Key Takeaways
- Carli Derifield is now an ADDCA Certified ADHD Coach (AACC), awarded by the ADD Coach Academy.
- The certification took a full year of training, live mentoring, and supervised coaching hours.
- Sanctuum is home to Newport Beach's first Certified ADHD Coach, serving clients in person and virtually worldwide.
- Certification means you can trust that your coach has been trained, observed, and assessed to a rigorous professional standard.
A Year in the Making
I am thrilled to share some news that has been a year in the making. I am now an ADDCA Certified ADHD Coach (AACC), and with that, I have become Newport Beach's first Certified ADHD Coach.
When I started this journey, I knew it would ask a lot of me. I did not fully appreciate how much it would give back.
I was diagnosed with ADHD at forty nine. For more than thirty years before that, I built companies, led global healthcare projects, and pushed through life on adrenaline and determination. When I finally understood how my brain works, I knew I wanted to help others find that same clarity. I also knew that good intentions are not enough. The people I coach deserve a coach who has done the work.
What the Training Actually Involved
The ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA) is one of the most respected ADHD coach training programs in the world, and its certification is not a weekend course. Over twelve months, my training included:
- Foundational and advanced ADHD coach training. Deep study of the neuroscience of ADHD, executive function, emotional regulation, and how ADHD shows up differently across ages, genders, and life stages.
- Live mentor coaching. Hours of one to one and group mentoring with experienced master coaches, who observed my coaching and gave honest, detailed feedback.
- Supervised coaching hours. Real coaching sessions with real clients, reviewed against professional competencies.
- Peer coaching and practice. Coaching and being coached by fellow students, which taught me as much about receiving support as giving it.
- Final assessment. A rigorous evaluation of my coaching skills, ethics, and understanding of ADHD before the credential was awarded.
There were late nights, recorded sessions I nervously submitted for review, and feedback that stretched me in ways I did not expect. Every piece of it made me a better coach.
What Mentoring Taught Me
The most powerful part of the year was the mentoring. My mentors did not tell me I was doing it right or wrong. They asked better questions. They showed me where I was working too hard to fix, and where I could trust my clients to find their own answers.
That is the heart of ADHD coaching. It is not about handing someone a system. It is about helping them discover the strengths, tools, and wisdom they already have, and then building strategies that fit how they are wired.
Why Certification Matters for You
ADHD coaching is not a regulated profession. That means anyone can call themselves an ADHD coach. Certification changes that. When you work with an ADDCA Certified ADHD Coach, you know your coach has:
- Completed an accredited, ADHD specific training program
- Been observed and mentored by experienced professionals
- Met clear ethical and professional standards
- Demonstrated real coaching competence, not just theory
For parents, professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and late diagnosed adults in Newport Beach and across Orange County, this means you no longer have to look outside your community to find certified ADHD coaching. And for my virtual clients across the US, Ireland, the UK, Australia, and beyond, it means the same standard of care wherever you are.
Gratitude
I want to thank my mentors and fellow students at ADDCA, my clients who trusted me throughout this process, and my family, who cheered me on through every late night. My wonderfully neurotypical husband and our two twice exceptional children have been my biggest supporters, and my greatest teachers.
What Comes Next
This certification is not a finish line. It is a promise. A promise to keep learning, to keep showing up with compassion and curiosity, and to keep helping people build lives around who they truly are.
You are not the problem. You may simply have been handed the wrong playbook.
If you are ready to write a new one, I would love to meet you. Book your free discovery call and let us start together.