More about Sarah
Lazy!
Doesn't Listen!
So much potential!
If they only tried!
These were the things they were saying about me and I didn’t understand. There seemed to be a massive disconnect between how I felt and how others saw me.
Profile
Coach
Facilitator
Educator
Consultant
Drama Teacher
Experience
- 6 1/2 years – Head Contract Teacher and Contract Teacher, Correctional Services Canada, Springhill Institution
- 3 1/2 years – Lead Youth Worker and Positive Parenting facilitator, Family SOS
- 6 years – Drama Teacher and Production Director, Upstages Studios
Education
- BEd. Secondary Education
- BA Concentration in Family Studies
- PRIDE Pre-service Training
- Diploma in Mental Health
Community & Volunteer Work
Facilitator:
- various Youth Camps
- various conferences
Board member and volunteer:
- Madd Cumberland-Tantramar
- Showcase Society
- Cumberland Creative Collective
Specialized Training:
- leadership
- crisis, trauma and trauma processing
- managing difficult egos and emotions
- positive parenting
- fundamentals of domestic violence and abuse
- deviant behaviour
- diversity and cultural competency
- behavioural difficulties in school
- mental health – behaviour, burnout, depression
- mental health – suicide, violent behaviour,
- substance abuse
- learning disabilities
- developmental disorders
- safety training
- situational awareness – personal, environmental, third party
My ADHD Journey
Too lazy to do the work!
In grade seven a teacher told me “you don’t need extra help, you’re just too lazy to do the work”. There was that word again, lazy. What does it even mean? Is it lazy to stare at a computer screen for two hours desperately trying to start typing, but being physically unable? Is it lazy to think through 5 separate scenarios at the same time in your head? Unproductive, yes, but lazy? It just didn’t feel right.
I stopped trying!
Unfortunately, instead of showing people who I am and pushing back on what I’m not, I decided to become what they thought of me. I stopped trying! Stopped trying to listen and embraced being lazy. For years, I let other’s perceptions of me dictate how I saw and presented myself.
The summer going into grade 12 I was tested and diagnosed with ADHD. While this was validating in some ways, I remember feeling a lot of shame and overwhelm. First, because I didn’t have any learning differences, it felt almost like a confirmation I didn’t need extra help. I was just too lazy to do the work. This was compounded by the fact my parents were told they probably have it but managed to adapt and cope, so didn’t recommend exploring more.
If I didn't have an attached learning difference and was just lazy and not trying, why wasn't I able to fake it and cope?
While a diagnosis gave me some answers, it gave me far more questions. I still didn’t know anything about it aside from the “check list” items, i.e. frequently loses and misplaces things. I allegedly had access to supports, but the ones they offered weren’t what I needed (although I still wasn’t even sure what that was). What a diagnosis did give me at this time though, was connection … connection to a lot of other people just looking to understand themselves and others.
FINALLY ... Executive Dysfunction!
It wasn’t until 8 years after being diagnosed I learned about executive dysfunction and its connection to ADHD. I was finally able to learn WHY I struggle with the things I do, which allowed me, and continues to allow me, to seek appropriate support.
The number one thing I have learned working with neurodiverse students is that I was not alone in my lack of knowledge surrounding my own diagnosis. Most of my student with ADHD only knew that meant they were hyperactive, bad at school and people find them annoying. A diagnosis was a warning to others, not a way for you to understand yourself.
The power that drives my passion!
The more I learned, the more I understood, not only myself, but others around me. I experienced and witnessed how powerful it can be to learn to work with your brain instead of against it. It is this power that drives my passion to support others learn about themselves.
Welcome to ENCC
ENCC is proud to be supporting neurodiversity in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, and throughout Atlantic Canada.
Explore the website, take a look at our services, then reach out using the Contact page!
We look forward to connecting with you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
ENCC offers Neurodiversity Coaching. We do not provide counselling. We are complementary to, not a replacement for, psychological services.
Neurodiversity coaching is the process of a trained professional working with a neurodivergent person to help them understand their differences and strengths and discover the specific tools that are best suited to help the person thrive, not just survive. Both coach and client are inextricable in the process as, together, they develop strategies for growth and success.
No diagnosis or referral is necessary for coaching sessions with ENCC. Anybody can arrange a session with me.
We work with YOU not a diagnosis.
Our approach and coaching content is designed with you, for you. Whether you need to learn math, design personalised, neurodivergent friendly strategies to help you get things done in the workplace or at home, completely re-imagine your career, or anything in between, we can work together in a timeframe to suit you.
The time required the help you make a meaningful difference in your daily life depends on your needs and your goals. Every client is unique and our focus is on YOU. It isn’t about a quick fix but about long lasting changes. We’ll start with the basics to understand you better. Then, the coaching begins. Many coaching agreements will last for 3-6 months. You will determine when you are ready to fly on your own and whether or not you want more time.
With the exception of the initial consultation, each coaching session is an hour long. The hourly cost will be negotiated depending on your needs. The number of sessions you will need depends on you. Payment is due in advance through EMT. Click HERE to find out more about our pricing.
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