Let’s begin

Honestly, some students are wary at first. Many have spent years being corrected by adults, so I don’t start there. Your child chooses the goals we work toward and has a real say in how we get there. My job is to bring them research-backed options, then help them test what actually works for them. If a strategy doesn’t help, we drop it and try something else, no judgment. Students tend to engage once they realize the sessions are about their own goals, not another adult’s to-do list. 

Yes. Executive function coaching builds skills like planning, getting started, managing time, and staying organized, and those skills can be strengthened whether or not a child has a diagnosis. Plenty of students struggle with these areas without one, especially as school demands increase.

If your child has a diagnosis or an evaluation report, I’m glad to review it, since it can help us choose strategies that fit. But it’s never required to begin.

One thing to know: coaching is not a substitute for an evaluation. I don’t diagnose, and coaching on its own won’t qualify a student for school support like a 504 plan or IEP. If I notice patterns suggesting an evaluation could help, I’ll share that with you and point you toward the right professionals.

Rule of thumb: If the struggle is understanding the material, start with a tutor. If it’s getting the work started, organized, and finished, start with coaching. If stress, anxiety, or mood is driving it, talk to a therapist first.

Honestly, some systems will fade, even good ones. That’s normal, and it’s built into how I work. Most systems fail for a few predictable reasons: an adult chose them, they were too complicated to keep up, or no one planned for the week things fell apart.

Coaching addresses each of those. Your child chooses and shapes the strategies, so they’re working on something they actually want to keep. We start simple and add only what’s useful. And we expect breakdowns: when something stops working, we look at why and adjust it instead of starting over from scratch.

The real goal isn’t a perfect system. It’s a student who can notice when their system isn’t working and fix it on their own. That skill is what lasts.

I work with students ages 6 to 18, and executive function skills can be strengthened at any point in that range. Those skills keep developing through adolescence and beyond, so it’s rarely too early or too late. What changes is how we work together.

Younger students (about 6–10) build simple, consistent routines, often through games and visual tools. Parents play a bigger role here, and Home Port gives you strategies to support those routines at home.

Middle schoolers are often facing a jump in demands all at once: multiple teachers, long-term projects, and more independence than they’re used to. This is a common point where executive function struggles show up, and a great time to build skills.

High schoolers take more ownership of their goals and systems, which helps prepare them for college, work, and life on their own.

At every age, your child has a real voice in what we work on. If you’re unsure whether now is the right time, the free call is a good place to talk it through.

Yes, sessions are available in person in the Bay Area and online anywhere in the country.

High schoolers usually do very well online. They’re comfortable on screen, can manage more of the work independently, and appreciate the flexibility around busy schedules.

Younger students and middle schoolers often get the most out of in-person sessions, where we can work hands-on with their actual backpacks, planners, and workspaces. If in person isn’t possible, online can still work well with one adjustment: a shorter portion with your child, followed by time with you to review what we worked on and plan how to support it during the week.

On the free call, we’ll talk through which format makes sense for your child.

Cost: Pricing for each program is listed on the Services page. The free call is a good chance to talk through which option fits your family.

How we’ll know it’s working: We measure progress against goals your child helps set. At the start, we look at where things stand, such as how often assignments are turned in on time or how long it takes to get started on homework. Then we track those same things over time, so you see real change instead of a general impression. I share progress with you regularly, and when something isn’t working, we adjust.

Progress isn’t always a straight line, and grades often take longer to change than habits do. Early signs are usually smaller: fewer battles over homework, a planner that actually gets used, or your child starting a task without a reminder.

How your child feels about this often starts with how it’s introduced at home. On the free call, I’m happy to help you think through how to talk about it.

In sessions, the focus isn’t on what’s “wrong.” Planning, getting started, and keeping track of things are skills everyone uses and everyone keeps building, including adults. We treat them that way: as skills to strengthen, not problems to fix. Your child chooses the goals, so our time is about what they want to get better at, not a list of what adults think they’re doing wrong.

No diagnosis is needed to start. If your child already has one, they can talk about it as much or as little as they like.