Edge Coaching supports people by using research-proven, one-on-one coaching designed to help them develop and implement a set of attitudes, knowledge, and skills people use to manage themselves and their lives. These are called Executive Function skills, and they include:

  • Accountability
  • Asking for help
  • Bouncing back after setbacks
  • Emotional control
  • Focusing and perseverance, even in the face of adversity
  • Goal setting
  • Handling stress
  • Impulse control
  • Independent task implementation and follow through
  • Motivation (and ending procrastination)
  • Planning and organizing
  • Prioritizing
  • Punctuality
  • Removing barriers to success
  • Social awareness and empathy
  • Task completion
  • Time management
  • Working memory

Sounds like skills everyone needs, right? Yep. But most schools don’t explicitly teach them. They are deeper than study skills, and different related or subsets of these skills are sometimes referred to as Durable Skills, Life Skills, or Social and Emotional Learning.

Edge Coaches work with individuals on personal, living situation, social interaction, academic, and workplace/professional skills by asking strategic questions to help them think about what habits of the mind, actions, and behaviors effectively move them towards their goals. Eventually, these practices become part of how the coached individuals interact effectively in the world.

Coaching is more effective than simple direct training in these skills because it is deeply integrated into what the Edge-Coached individuals experience in the process of doing what they love and care about. They learn to interact in the world in ways that advance their own priorities, which is the heart of developing a sense of personal agency, ownership, and self-efficacy.

Getting to Know Edge Individual Coaching

How Does Edge Coaching Work?

Everyone knows a coach when they see one. There are football coaches, tennis coaches, dance coaches, voice coaches and executive coaches. And for the daily challenge of life itself there are life coaches. Put simply, a life coach helps people meet the challenges and opportunities life presents. An Edge Coach is a life coach who is specialized in helping people, including teens, college students, graduate students, and adults (both in school and in the workplace) who have unique executive functioning challenges that can come from ADHD, adverse childhood experiences and normal developmental issues. Edge Coaching works the same way as an athletic coach, only the game is life and the individuals set their own goals. One may hire a work-out trainer for one’s body. Edge Coaches are work-out trainers for the brain.

Edge Coaching will help you develop and implement skills you may be missing or want to improve more fully to succeed in life. Over time you will get better at all the things that are hard for you right now — things like planning, prioritizing, time management, and organization as well as focus, motivation, staying on task, and following through and wrapping up a task. Your Edge Coach will also help you apply these new skills to achieving the things you want most while developing personal accountability.

People all over the world are recognizing the benefits of life coaching in their pursuit of career and life goals. Many CEOs and top business executives find that executive coaches can give them the edge necessary to manage successfully and effectively when the stakes are very high. Our Edge Coaches specialize in Executive Function challenges, but they also have deep experience in career development for high schoolers, college, and adults in transition in the workplace or wanting to move to the next level. At the Edge Foundation we believe that if a coach is good enough for CEOs, then it is good enough for anyone that wants to be more effective and reach their goals.

How Does Edge Coaching Help Me?

Coaching is particularly well-suited to helping people with Executive Function challenges that come from ADHD or adverse childhood experiences, so they can live better and build on the strengths that come with their neurological differences. Many CEOs, professionals, and performers have ADHD and the very same brain neurology that can cause challenges is what makes them the most successful. The secret is not to cancel your nature, but to understand it and embrace your talents by learning skills and tools uniquely customized for you. When self-management, time management, organization and self-accountability don’t come naturally, an Edge Coach can help you develop and implement these skills. Coaching is collaborative, it requires your buy-in and commitment. In addition, the focused and personalized one-on-one approach of coaching works because it enables a complete focus on your priorities.

No. Edge Coaches are not intended to replace medical or mental health professionals. We work in a pragmatic way on the activities of daily living, how you start, persist, and complete tasks called out by yourself or others. If what you really need is a more intensive therapy, a psychologist or a counselor, your coach will work with your current providers and/or support you in getting that set up. For those diagnosed with the challenges of ADHD, adverse childhood experiences and normal developmental issues, Edge Coaching is not a substitute for traditional treatment, but rather a partner. The Edge Foundation we believe Edge Coaching, regardless of whether the individual is on medication or in therapy, can be a critical and highly effective support and strategy for individuals to learn to deal with the Executive Functioning challenges they face.

