Baltimore is a city built on institutions. Johns Hopkins alone shapes entire neighborhoods and employs tens of thousands of people. The University of Maryland Medical Center, the cybersecurity corridor stretching toward Fort Meade, the financial services firms clustered downtown, the logistics operations running through the port. These are industries that demand sustained attention, detailed follow-through, and consistent output. If you have ADHD and work in any of these fields, you already know the gap between what your brain can do on a good day and what it delivers on an average Tuesday. You have probably developed an impressive set of workarounds to keep things together. And you have probably noticed those workarounds are getting harder to maintain.

So you decide to look for help, and the search itself becomes its own problem. Baltimore is big enough to have options but not so big that quality rises to the surface on its own. Directory listings mix credentialed ADHD specialists with general life coaches who added ADHD to their website last month. Results bleed into Towson, Columbia, Ellicott City, and Annapolis. Some profiles look polished but say nothing about methodology. Some coaches are actually therapists offering coaching as a side service. You open a dozen tabs, compare four websites, lose track of which one you already looked at, and close the laptop. The search sits in the back of your mind for another two weeks. The fact that executive function challenges are making it hard to find help for executive function challenges is a pattern you recognize all too well.

This guide walks through what ADHD coaching actually is, which credentials matter, how to evaluate methodology, what it costs, and how to make this decision without it turning into another stalled project.

What makes ADHD coaching different from therapy or psychiatry

Baltimore has world-class medical and mental health infrastructure. With Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland Medical Center, Sheppard Pratt, and dozens of private practices across the metro area, clinical resources are more accessible here than in most cities. But that abundance of clinical options can actually make the picture more confusing when you are trying to figure out what kind of support you need. Understanding the difference between coaching, therapy, and psychiatry matters before you invest your time and money.

ADHD coaching is focused on the present and the future. It is a collaborative working relationship where you and your coach develop practical systems, habits, and strategies for reaching your goals. Coaching is about action. You identify what you want to accomplish, figure out what keeps getting in the way, and build personalized tools for managing challenges like time blindness, task initiation, prioritization, and follow-through. A good ADHD coach works with how your brain actually operates rather than expecting you to force yourself into systems designed for neurotypical people. Neurotypical is a term that simply means someone whose brain handles attention and information processing in the way considered standard or typical.

Therapy addresses the emotional and psychological layers underneath. A therapist helps you process past experiences, work through anxiety or depression (both of which frequently co-occur with ADHD), and understand emotional patterns that shape your behavior. In a city like Baltimore, where high-pressure industries like healthcare, cybersecurity, and finance set the pace, many adults with ADHD carry years of quiet frustration from performing below their potential without understanding why. Therapy is the right space for that deeper emotional work. But therapy alone does not typically give you the concrete, tactical systems for managing your calendar, breaking the cycle of missed deadlines, or structuring your workday.

Psychiatry handles the medical side. A psychiatrist can formally diagnose ADHD, prescribe medication, and manage your treatment plan over time. If you are exploring whether medication could help or need an official diagnosis, that is your clinical starting point.

These three types of support work alongside each other, not in competition. Many adults with ADHD benefit from a combination. You might see a psychiatrist for medication management, a therapist for processing the emotional weight of living undiagnosed for years, and a coach for building the daily systems that hold your professional and personal life together. In Maryland, therapy and psychiatry are often at least partially covered by insurance depending on your plan, while coaching generally is not. We will talk more about cost and workarounds later.

The essential thing to understand about coaching is that it is forward-looking and tactical. You are not unpacking your childhood. You are building a concrete plan for how to manage your energy, stop losing track of projects, and follow through on the things that matter to you.

What credentials should an ADHD coach actually have

Before you start comparing coaches, there is one fact that changes everything about how you approach the search: the title ADHD coach is completely unregulated. Maryland has no licensing requirement, no state board, no required training hours, and no minimum qualifications. Anyone can put up a website, call themselves an ADHD coach, and start booking sessions tomorrow. In a metro area like Baltimore, where the healthcare and wellness sectors are well-established and the professional population is actively interested in performance optimization, the range in coaching quality is wide. From the outside, there is almost no way to tell who has deep expertise and who completed a weekend workshop.

