Coaching with Neurodivergent Individuals

About the programme

The course is intended to help you understand how to work as a coach with people who are diagnosed as neurodivergent or who appear to show traits associated with neurodivergence.

At the end of the course, you will:

understand the typical strengths and difficulties associated with common neurotypes
understand what is important in your coaching work to meet the needs of neurodivergent individuals
know what wider support is available.

The course consists of 3 x 3-hour online sessions spread over 5 months. This will allow you to reflect on your learning, read around the topic and discuss your learning from one session to the next. The course is intended to fit around work and home commitments.

The course will involve formal teaching inputs, exercises, case study material and some pre-reading. A suggested biography will be provided for background reading while you are on the programme. There will also be some reflective work between the sessions.

Programme dates

November 2024 cohort

Friday 8 November
Friday 17 January
Friday 14 March

10.00am - 1.00pm

February 2025 cohort

Friday 21 February
Friday 25 April
Friday 23 May

10.00am - 1.00pm

March 2025 cohort

March 7 2025
April 11 2025
May 16 2025

10.00am - 1.00pm

Cost

Standard price - £500
Oxford Brookes University staff and alumni - £450

Sessions

Session 1: Setting the context for coaching neurodivergent individuals

understanding the language of neurodivergence
what is neurodivergence?
what is the legal context?
discussion of common neurotypes: dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, autism and dyscalculia. Taking a look at acquired neurodivergence.
how is neurodivergence recognised?
understanding the strengths and challenges of neurodivergence
do stereotypes matter?
intersectionality and neurodivergence
having a diagnosis - a cause for shame or relief?
exploring some ways neurodivergent people may see themselves

Session 2: Themes in coaching neurodivergent individuals

gender, ethnicity/race, age, heritage
organisation, time management, communication, memory, overwhelm, teamwork
identity and neurodivergence
building self-esteem and valuing of self
exploring your own assumptions
how will you know when you are ready to stand in someone else’s shoes?
case study and exercise

Session 3: Developing your coaching approach

models, tools and techniques
evidence base
self as an instrument of coaching
ongoing personal and professional development
wider support for neurodivergent individuals

Eligibility criteria

This is an introductory programme on coaching neurodivergent individuals. Delegates would normally have a recognised qualification/accreditation in coaching/mentoring. This would indicate an essential knowledge upon which to develop an understanding of coaching neurodivergent individuals.

If candidates do not have a coaching qualification but do have considerable experience in coaching (e.g. a minimum of 2 or 3 years of regular coaching practice) or considerable experience in working in the neurodiversity field (e.g. assessment, working in diversity and inclusion, etc), this will also be considered as suitable to meet the expectations of the course.

Tutors

The course will be led by Jacqui Manning with support facilitation provided by Dr Adrian Myers.

Jacqui Manning, CPsychol, MISCP

Jacqui is an independent Chartered Occupational Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She specialises in working in the workplace with neurodivergent clients and those with intersectional identities. She works across a range of private and public sector organizations.

Jacqui is passionate about working with clients to uncover and make the best use of their strengths, talents and potential, whatever stage of life they may be at. Before retraining to become a psychologist, she worked in senior commercial roles in the education and third sectors with organizations such as Somerville College (Oxford University), London Business School and Shelter. Jacqui recently collaborated with Oxford Brookes’ Honorary Research Associate, Hany Shoukry, to co-author the first ever chapter on Diversity for the fourth edition of the Sage Handbook of Coaching.

Dr Adrian Myers

Adrian is Programme Lead for the MA in Coaching and Mentoring at Oxford Brookes University. Adrian is a fellow of the British Psychological Society, a chartered occupational and coaching psychologist and an accredited coach supervisor with the European Coaching and Mentoring Council (ESIA, EMCC). Adrian has a breadth of research interests including neurodivergence. He himself had a late educational assessment of dyslexia with ADHD traits which has generated a personal interest in this area.