Who Are Our Edge Coaches?

The Edge Foundation has recruited a select group of highly trained coaches. Your Edge Coach is an experienced coach who has training and extensive experience in coaching people. Our Edge Coaches have been specially trained in working with children, teens and adults who have Executive Functioning challenges. All Edge Coaches must be International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified, with a minimum of 100 ICF training hours, have at least two years of experience coaching individuals, complete Edge-specific certifications related to ADHD as a specialty, and must have coached a minimum of ten ADHD clients before applying to Edge. Edge Coaching is not counseling or tutoring; it is a specifically designed collaborative practice focusing on developing a sense of self-determination, strategic thinking, and responsibility.

How to Sign Up for Edge Coaching

Getting started:

The Edge Coaching Program starts with a get-to-know you conversation. In this call, we’ll answer your questions, get a sense of whether or not you’ll benefit from Edge Coaching and make sure you understand the general terms and conditions of working with an Edge Coach. Our Coach Matchmaker will identify three coaches based on your preferences for you to meet and consider in order to find your perfect match. Once you and your coach have decided to proceed, a contract is signed and coaching can begin. There is no charge for these discussions. Often, this original call is with the parents or financial guarantor, followed by a conversation with the prospective client alone, where we go over the coaching program and gather information along with coach preferences for coach matching.

Intake / Foundation session:

This happens after you have been matched with a coach and the month-to-month contract is signed. The client has an Intake/Foundation Session with the chosen coach. It is two hours and is broken down into two sessions. During these discussions, you and your coach talk about what’s working in your life and what’s not, what’s frustrating, and where you’d like to see progress, as well as short term and long terms goals and what specifically you’d like to start working on. If you are under 18 years of age, your parents will participate in some of the intake conversation. By the end of this session, you and your coach will know what you are going to be working on and how you are going to work on it.

Weekly coaching sessions and check-ins:

After you’ve completed the Intake session, you begin your weekly 30-minute coaching sessions by video or phone. In addition, you will have two additional check-in appointments of 10 minutes each during the week for a coaching and check-in total of 50 minutes per week. Check-ins can be by text, phone, video or email, depending on your preference.

If you want more information or just want to talk it through, either complete the Edge Individual Coaching Inquiry Form (https://edgefoundation.org/individual-coaching/get-a-coach/) or call us at 888-718-8886 or (206) 632-9497.

If you are under 18 years of age, your parent will participate in all phases of the application process, but you, the client, make the final decision when selecting an Edge Coach. For individuals 18 years and older, it is expected that you take the initiative for selecting your own coach and your parents take a supportive but secondary role if they are the financial guarantors.

Apply for a coach match:

When you’re ready to get your own Edge Coach, these are the steps to take:

Contact our Edge Coach Matchmaker

Denise von Pressentin
206-632-9497
888-718-8886
dvonpressentin@edgefoundation.org

Coaching is a partnership in which you and your coach define your goals and plan how to achieve those goals. You provide the goals — the coach provides support and helps you to develop and employ structure and accountability. It’s a collaborative endeavor. The coach will not be telling you what to do. You, as the client, are on board and are open to trying new and different strategies, structures, and scaffolding, and will give feed-back to the coach as to what is working and what will need to be tweaked. You are always in the “driver’s seat.” When selecting an Edge Coach look for someone who:

  • Understands the unique challenges you face in your school or work environment and in your personal life.
  • Is flexible and is someone you feel comfortable with (this is not a decision for your parents to make – the coach is working with you!).
  • Offers the option of working by phone or online video interface. We rarely work in person because coach matching is not based on geography, but rather on the client’s coach preferences and the coach could be in another state.
  • Is comfortable working, as needed, in coordination with your therapist, tutor, faculty advisor or other professionals for your best interests.
  • Someone with whom you have energy or synergy, and that you feel “gets you” on some level.

