What is ADHD coaching?

ADHD coaching provides practical support, tools, and accountability to help manage executive functioning, emotional regulation, and daily challenges — especially for late-diagnosed adults.

Do I need a diagnosis to work with you?

No. I work with diagnosed, self-identified, and questioning clients. If you relate to the challenges, you’re welcome here.

What’s the difference between therapy and coaching?

Therapy focuses on healing and mental health. Coaching focuses on goals, action, and sustainable change. I work alongside therapy, not instead of it.

What is ADHD coaching?

ADHD coaching offers structured, practical support to help you manage executive functioning, emotional regulation, and life’s daily demands. It’s focused on action, not just awareness — helping you build systems that work with your brain.

Do I need a formal diagnosis to work with you?

No diagnosis needed. I work with diagnosed, self-identified, and questioning clients. If you're neurodivergent — or think you might be — you're welcome here.

What’s the difference between coaching and therapy?

Therapy often looks to the past to heal. Coaching helps you look ahead — supporting motivation, boundaries, planning, and burnout recovery. Coaching can complement therapy, but it isn’t a replacement.

Who do you work with?

I specialise in supporting neurodivergent adults — especially parents, professionals, and business owners — who feel overwhelmed or stuck. If you're juggling too much and need sustainable support, I can help.

What happens in a discovery call?

It’s a free 45-minute session to explore what’s not working and where you need support. No pressure, no sales tactics — just a chance to see if coaching feels right for you.

Access to Work: How to Use the Grant to Fund Coaching or Business Support (Even If You’re Self-Employed)

Sarah Hardy
2 days ago
3 min read

If you’re neurodivergent and struggling with work, whether in employment or running your own business, you might be eligible for government-funded help and most people don’t realise just how accessible that support can be.

The Access to Work (ATW) scheme is one of the UK’s most underused resources for neurodivergent adults. It can fund coaching, admin support, assistive technology and more, including practical, day-to-day help that makes work manageable again.

As someone who supports Access to Work clients every week, I’ve written this post to demystify the process, answer your most common questions, and help you understand whether this is a route worth exploring.

What Is Access to Work?

Access to Work is a UK government scheme that provides grants for practical workplace support if you have a disability, long-term health condition, or mental health challenge that affects how you do your job.

This includes neurodivergent conditions like:

ADHD
Autism
Dyslexia or Dyspraxia
Sensory Processing Differences
Anxiety or executive dysfunction caused by burnout

You don’t need a formal diagnosis to apply. You don’t need to be in crisis. You just need to show that you’re facing barriers in your work and that support would help you stay in your role.

Who Can Apply?

Access to Work is available if you:

Are 16 or over
Live in England, Scotland or Wales
Are in paid work (employed or self-employed) or have a confirmed job offer
Have a disability or condition that affects how you do your job

This includes freelancers, sole traders and small business owners — even if you work from home.

What Can It Cover?

Depending on your needs, Access to Work can fund:

ADHD or executive function coaching or work place strategy sessions.
Business support or admin help (such as diary management or task tracking)
Support workers (e.g. someone to help with data input, email triage or follow-up)
Assistive technology or software
Travel support if public transport is inaccessible

You can often use a combination of support types such as coaching and practical help to create something that genuinely meets your needs.

How the Process Works (in Plain English)

You apply online at https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply
You’ll need your NI number and details of your job or business.
You’ll get a call from an advisor to discuss your support needs.
You might be referred for an assessment to help clarify what would help most.
You’ll receive an offer, listing the types of support ATW will fund (and at what rate).
You choose your provider — either from their recommendations, or your own trusted coach/support person (yes, including me).

Payments are usually made by reimbursement or direct to the provider. If you're self-employed, ATW often funds 100% of support costs.

Do I Need a Diagnosis?

No and that’s important.

If you’re undiagnosed, on a waitlist, or self-diagnosed but struggling to function at work, you can still apply. You simply need to explain how your condition affects your ability to work, and how support would help.

I’ve supported many clients through successful applications without formal paperwork.

How I Support Access to Work Clients

I specialise in working with neurodivergent adults who are self-employed, freelancing or navigating workplace challenges. That includes:

Coaching to reduce overwhelm, improve focus, and build sustainable work routines
Business support like task management, email handling, and time protection
Admin support to keep your business running smoothly, especially when energy is low
Setting up practical, flexible systems that work with your brain, not against it

This isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about helping you stay in work without sacrificing your health, family life or sanity.

What Clients Say

“Access to Work funding helped me get coaching and admin support. I’ve finally stopped firefighting and started building a business that works for me.”— Self-employed design client with ADHD and Dyslexia

“Sarah helped me figure out what support I actually needed, walked me through the form, and made the whole process feel doable.”— Creative freelancer and late-diagnosed Autistic client

Got Funding and Not Sure What to Do Next?

If you’ve been approved for Access to Work, or you’re close and trying to figure out your next step, I offer coaching and business support that’s already working for dozens of neurodivergent professionals and business owners.

You don’t need to navigate this alone or settle for generic support. I’ll work with you to create something that actually helps. From practical business support to personalised ADHD & Neurodiversity coaching and work place strategy sessions.

👉 Book a free call here and we’ll talk through how your funding can be used to support the way you work.