COACHING
Academic Support
Students with ADHD often experience challenges in academic environments. Our goal is to provide students with additional support outside the traditional classroom setting. Academic support services contribute to the overall educational experience by addressing individual learning needs and promoting academic success.
Academic Coaching
Our academic coaches have a deep understanding of these challenges and work with students to close the gap between their abilities and intellects and the expectations of the academic environment. The student and the coach determine current learning skills and uncover strategies that help students understand how to utilize their strengths in educational environments. Our ADHD trained academic coaches listen to students and empower them to determine their goals and create action steps toward those goals. Most importantly, we encourage students to use their strengths to develop learning routines and determine a path to increased confidence in academic environments.
What skills will Academic Coaching build?
- Goal Setting
- Tracking Habits and Grades
- Time Management
- Managing Test Anxiety
- Test Preparation
- Note Taking Strategies
- Task Initiation/Overcoming Procrastination
- Digital and Material Organization
- Neuroscience Backed Study Skills
- Limiting Negative Self-Talk
- Long Term Project Management
- Writing Support
- Self-Advocacy
Education Therapy/Dyslexia Coaching
Education Therapy/Dyslexia Coaching is a structured literacy, Orton Gillingham-informed approach that utilizes current research about the neurodivergent processing patterns associated with Dyslexic readers. Each 55-minute session weaves reading strategies with cognitive processing activities, empowering students to become efficient learners. Education therapy coaching sessions are custom to each student’s individual needs. Students help define goals based on their academic areas of concern. Each session blends the student’s holistic needs with systematic and strategic learning activities. This approach allows the coach and the student to take an individualized path to overcome learning challenges.
What areas will Educational Therapy address?
Academic
- Reading
- Writing
- Number Sense
- Spelling
- Critical Thinking
- Metacognition
- Study routines
Non-Academic
- Mindset for learning
- Organization
- Problem Solving
- Self-esteem
- Self-advocacy
- Motivation
Socio-Emotional
- The interrelationship between emotion, behavior and learning.
- Self-awareness and self-talk
- Environments and relationships supportive to learning outcomes.
Services:
- Introductory Call– Is Academic Coaching right for You?
- Get started by scheduling a complimentary 15-minute phone call with Gena to decide if academic coaching or education therapy is a good fit for you or your student.
- Academic Coaching
- During a series of 55-minute sessions, in person or over Zoom, students will build the necessary skills to succeed.
- Education Therapy/Dyslexia Coaching
- 55 minute sessions that weaves together reading strategies with cognitive processing activities which will empower students to become efficient learners
ACADEMIC COACH
Meet Gena VanderMeulen
As an academic coach, Gena will help students understand how to utilize strategies to address their difficulties of learning with ADHD. Most importantly, she will help students believe they can be successful.
Gena was a high school English teacher for 31 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary education, English and psychology from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Arts degree in Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Boise State University. She also holds post-baccalaureate certificates from Landmark College in Executive Functions and Supporting Autistic Students. Gena currently holds a graduate certificate in 2e education from Elmbridge University and is pursuing a doctorate in Cognitive Diversity in Education at Elmbridge University.
Qualifications:
- Graduate of ACA Coach Academies
- Certified Professional Academic Coach
- Associate Credentialed Coach through the International Coaching Federation
- Graduate of JST Coaching and Training with an emphasis on Coaching Neurodiverse Learners
- Chaos Free Family trained coach
- Anti-boring Approach to Powerful Studying trained coach
- Member ADHD Coaches Organization
- Certificate in Applied Neuroscience & Brain Health from the Brain Coach Bootcamp/The Neuroscience Academy
- Executive Function Specialist
- Certified Bernstein Performance Model Specialist
EDUCATIONAL THERAPIST
Meet Heather Crane
As an Education Therapy Coach I demystify learning differences and encourage an awareness of personal strengths that can be utilized for building new routines and neural pathways for efficient learning. Education therapy sessions are individualized to develop an intervention plan that addresses not only academic difficulty, but also psycho-educational and socio-emotional aspects of life-long learning.
Heather holds a Master of Education degree in Learning, Cognition and Development from Rutgers University and she is a certified Educational Therapist, Association of Educational Therapists (AET).
Qualifications:
- Orton-Gillingham Certificate of Educator Training
- Dyslexia Specialist Certification
- Sarah Ward 360 Thinking
- The Anti Boring Approach to Powerful Studying
- Integrative Therapy for Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia Integrated Approach
- ADHD Professional (ADHD-CCSP) Evidence-Based Strategies for Managing ADHD Across the Lifespan