A well-matched Edge Coach will help you identify and gravitate towards your strengths, while navigating around or creating strategies to compensate for your challenges. Working with the right coach for you, you will find you become stronger at advocating for yourself and your stress can be dramatically reduced because you are on track and following a plan. The responsibility in coaching is always with the client. Success in coaching will correlate to the amount of work and focus the client puts into coaching and thus the client will reap the rewards.

How Much Does Edge Coaching Cost?

There is no charge for the client and coaching interviews that are part of the Coach-Matching process. Coaching fees don’t start until you have gone through the Coach-Matching process and have selected the coach you will work with.   At that point, there is a month-to-month contract. The client or the financial guarantor can end coaching at any time.

There is a one-time fee of $500 for the Intake/Foundation Session with your chosen coach. Following that, fees are $250 per coaching week. A coaching week consists of a 60 minutes.  This includes a 30-40 minute video session with your coach, and two check-in appointments of 10-15 minutes each that can be conducted through texting, or email.  Connecting with your coach during the week is important to stay on track, keep focused, and move forward with your goals.

If you have financial challenges, Edge offers a sliding fee scale. Talk with Denise von Pressentin about the fees and sliding scale at 888-718-8886 or (206) 632-9497.

Here is the process for making payments for Edge coaching:

  • After you sign the coaching contract, you will provide Edge with a credit card to keep on file for you.
  • Edge will send you an invoice via email each month for coaching services provided.
  • Review the invoice and approve it via email.
  • We will process the charges after your email approval.

Please note that that insurance does not pay for coaching.  Coaching is private pay.  If you get a prescription for an Executive Function coach and your FSA or HSA approves it for reimbursement, provide your FSA or HSA with a copy of your Edge invoice and proof of payment and submit these for reimbursement to you. 

How Do You Match Me With a Coach?

An Edge Coach suited to your needs and situation

After Coach Matchmaker, Denise, has gathered all of the available information about what you are looking for, she’ll make a Coach match.  She’ll send you background information about an Edge Coach picked especially for you. You’ll also be provided Denise’s contact information.  Before you agree to working with an Edge Coach, you’ll have an opportunity to interview with the coach.  You’ll have a chance to get to know the person a bit and see if you feel comfortable.  If you think the match is a good fit, you’re done.  If you want to interview other coaches, Denise will help you with that.

We want to make it as painless as possible

Denise knows each one of our coaches well and strives to make it easy for you by presenting three choices based on your preferences. We have talented, well-trained, and experienced coaches for you to work with.  We are committed to finding an Edge Coach suited to your needs and are confident that you’ll find a good match at Edge.

Coaching progress happens over time, so consider this a month-to-month journey toward success. An absolute minimum length of time for coaching is three months to sustain an effective change, but we recommend one year for coaching and many clients stay with their coaches for longer. Change is easy but sustaining the change over time is extremely difficult. A coach will travel the road with you, get you on track, and give you the tools you need to succeed long term.

If you are a student, the Edge program is typically designed to follow your academic school year. Although the coaching contracts are month-to-month, we strongly encourage you to stay with coaching for two full school years. During the first year, you’re just learning the skills and establishing new habits. The second year you’re learning how to apply them on your own with the support of your Edge Coach. By the end of the second year, students have typically internalized what they’ve learned and are ready to graduate from coaching, although they may decide to coach through their college career. They may come back for additional coaching when they transition to the workplace. If you want to keep coaching, your coach will be happy to continue to work with you.

Most students choose to suspend Edge Coaching during exams and holidays, but we strongly encourage you not to go more than two weeks without a session. We coach every week for consistency, and we follow the academic calendar so when the client is off for breaks and holidays, one doesn’t have to coach.

