Entry Into ADHD Coaching Workforce Spiked Around COVID-19 Pandemic

FRIDAY, Jan. 16, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Entry into the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) coaching workforce spiked around the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online Jan. 15 in JAMA Network Open.Margaret H. Sibley, Ph.D., from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, and colleagues documented patterns in the ADHD coaching workforce using data from the U.S. National Survey on ADHD Coaching, conducted Oct. 1, 2024, to April 3, 2025. The survey was completed by 481 coaches.The researchers found that 60.9 percent of the ADHD coaching workforce began practicing during or after the COVID-19 pandemic, 64.9 percent actively received referrals from health care professionals, and 80.9 and 40.3 percent served clients across state lines and practiced internationally, respectively. Most of the participants self-identified as having or suspecting they have ADHD, used lived experience with ADHD to inform their services, and previously received ADHD coaching (72.7, 98.9, and 44.5 percent, respectively). In general, coaches were self-employed, worked from home, had no professional license, and operated without formal clinical supports (91.5, 86.9, 85.0, and 90.5 percent, respectively). Virtual one-to-one weekly sessions with self-pay fees similar to those of psychotherapists were predominantly offered by coaches; advertising was via social media or other online platforms. Most (89.3 percent) reported no professional background in mental health, while 62.5 percent completed an ADHD coach-led curriculum prior to entry into the workforce."ADHD coaches are really at a juncture where they have to decide which direction they as a profession want to head," Sibley said in a statement. "Coaches could stay outside of the health care field and clarify their clinical limits, or they could develop formal training and licensure certifications -- following the leads of workforces such as physician assistants and peer substance-use counselors. Both fields emerged from grassroots traditions and are now formalized."One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Entry Into ADHD Coaching Workforce Spiked Around COVID-19 Pandemic

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