College ADHD Support & Coaching
College Student ADHD Coaching
Helping college students understand how their brains work — so they can stop just surviving and actually thrive in school, life, and everything in between.
College Is Hard Enough. ADHD Makes It a Whole Different Game.
College is exciting. It’s also a lot, all at once. A full course load. Extracurriculars. A job. Family expectations. A social life that matters to you. And the pressure to figure out how to hold it all together without anyone noticing how hard you’re working just to stay afloat.
And then something slips. You bomb a paper. You sleep through an exam. You misremember the due date on a project that counted for 30% of your grade. The negative voice in your head gets loud: Am I cut out for this? What’s wrong with me? Am I going to be able to graduate?
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. ADHD in college can look like:
✔ Knowing what needs to get done but not being able to start
✔ Pulling all-nighters, not because you procrastinated, but because that's when your brain finally turns on
✔ Turning in work you know is below what you're capable of
✔ Or not turning in work that’s almost done but now late because it’s not good enough
✔ Juggling classes, a job, activities, and friends, and feeling like you're failing at all of them
✔ Feeling two steps behind classmates who seem to have it figured out
✔ Calling home frustrated, embarrassed, or burnt out, again
✔ Or worse, avoiding calls from home so that you don’t have to admit how lost you are
The problem isn’t your potential. Knowing what to do and actually doing it — consistently, on your own — are two very different things.
College Student ADHD Coaching That Meets You Where You Are
Advice for students with ADHD sounds easy: use a planner, break it into small steps, get rid of distractions, just study more…
You’ve probably already tried this standard advice. Maybe you’ve even had some of it work for a while. The problem isn’t that you don’t know what good habits look like. The problem is doing them consistently, on your own, without anyone to help you course-correct when things go sideways. That’s a hard gap to close alone.
This is what coaching is. Not a list of better strategies, though we do that too. It’s having someone in your corner every single week who’s paying attention, not judging, and helping you get back on track without making you feel worse about yourself.
One of the most important skills we work on? Knowing when to ask for help, and then actually doing it. Your professors, your advisor, the people at the tutoring center: they all want you to succeed. Using those resources isn’t a sign that you can’t handle college. It’s a sign that you know how to work smarter. That’s a skill. And it’s one you’ll use for the rest of your life.
When You Work with a College ADHD Coach, You Can:
✔ Stop white knuckling your way through the semester
✔ Turn in work that reflects what you're capable of
✔ Get unstuck faster, instead of losing days to avoidance and then scrambling
✔ Recover when things go sideways because they will and that’s ok
✔ Know how to talk to professors, advisors, and family about what you need — without feeling like you're making excuses
✔ Stop feeling like everyone else just has it more together than you
✔ Build skills that follow you past graduation, not just get you through this semester
✔ Have support and accountability without judgement
Getting Started is Simple — 3 Easy Steps
1
Reach Out for a Free Conversation
We'll connect for a no-pressure conversation about where you are, what's working and what’s not, and what you're hoping coaching can do for you. No commitment required just a real conversation.
2
Complete Your Foundations of Success Session
This deep-dive session is where we map out your strengths, what’s on your plate, your struggles, and what your brain needs to succeed.
3
Begin Weekly Coaching Sessions
We meet weekly, build on what's working, and adjust when it's not.
What Clients Are Saying
Who You’re Working With
Christine Kotik is an ICF-credentialed ADHD coach and former Director of Training and Faculty Member at JST Coaching & Training, one of the leading organizations in ADHD coach training.
She works with college students virtually across the country and in person locally in Columbus, Ohio.
She also has ADHD herself — and while that’s not what makes her qualified, it’s why she never has to guess at what it feels like to sit across from someone who’s exhausted from trying so hard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an official ADHD diagnosis to work with you?
No. Many students have a formal diagnosis, but plenty of others are in that in-between space, they know something is making school harder than it should be, but they haven’t been officially evaluated. Coaching can be valuable either way. If you feel like you’re working twice as hard for half the results, that’s enough of a reason to reach out.
For parents: How does this work if I'm the one reaching out on behalf of my student?
That’s how it starts for a lot of families. You’ve watched your student struggle and you’re ready to do something about it, even if they’re not sure yet. Reach out and we’ll have a conversation about where things stand. If coaching is a good fit, your student takes it from there. The coaching relationship is theirs.
For students: Do my parents have to be involved?
No. Once we start working together, what happens in our sessions stays between us. A lot of students find it’s easier to do the work when coaching feels like their own space, not something their parents signed them up for.
Is this virtual or in-person?
Both options are available. Many students prefer virtual sessions on Zoom, you can meet with me from your dorm room, apartment, or wherever is private and convenient. If you’re local to Columbus, in-person sessions at my office are also an option. We’ll figure out what fits your schedule and how you work best.
What if I'm already behind? Is it too late in the semester to start?
It’s not too late. Whether it’s the first week of classes or finals are around the corner, coaching starts where you are. We don’t spend time on what should have happened. We build a plan for what’s in front of you right now.
You've Been Trying to Figure This Out Alone Long Enough.
Most students who find their way to coaching say the same thing: they wish they’d done it sooner. Not because they were waiting for things to get bad enough but because they kept believing they should be able to handle it on their own.
That feeling makes sense. ADHD has a way of making hard things look like character flaws. Like if you just tried harder, cared more, or finally found the right planner, it would all click.
But trying harder isn’t the missing piece. The right strategies for your brain are.
Reaching out isn’t admitting defeat. For a lot of students, it’s the first time they’ve ever really believed in themselves. And that’s where we start.