So how do you protect yourself?

PAAC certification is one of the most reliable signals. PAAC stands for the Professional Association of ADHD Coaches. Coaches who hold PAAC certification have completed rigorous ADHD-specific training programs, logged supervised coaching hours, and demonstrated genuine competency in working with ADHD-related challenges. This is not a brief online course. It represents a serious investment in specialized education and ongoing professional development.

ICF credentials are another strong indicator. The ICF, or International Coaching Federation, is the most widely recognized credentialing body in professional coaching. An ICF-credentialed coach has completed extensive training hours, accumulated a minimum number of client coaching hours, and passed a formal evaluation process. ICF credentials alone do not guarantee ADHD expertise, but when you see them combined with ADHD-specific training, you are looking at someone who takes professional standards seriously.

NBC-HWC certification is also worth knowing about. NBC-HWC stands for National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. This is a board certification indicating training in evidence-based coaching techniques. When combined with ADHD specialization, it adds another verified layer of competence.

Lived experience with ADHD can make a coach more intuitive and empathetic. Many excellent coaches have ADHD themselves and bring personal understanding to the work. But lived experience without professional training and a structured methodology is not sufficient on its own. You want someone who combines personal understanding with evidence-based frameworks and formal credentials.

Red flags to watch for:

• No specific credentials or training programs listed on their website

• The only stated qualification is personal experience with ADHD

• Promises of guaranteed outcomes like eliminating procrastination or curing distractibility

• No mention of continuing education, supervision, or a defined methodology

• An approach that sounds more like casual conversation than structured coaching

Questions to ask any coach you are considering:

• What ADHD-specific training have you completed, and through which program?

• Are you certified through PAAC, ICF, or another recognized body?

• Do you receive regular supervision or participate in peer consultation?

• What methodology or framework guides your coaching sessions?

• How do you track and measure client progress?

• What does support look like between sessions?

A qualified coach will welcome every one of these questions. They have put real time and money into building their expertise and will be glad to walk you through it. If someone gets defensive or vague when you ask about training, take that as a clear signal.

Why does virtual coaching work well for ADHD in Baltimore

Baltimore is a compact city at its core, but the metro area spreads out considerably. You might live in Federal Hill and work at Johns Hopkins in East Baltimore. You might commute from Towson or Catonsville. You might be based in Columbia, which is technically Howard County but very much part of the Baltimore professional orbit. The MARC train connects Baltimore to D.C. and points between, and the light rail runs north-south, but public transit coverage is uneven. Getting from one end of the metro to the other during rush hour can be unpredictable. All of this means filtering coaches by physical proximity within the Baltimore area limits your options before you even evaluate quality.

Virtual coaching removes geography from the equation entirely. You can work with your coach from your rowhouse in Hampden, your apartment in Harbor East, your home office in Owings Mills, or your desk at a cybersecurity firm near Fort Meade. Sessions fit into the natural rhythm of your day instead of requiring you to carve out extra time for driving, parking, and transit on top of the session itself.

But the more meaningful benefit is about match quality, not convenience. When you are no longer limited to coaches who happen to have office space within a 20-minute drive, you can match based on what actually matters: their experience with your specific challenges, their coaching style, their understanding of your industry or life stage. A coach who specializes in working with healthcare professionals managing cognitive overload might be a far better fit than a generalist who happens to rent space in Mount Vernon. Someone with deep experience supporting cybersecurity or defense professionals dealing with high-stakes attention demands might be exactly what you need, even if that coach is located in another state entirely.

Virtual coaching also helps with consistency, which is one of the hardest things to maintain when you have ADHD. Every logistical barrier becomes one more reason to reschedule. When your session is a video call you can take from wherever you happen to be, the friction drops significantly. You show up more often. The coaching relationship builds momentum. Progress compounds over time instead of stalling out every time your schedule shifts or the weather makes the drive feel like too much.