All of Edge Coaches are trained to work remotely and we have since 2008. Rarely do we meet in person unless the clients are 11 or younger and only if there is a coach match locally for the client. We do this for several reasons:

  • This takes transportation issues right out of the equation. You can get to your appointment just by picking up the phone or logging int to your computer – it’s a lot easier to be on time for your appointments!
  • By working remotely, you have access to the Edge Coach who is just right for you regardless of where you live or where the coach resides. And, you can “take your coach with you” wherever you go.
  • No commuting to and from the appointment or waiting in the waiting room. Coaching appointments are therefore easy to fit into a busy schedule.
  • You and your Edge Coach can stay in much closer touch through video, phone, text and email than you can if you’re only connected in an office. It is this extra contact that very often makes the difference in being able to stay on task and follow through.

It varies with you and your needs.  Some last the full school year.  Some last for 6 months.  Some stop after 4 months.  Some continue with their coach for several years, and even into their work-a-day world.   We encourage a three-month commitment for any effective change.

It is your choice. Coaching may be suspended over exam periods, but oftentimes coaching support is most valuable during these busy, high stress times.  Most students suspend Edge Coaching during school vacations and holidays, but we strongly encourage you not to go more than two weeks without a session or at least a check-in. If you start coaching in the middle of the year, you may take the summer off and complete your second semester of coaching in the fall.

One of the questions recently raised on Facebook was what is the difference between organizational and Edge Coaching. Organizational and Edge Coaches do have a lot in common. Coaching is coaching, but not all organizing challenges come from ADHD, adverse childhood experiences and normal developmental issues, and not all such challenges are organizing. Yes, organizational issues are a hallmark of ADHD, adverse childhood experiences and normal developmental issues, however, there are many other executive functions that an Edge Coach also can help a person address including:

  • Scheduling
  • Goal Setting
  • Focusing
  • Prioritizing
  • Sticking with it when it gets tough (a.k.a. persistence)
  • Impulsiveness
  • Procrastination
  • Motivation

An Edge Coach helps people with Executive Functioning challenges that stem from ADHD, adverse childhood experiences and normal developmental issues build and employ strategies to work with their strengths to counter their challenges. You can’t organize yourself into focusing or being less impulsive. But most people with these challenges do need help getting organized.

Who Do Edge Coaches Work With?

Coaching readiness is not based solely on chronological age.  However, most children under the age of 11 are not emotionally ready to take on the responsibility and accountability required in a coaching relationship.

Children in middle school and some in high school need to be coached in person.  Mature high school students and college students can be effectively coached by phone or online video interface. For children under the age of 11, the most effective use of an Edge Coach is for the parents to get an Edge Coach. (See next question)

If you aren’t sure that your child is ready for an Edge Coach, you can take this short coaching readiness quiz to get a better idea of what’s required.

Yes! Parents of kids with Executive Functioning challenges often face the same challenges their kids face. An Edge Coach can coach and help parents understand their children better, learn the benefits of using non-directive questioning techniques in dealing with their children, establish structures, rules and boundaries to support their children who have Executive Functioning challenges. For children under the age of 11, the most effective use of an Edge Coach is for the parents to get an Edge Coach for themselves.

Yes!  The reality is that for those of us who have Executive Functioning issues there is no age limit to learning to minimize the challenges that come with ADHD, adverse childhood experiences and other Executive Function impairments.

Absolutely. You don’t have to be a student to use a coach. Adults in and out of the workplace use Edge Coaching to succeed. If you want to set and achieve your goals and develop more balance in your life, Edge Coaching can get you there.

“I have a 29-year-old son who could use this.” We coach adults in or out of college and in the workplace. There is no age limit. Many adults want support as they approach major life changes.

No. The only thing you need to work with an Edge Coach is a desire and willingness to work on Executive Function challenges.

We encourage that.  Our dream is that you will have an Edge Coach for life. Contact Denise von Pressentin at the Edge Foundation and she will get you in touch with the Edge Coach.

See answer above.

Our goal is for you to live a fulfilling, successful life of meaning with the confidence that you can overcome challenges and fulfill your personal and professional goals. You’ve got this! (Your Edge Coach will help!) You don’t just want to survive in life, but rather thrive in life.