Sarah Jakeman — Next Steps ADHD Coaching for Teens & Young Adults

Next Steps ADHD Coaching is an online coaching practice for teenagers, young adults and the parents raising them, run from Cardiff by Sarah Jakeman. It is aimed at the point many families reach after an ADHD diagnosis — or while still waiting for one — when they understand the label but have been given little practical help with what to do next. A formal diagnosis is not required to start.

Sarah spent more than twenty years as a teacher and SENCo/ALNCo supporting neurodivergent learners before setting up the practice in 2025. Her motivation is partly personal: she supported her husband through his own ADHD diagnosis and has learned to parent a neurodivergent child. Her coaching rests on the view that ADHD makes ordinary demands harder because of how a person's brain works, not because they are lazy or not trying, and that no single strategy works for everyone. The aim is not to change who someone is but to find approaches that make daily life feel a little easier.

Work is shaped by age. Young people from 11 upwards focus on understanding how ADHD shows up at school and at home and on building confidence; young adults work on college, university, employment and living independently; adults can also be coached. Common themes include executive functioning, organisation, motivation, getting started and managing everyday demands. Parents get coaching of their own on understanding their child, easing pressure on the relationship and parenting with confidence, without it turning into a search for someone to blame. Sarah also runs interactive ADHD workshops for schools, parent groups and community organisations. A free 20-minute online discovery call is the first step, with no obligation to continue.