And if a coaching match turns out not to be the right fit, pivoting is straightforward. You are not restarting a geographic search or committing to someone just because they are conveniently located. You match with a different coach and keep moving forward.

What does a strong ADHD coaching methodology look like

Methodology is the invisible difference between coaching that creates lasting change and coaching that feels like a nice conversation you forget about by the next morning. Two coaches can have similar websites, similar pricing, and similar credentials, but their actual approaches might be completely different underneath.

Evidence-based frameworks form the backbone of quality coaching. One widely used model is the COM-B framework, which breaks behavior change into three components: Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation. Rather than giving you generic advice like "just use a planner" or "set more reminders," a coach using COM-B helps you identify whether a particular challenge comes from a skill gap (capability), an environmental barrier (opportunity), or a drive issue (motivation), and then addresses the actual root cause. Another evidence-based tool is implementation intentions, which are specific if/then plans designed to bridge the gap between wanting to do something and actually doing it. Instead of "I will work on my report this week," an implementation intention sounds like "When I sit down at my desk after my Monday morning meeting, I will open the report document and write for 25 minutes before checking email."

Structured sessions versus open conversation is one of the biggest dividing lines between quality coaching and everything else. In a structured approach, each session follows a framework. Your coach prepares. Goals carry forward from previous conversations. Progress is tracked over time. You are building on a foundation week after week rather than starting from scratch each session. Open-ended conversation can feel supportive in the moment, but without structure, it rarely produces consistent behavior change.

Between-session support matters more than most people realize. ADHD does not take a break between your weekly coaching calls. New habits are fragile. Motivation fluctuates constantly. Quality coaching includes some form of ongoing connection between sessions, whether that is messaging, quick accountability check-ins, or access to a community. That continuity between calls is often what determines whether a new strategy actually becomes part of your routine or fades within a few days.

Executive dysfunction-specific design is non-negotiable for ADHD coaching. Executive dysfunction refers to difficulties with the brain's management system: working memory, planning, task initiation, emotional regulation, and time awareness. Generic coaching techniques often assume a baseline level of executive function that people with ADHD do not consistently have. A methodology built specifically for ADHD accounts for these realities and designs systems around them rather than pretending they do not exist.

Peer community and shared learning add something that isolated one-on-one sessions cannot replicate. Connecting with other adults who face similar challenges creates accountability, normalizes the experience, and generates practical strategies you might not discover on your own. Hearing that someone in a similar professional situation found a particular approach helpful carries a different weight than hearing it from a coach alone.

Ongoing coach supervision is something most people never think to ask about, but it is a significant quality indicator. Coaches who practice in isolation with no external oversight can develop blind spots or drift into outdated approaches over time. Regular supervision means a qualified professional is reviewing their work, providing feedback, and keeping them accountable to a consistent standard.

The frustrating reality is that none of these methodological differences are visible from a website or directory listing. Two coach profiles can look nearly identical while representing very different levels of rigor. The only way to distinguish them is to ask the right questions, and now you know what those questions are.

How much does ADHD coaching typically cost

Cost matters, and it is better to go in with clear expectations than to be caught off guard.

Nationally, individual ADHD coaching sessions range from about $150 to $300 per session. Monthly coaching packages, which typically include regular sessions plus some level of between-session support, tend to fall between $300 and $600 per month. Those ranges vary based on coach experience, credentials, session length, and how much support is included between calls.

The instinct to look for the least expensive option is understandable. Baltimore has a moderate cost of living compared to neighboring D.C. or Philadelphia, but expenses still add up, especially for professionals managing student loans, housing costs in popular neighborhoods like Federal Hill or Canton, or raising a family in the suburbs. But cost and credential depth tend to go together. Coaches who have invested thousands of dollars in ADHD-specific training, ICF certification, supervised hours, and continuing education charge more because their overhead is higher and their expertise runs deeper. That does not mean the most expensive coach is automatically the best. But consistently choosing the lowest price point increases your odds of ending up with someone who has minimal specialized training.

