Why Do Adults With ADHD Choose Strength Based Coaching Over Public Mental Health Care? A Qualitative Case Study From the Netherlands
For this qualitative case study, 23 semistructured interviews were conducted with clients of a private coaching center in the Netherlands. We explored why adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prefer coaching, which is financed out of pocket, over public mental health care and what the perceived added value is for them. The participants highly valued the optimistic strength based and solution focused approach, which was contrasted with what they have experienced as a deficit and symptom centered approach in public mental health care. Coaching was perceived as a joint venture, resulting in a more thorough understanding of how one approaches life and can be better equipped to deal with future problems. This study identified a group of adults with ADHD who feel that their needs are currently unsatisfactorily addressed in public mental health care. Future research should further explore whether this is a specific group of adults or whether these experiences are more common.