Year Two / Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring for Neurodiversity

Course Outline

Thank you for taking the time to review the course and consider the ADHD Foundation for your future career pathway. Here are some commonly asked questions about the course you may like to know before finalising your application to study with us.

What are the aims and objectives of the course?

The aims and objectives of the course are to deliver a neurodiversity focussed, coaching and mentoring course. The objectives are to provides learners with the required knowledge, skills and understanding to effectively coach or mentor others with neurodiverse needs, within an organisational and/ or specialist neurodiverse context.

Who is this qualification for?

This level 5 qualification is for people who are either currently coaching, and wish to develop their skills, or those who aspire to move into a coaching career as a freelance coach in an organisational and/ or neurodiverse context. It is also appropriate for those who already work in a therapeutic capacity, but do not hold specific knowledge or skills required to work with a neurodiverse client group. This level 5 course forms the second year of the coaching and mentoring diploma. The Level 3 award or certificate in neurodiversity coaching and mentoring is a pre-requisite for year two of the diploma.

What is the full diploma course structure?

*Student coaches may seek a coaching and mentoring award or certificate at the end of year one depending on whether 6 or 12 hours of recorded coaching has been submitted for assessment respectively. ** Student coaches may seek a certificate or diploma at the end of year two depending on specific course criteria has been met and/ or submitted for assessment respectively. Please also see section 7 for further details around Guided Learning Hours (GLH) versus Total Qualification Time (TQT).

What are the key competencies I will learn and be assessed against in year one of the course?

The key competencies for the course are listed below:

• 4.1. ADHD & Co-occurring Conditions: A Deeper Dive into Neurodiversity,

• 4.2. Moving Beyond Level 3: Understanding the Skills Principles and Practice of Effective

• Coaching and Mentoring with a Neurodiverse Population.

• 4.3. Undertaking Effective Coaching or Mentoring with a Neurodiverse Population.

• 4.4. Advanced Reflective Coaching or Mentoring Practice with a Neurodiverse Population

• 4.5 Coaching in Specific Environments i.e., Education, Mental Health, and an Organisational Contexts and Continued Professional Development.

Who will be teaching me on the course?

The current course team comprises of Chartered Psychologists, teachers, university academics and key opinion leaders in the field of neurodiversity. Coaching seminars are delivered by accredited coaches and coach mentors, who are qualified to guide student coaches through these conversations.

Who will be supervising my coaching skill development?

All students are expected to engage in supervision to become an accredited coach. This consists of 3x30 minute session with an academic supervisor (i.e., one supervision session) and a coach supervisor (i.e., two supervision sessions) who will secure your competencies against three agreed targets. These sessions comprise of 1. Pre-coaching supervision, 2. ‘In’ coaching supervision, and 3. How to conclude the coaching relationship. All students must engage in these supervision sessions to be awarded their final certificates at the end of this level 5 course.

What are the assignments?

Formal assignment briefs are devised with the key competencies and standards in mind for a level 5 coaching and mentoring course, aligned with section 4 above. Assignment methods take the form of written assignments, portfolios, which include evidence of engagement in coaching with a coachee (e.g., through audio-visual submissions, transcripts, coaching contracts, written testimonials, and/ or SOAPP notes), and reflective journals. We do not advocate for the inclusion of timed essays into our curriculum unless explicitly asked to do so by our accrediting bodies. To fully cover the wider knowledge around understanding good practice in coaching in relation to neurodiversity, we reserve the right to change assignment methods against national and/ or international standards in the field of coaching to uphold the highest standards of teaching and learning.

What will be expected of me during the course?

It is expected that students attend at least 80% of the taught content (42 hours for a certificate and 50 total for the diploma) to absorb the knowledge presented by the team through Guided Learning Hours (GLH). It is expected that students engage with the taught content and information which is posted on the forums, in line with our code of conduct policy.

To be able to pass an assignment, significant additional time is expected of students in line with Total Qualification Time (TQT). Our accreditors estimate TQT time outside of direct tuition to be 160 hours for a Level 5 certificate, and 380 learning hours for the full diploma.

Therefore, to be awarded either qualification, students must devise, submit original content, and pass each unit. Without a pass for each element against original content, the ADHD Foundation, and our third-party accreditors, cannot award students their chosen qualification.

What will I gain by the end of the course and who is the course accredited by?

By the end of the course, you will gain an in-depth understanding of adapting these skills for those with neurodiverse needs. By the end of the course, you will know what it takes to becomes an effective coach, understand how coaching works, learn a recognised coaching model, and the tools and techniques to support it. You will be able to put your new skills into practice, carry out supervised coaching sessions, and be able to analyse coaching performance to improve your own ability when conducting your own coaching and mentoring sessions.

At the end of this course, you will receive a transcription of your learning and certificate issued by the ADHD Foundation. We have sought and acquired membership of Continued Professional Development (CPD), and we are now registered educational providers. Recognition for the number of teaching and learning hours will be accredited by CPD.

Furthermore, the current course materials have been mapped against the national standards by City & Guilds and ILM and the course, when completed, demonstrates full coverage of Level 5 coaching and mentoring standards. The ADHD Foundation will send all completed student evidence up to City & Guilds/ ILM for certification against the standards, at which point they will issue additional certificates to recognise your efforts on the course.

To strengthen this accreditation further, we have shared the full suite of policies and procedures with the assessment team for full centre approval status. The outcome of this process will be confirmed to us within 8-10 weeks' time of the date of this document.

What can be expected of the ADHD Foundation throughout the course?

The ADHD Foundation are committed to providing high quality teaching and learning, at a price that is considered competitive in the marketplace, delivered by staff who are qualified to teach and supervise coaching and mentoring at the appropriate level, with an effective Learning Management System (LMS) in place. The ADHD Foundation reserve the right to change the teaching team, assignment delivery, LMS, and/ or accrediting bodies to offer its’ students the optimal teaching delivery and experience while on the course.

Further contact information

If you have any further comments or queries, please do not hesitate to contact the coaching team on: [email protected] or click on the button below.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information and we look forward to welcoming you on to the ADHD Foundation Coaching Course.