Common questions before the first step

No. A formal diagnosis is not a requirement. Specialising in ADHD and autism shapes how I understand and work, not who is allowed to come. Where there is a diagnosis, that knowledge feeds in. Where there is not, we work from what you actually experience day to day.

In more depth: Do I need a diagnosis before I start coaching?

No. Coaching is not diagnosis, and I cannot and may not make that kind of judgement. If you would like an assessment, medical or psychological services near you are the right route. Coaching can be useful before, during or after that.

No. The goal is not to become neurotypical, and ADHD or autism do not go away through coaching. It is about understanding how you work, taking out unnecessary pressure and finding next steps that suit you. You do not have to become someone else.

Coaching works on the present situation and on concrete steps: understanding, deciding, trying things out, reviewing. Psychotherapy treats mental health conditions, with a different remit, different methods and a different legal basis. Bridge & Bloom does not provide psychotherapy or medical treatment.

In more depth: Coaching or psychotherapy: which fits when?

Yes, that can make sense. Coaching can sit alongside therapy, but it does not replace it. We talk openly about what belongs where.

No ADHD or autism assessment, no psychotherapy, no medical or psychiatric treatment, no crisis intervention and no emergency service. Also no official careers guidance, no case management, no legal advice and no consultancy for employers. Where one of these is needed, I refer you on.

Then coaching is not the right route. Bridge & Bloom is not a crisis or emergency service, and enquiries are not read around the clock. If someone’s safety is at risk, yours or another person’s, please contact medical or emergency psychiatric services where you live straight away. In an emergency: 144 or 112.

For teenagers and young adults aged 14 to 25, and for parents. If you are unsure whether you are in the right place, you are still welcome to write briefly. If something else would fit better, I will tell you honestly.

More: Coaching for teenagers and young adults

Yes. Before any work together begins, the people with parental responsibility for you are involved. Consent, the frame and what is shared with parents are agreed in writing beforehand. This is not a formality aimed against you. It makes sure you know where you stand.

Not automatically. If you are the client, the conversation is confidential. Whether and what your parents are told is agreed together at the start. For under 18s this is also put in writing, together with the legal exceptions that apply for safeguarding.

Then there are other ways: writing things down, sending something beforehand, taking breaks, switching the camera off online. You never have to explain or justify any of it.

No. You are a client in your own right, even if your child never comes to coaching. It is about your stability, your understanding and supporting without having to control everything.

More: Coaching for parents

Yes, for you. Coaching against a young person’s will does not work; cooperation cannot be ordered. A conversation with you can help to find out what the refusal is about and what is possible instead.

In more depth: When my teenager does not want help

No, not a report on what is discussed. What you are told is agreed beforehand together with your child, not afterwards and not behind their back. I name the legal exceptions for safeguarding openly. Trust only grows when it is clear that nothing is passed on without being agreed.

In 20 to 30 minutes we look at what brings you here, how I work and whether that fits. You also hear where the limits of coaching are. The call is free and without obligation, and explicitly not a free coaching session. In the end you decide.

More about the introductory call

A session usually lasts one hour. We decide the interval together and adjust it as we go. Shorter intervals often make sense at the start, longer ones later.

That depends on the situation, and a fixed number would be an empty promise. Some people come for a focused question over a few sessions; others are accompanied through a longer transition. We regularly check whether working together is still useful and reduce the frequency as soon as things hold without it.

Both work. Online saves travelling but needs a place where you can talk undisturbed. In person in Rheinfelden makes sense if face-to-face contact helps you or a quiet, consistent room matters to you.

More about both formats

English and German. Both are genuine working languages, including for difficult or technical subjects. You decide which one fits better.

Yes, in Germany and Austria, online by video. Each of the three countries is invoiced separately. If you live outside these three countries, it is worth asking first, as there may be practical or legal reasons why it would not work.

Rates differ for Switzerland, Germany and Austria, because each country is invoiced separately. Payment is by invoice before the session. Specific amounts are not published on the website. The terms are discussed openly before any work together begins, at the latest in the introductory call.

Yes. It is free and without obligation, and I will not chase you afterwards. It is not a free coaching session, though. Its purpose is to find out whether coaching fits you.

No, neither online nor in person. Online sessions run through an external video service. Details are in the privacy policy.

Very little: a name (a first name is enough), an email address and, if you like, a phone number and a few sentences. The form deliberately does not ask about diagnoses or health information. Your details are used only to handle your enquiry and are not passed on to third parties.

Confidentiality is the foundation, but it has limits. There are legal and safety-related exceptions, for example where there is a serious risk to you or others. I name these limits openly beforehand, not only when it matters.