Insurance generally does not cover ADHD coaching. Coaching is not classified as therapy or a medical service under most plans, and Maryland does not currently mandate coaching coverage.

FSA and HSA accounts can often be used for coaching. If your employer offers a Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account, ADHD coaching may qualify as an eligible expense. This lets you pay with pre-tax dollars, effectively reducing your real cost by 20 to 30 percent depending on your tax bracket. Given the number of large employers in Baltimore's healthcare, defense, and financial services sectors that offer strong benefits packages, this is absolutely worth checking.

When evaluating cost, it helps to weigh it against the cost of not getting support. Stalled career momentum because you cannot consistently deliver on detailed projects. Strained relationships from forgotten commitments. The mental and emotional weight of feeling like you are underperforming despite knowing you are capable of more. Effective coaching pays for itself when it helps you show up reliably in the areas that matter most to you.

How do you find and evaluate coaches in Baltimore

With a solid understanding of what coaching is, which credentials matter, and what strong methodology looks like, the practical search can begin. Baltimore's specific situation creates a few distinct challenges worth knowing about.

Where to look:

The PAAC directory (Professional Association of ADHD Coaches) is the most targeted starting point. Every coach listed there has met specific ADHD training requirements. The ICF directory is broader but useful for independently verifying credentials. Baltimore does not have a dedicated CHADD chapter, but CHADD stands for Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The nearest chapters are in surrounding Maryland areas like Howard County, and virtual CHADD meetings are available nationwide through chadd.org. While CHADD does not provide coaching directly, connecting with the community can be a solid way to get firsthand recommendations from people who have worked with coaches in the region.

The Baltimore-specific challenge:

Baltimore sits in an unusual spot. It is a major metro area with significant medical and academic institutions, which means there are professionals here who work in ADHD-related fields. But the coaching market itself is not as developed as you might expect for a city this size. Directory searches pull results from across the metro, including Towson, Columbia, Ellicott City, and Annapolis, mixing credentialed ADHD specialists with general wellness coaches, therapists who offer coaching as an add-on, and productivity consultants who use similar language on their profiles. The proximity to Washington D.C. further complicates things, as some D.C.-area coaches appear in Baltimore searches and vice versa, expanding the results without necessarily expanding the quality.

The vetting process:

Once you have a shortlist, go beyond what their website says. Verify credentials independently through the PAAC and ICF directories. Schedule consultation calls, which most coaches offer for free or at a reduced rate. Use that conversation to ask the credential and methodology questions outlined earlier in this guide.

During a consultation, pay attention to:

• Whether they ask about your specific challenges or move straight into pitching a package

• How clearly they explain their methodology

• Whether they mention supervision, continuing education, or structured frameworks

• How natural and comfortable the conversation feels

• Whether pricing, session structure, and expectations are transparent from the start

When a match does not work out:

This happens more often than anyone talks about. You go through the whole search, commit to a coach, and after a few sessions, you realize the fit is off. Maybe their approach does not match how you process things. Maybe they lack depth in the specific area where you need the most help. Now you are back at the beginning. New search. New vetting calls. New financial risk. New decision fatigue. For someone with ADHD, restarting that kind of open-ended research project can feel nearly impossible.

Even with the right directories and a thoughtful approach, the full weight of research, vetting, and risk sits on your shoulders. That is a heavy lift for anyone, and it is an especially hard one when the executive function challenges you are trying to get help with are the exact same ones making sustained research feel exhausting.

Why a Shimmer ADHD coach might be the better option

Every frustration described above is exactly what Shimmer was designed to solve. We built it because we have been through that same draining search ourselves and knew there had to be a better way to connect adults with ADHD to genuinely qualified coaches.

