I have been struggling with my ADD since preschool, and it became increasingly more difficult to cope with, as I got older… Halfway through my junior year, I began meeting with Matt… After telling him about my life as a young person dealing with ADD, Matt told me about his struggles too… Having someone who understood so well how difficult things were/are for me was such a relief…I think that simply having the understanding and support of someone who has lived and continues to live with ADD is helpful [in and] of itself.
Not only does Matt give me emotional support, but he helps me actually control my ADD… Matt has provided me with tools and strategies to help myself stay focused on a given task, manage my time more efficiently, and reel myself back in when my mind begins to wander… Now, my grades are significantly higher and I am really looking forward to going to college next year… I have more self-confidence and feel so much more in control of my ADD… I would strongly recommend Matt to anyone struggling with ADD because he literally changed my life.
Over the last 6 months I have gradually seen a change, and I feel like I can finally say we are making progress… I do believe that Matt has been an important and integral part of the process. Because Matt is closer to [my 15 year-old] in age and has ADHD himself, he is able to relate to my son in ways that I cannot. He explains how the ADHD brain works and differs from the [neurotypical] brain [and] helps both my son and me to understand what’s going on. Matt has helped my son to get better organized and to start to gain more real confidence in himself, and I believe that with Matt’s help he will continue to make progress.
Many people strive for excellence, [but] few attain it. While characteristics like work ethic, integrity (in my opinion you can’t succeed without it), intelligence, proper training and creativity are critical few can also claim empathy. It is without reservation that I recommend Matt for organizational and coaching services. Lastly I will say that Matt is not only good at what he does he is also a nice person.
As a person with ADHD I appreciate Matt’s ability to help me with my organizational issues. As an engineer I greatly appreciate Matt’s ability to go beyond the symptoms (too much stuff and a lack of organization) then both identify and deal with the underlying causes. Furthermore it’s not only dealing with the present condition and developing an understanding of what causes them but developing the systems that will work on an ongoing basis to prevent backsliding.
As a mother [and father] of an adolescent with ADHD the… thing that I feel that we have done right thus far has been to find Matt as an ADHD coach. Previous providers have worked with us, but they did not suit our needs. We needed someone to connect with our son and Matt’s style fit perfectly.
One of Matt’s strengths was that he was able to identify with what our son was going through and that he was willing to share his own experiences. This was paramount in building credibility. Another quality that I appreciated was that while he was well versed in the subject matter, he did not use big words that were confusing. He used analogies that we could all understand. He spoke to our son as you would a teen and did not let him get away with anything. If he thought that our son was not taking responsibility he did or did not do, he called him on it.
Patience is a quality that Matt was able to maintain even under the most stressful circumstances. I admired his ability to deal with our family at the end of a long day. He was able to make each interaction productive, even when we were having a particularly bad day. Our experience has lessened the stress in the household and this is something for which I will be forever grateful. I am hoping that as our son matures, he will be able to apply what he has learned from Matt and be able to face the challenges that await him. If he stumbles along the way, I am confident that we will reconnect with Matt for a “refresher”. He has been a lifesaver.
Our goal in finding a coach for our son was to help him find the skills to succeed not only in school but in life. Having been taught how to organize himself, he has been able to get things done in less time, learn more, and in the end, develop a sense of self-confidence he has not had previously. I would think that our school systems could use someone like him to prepare the students for the transition to middle school.
Every now and then I remember your blog, Matt, and jump online to read a couple posts.
They are excellent. They are helpful. You always get it.
I pass them on to my friends. You are so, so good.
Thank you for the work you do for all of us – it is so important.
Friday: “I just wanted to say at heartfelt thank you… For the first time in the 4+ years I have been working at this job, I have NO notes to finish this weekend!!! (Plenty of other work, but no notes!!)”
Monday: “It really made my weekend. I finished up all the other work I had to do on Saturday, and then had 36 hours when I actually had NO WORK at all! It was such a great feeling, and I was able to truly relax.”
I was skeptical of Matt’s optimistic outlook when we first started working together. Now, having worked with him for several months, I understand where his optimism comes from – his coaching works! He listens without judgment, challenges me to do hard things, acknowledges that those things are hard to do, then celebrates the progress we make. It’s a winning combination that has empowered me and my ADHD spouse to organize our house and lives together, and which has helped me to become a more efficient and productive physician. Most importantly, as I continue to work with Matt I see that things are improving and can continue to improve. That gives me hope, and for a gloomy ADHD-er like myself, that might be the greatest reward of all.
It was such a pleasure meeting you… I was SO glad I chose [to sit in on the ADHD education session with my son], as your presentation was the most informative, skillful, engaging presentation on ADHD I’ve ever heard. I was very touched to see how much you were able to reach my son… he really warmed up a lot more than he usually does when first meeting someone… He feels so isolated and misunderstood. I think this was profound for him… Thanks again for such wonderful session…
Matt is intuitive and honest without ever being critical or judgmental. He is incredibly competent and has a wealth of knowledge about all things ADD, not only because he stays current with research, but also because he lives with ADHD. He knows how to motivate when needed and how to praise when you need to hear something positive.
I saw a psychologist, and then a psychiatrist, when I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult but found that they lacked a true understanding of what I was living from day to day. When I met Matt, I knew that it would be different. He takes a very pragmatic approach. He listens and guides the coaching sessions expertly; I always feel that I have gained something from meeting with him. He is professional, skilled, funny, real and passionate about what he does.
Before meeting with Matt I felt that I couldn’t possibly manage life as a full-time teacher and mother of 3. He has helped me to develop invaluable skills to organize my life while at the same time offering me much need perspective in order to change behaviors that have developed over the years.