.
How do I know if neurodivergent coaching is right for me?
Coaching may be a good fit if you’re looking for practical strategies, greater confidence, stronger self-advocacy skills, improved daily routines, or support navigating school, work, relationships, and life transitions.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before starting. We can begin by identifying what feels most challenging right now and deciding what meaningful progress looks like for you.
You don’t need to change who you are to thrive. You deserve tools, understanding, and support that work for you.
Ready to get started? Download, fill out, and submit intake forms and request an intake session.