The vetting is done before you ever show up. Shimmer coaches go through a selection process with a 4% acceptance rate. Every coach holds ADHD-specific credentials, whether that is PAAC certification or equivalent specialized training. They are not hired and left to figure things out on their own. Shimmer coaches receive ongoing supervision and continuing education, which means their practice is consistently held to a high standard. The methodology is grounded in behavioral science frameworks designed specifically for how ADHD brains work, and it is consistent across the entire coaching team.

Matching is built into the system. Instead of spending weeks scrolling through directories and hoping for the best, Shimmer matches you with a coach based on your specific needs, preferences, and goals. If the match is not right, you switch. No awkward conversation. No penalty. No restarting the whole search from scratch. You match with someone new and keep building momentum. This alone changes the experience fundamentally compared to the traditional model, where a bad fit means repeating the entire process from the beginning.

The methodology extends beyond your weekly session. Shimmer's coaching approach is rooted in science-backed frameworks for behavior change and executive function support. Sessions are structured, goal-oriented, and connected from one to the next. But the support does not disappear between calls. Shimmer includes community access where you connect with other members working through similar challenges. That combination of expert one-on-one coaching and peer community creates a layer of accountability and shared learning that a single weekly session on its own cannot provide.

The financial risk is minimal. Shimmer offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Pricing is transparent and published upfront, so you know exactly what you are committing to before you begin. Compare that to the traditional path where you might spend $300 on a first session with a coach you found through a directory, only to realize after two or three sessions that their approach does not work for your brain, and then face the prospect of spending more money to try again with someone else.

Virtual-first means all of Baltimore is covered equally. Whether you live in Federal Hill, work at Johns Hopkins in East Baltimore, are based in a home office in Towson, or split your time between Columbia and downtown, you get the same quality of coaching without geography being a factor. No rearranging your afternoon around cross-county drives. No worrying about whether light rail timing aligns with your session schedule. Just consistent, expert support that fits into your life where it already is.

Shimmer's coaches work with professionals across every industry that defines Baltimore's economy. Healthcare workers managing the cognitive demands of clinical environments. Cybersecurity and defense professionals dealing with high-stakes attention requirements at agencies and contractors near Fort Meade. Financial services professionals balancing detail-heavy responsibilities. Researchers and educators at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland navigating academic pressures alongside ADHD. The matching process takes these differences into account so you work with someone who understands your professional and personal context.

Members consistently describe the difference as significant compared to previous coaching experiences. The structured methodology, the ongoing accountability between sessions, and the ability to switch coaches without friction combine to create something that works with ADHD instead of asking you to power through a broken process to get help.

How do you get started with ADHD coaching

Taking the first step can feel like a big decision. If you have been researching ADHD coaching for weeks or months without actually committing, you are in very good company. That kind of decision paralysis is one of the most common ADHD patterns, and there is a real irony in the fact that the challenges you need help with are the same ones making it hard to seek help in the first place.

Getting started is simpler than the research process makes it seem. You sign up, get matched with a coach, and have your first session. That initial conversation is about your coach getting to know you: your goals, your challenges, what you have already tried, and where you want to focus first. You do not need to arrive with a polished list of objectives or a detailed history of your ADHD journey. Your coach is trained to guide that conversation and help you figure out where to begin.

The first few sessions are about building a foundation. You and your coach will identify what matters most to you right now and start developing strategies tailored to how your brain works. Expect it to feel exploratory at first. You are testing approaches, finding out what sticks, and building trust with someone who is going to be in your corner consistently.

Set realistic expectations. Coaching is not an overnight fix. You will not leave your first session with every executive function challenge resolved. What you will have is a structured starting point, a knowledgeable partner who understands ADHD deeply, and a framework for making steady, compounding progress. Most members start noticing meaningful shifts within the first few weeks as new strategies take hold and small wins begin to build on each other.

If you are ready to stop cycling through browser tabs and start working with a vetted, expert ADHD coach who genuinely understands how your brain works, Shimmer is a good place to begin.