Executive Functioning Coaching

Is Our Problem Executive Functioning?

If you or your child has difficulty organizing, planning, or keeping their living or workspace in good order, they may have Executive Function (EF) challenges.  Below are signs someone may have executive functioning vulnerabilities that coaching can help:

• Distractibility
• Difficulties with Organization Skills
• Impulsivity
• Difficulty Dealing with New Types of Problems or New Information
• Difficulties with Inhibition
• Difficulties Shifting Attention
• Difficulties with Emotional Control
• Poor Self-Monitoring Abilities
• Poor Working Memory, such as difficulty with mental math or complex directions
• Difficulties with Task Initiation and Completion
• Difficulties Planning Things

Executive functions represent a collection of processes responsible for goal setting, initiation, and follow-through of a plan, self-awareness, and the management of cognitive and emotional functions during daily tasks. Moreover, executive functions include skills that are considered the highest level of cognitive functioning. Interestingly, executive functions are mediated by the frontal lobes and their dense connections with other cortical and subcortical regions, which are responsible for arousal, motivation, perceptual processes, and motor control. Unfortunately, even the simplest tasks can prove highly challenging when these systems are not functioning well.

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What are Executive Functions?

Executive functions are a core collection of higher-order mental skills. As such, they help us to learn, work, manage our lives, and interact with others. They include:

• Inhibiting responses
• Working memory
• Emotional control
• Sustaining attention
• Beginning tasks
• Planning and prioritizing
• Organizing
• Time management
• Setting and working towards goals
• Flexibly shifting between tasks
• Metacognition (thinking about thinking)
• Tolerating stress

Why Executive Functioning Coaching?

We all have strengths in executive functioning and areas we could improve. Some of us require additional support and explicit guidance to boost performance in one or more areas. That is where coaching becomes valuable.

Dr. Burleson works with her clients and, when applicable, their families to evaluate areas of executive functioning strengths and those that need a boost. Her coaching sessions generally include skill-building focused on one executive functioning area at a time, using situations and examples specific to the client. Furthermore, we will measure your child’s growth throughout coaching, and as clients reach mastery in an area of executive functioning, the coaching focus shifts to another prioritized area. Call us for details at (240) 252-3349.