SIG: Coaching for Neurodiversity

Welcome to the Coaching for Neurodiversity SIG!

We’re the first ICF Special Interest Group focused on neurodiversity — a space for coaches who want to work with neurodivergent clients with more skill, less guesswork, and actual understanding of how different nervous systems work.

Most coach training skips how ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other neurodivergent patterns show up in coaching relationships. The pacing needs. The communication differences. The power dynamics. The places where standard frameworks fail.

That’s what we’re here for — whether you’re neurodivergent yourself, already coaching ND clients, or want to understand how this shapes the work.

What we do:

• Share evidence-informed coaching approaches
• Name what’s working and what’s causing harm
• Build practical skills for neuro-affirming coaching
• Create space for questions you can’t ask elsewhere

What to expect:

• Diverse speakers. We bring in varied expert voices throughout the year. And we’re always looking for practitioners to share what they’re learning.
• Practical application. Sessions cover ethics, case studies, resources, and AI applications you can use immediately.
• CCEUs earned. NYC members earn continuing education credit just by showing up and participating (via chat, audio, or video).
• Inclusive community. Seasoned ADHD coach? Expanding your practice? Training for ACC? Join us here and in WhatsApp.

Co-Hosts:

Minal Kamlani & Rachel Katz bring complementary lenses and a shared commitment to trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming coaching rooted in lived experience. Minal focuses on corporate leadership, power dynamics, and intersectional identity for neurodivergent professionals navigating workplace systems. Rachel centers her practice on families, with deep expertise in caregiver advocacy and relational support.

Neurodiversity + Recovery in Coaching

Many adults navigating recovery—from trauma, disordered eating, harmful coping, or addiction—are also neurodivergent. Research suggests up to half of people in addiction recovery meet ND criteria. Recovery is not just about abstinence; it’s about identity, community, and possibility.

In this session, guest speaker Maria Caso will share her lived experience from recovery communities and the Betty Ford Center, offering a grounded look at what it means to rebuild a sense of self beyond labels, roles, and external identities. Host Minal Kamlani will explore the spectrum of recovery approaches — including harm reduction — and the essential role of ongoing community care.

Together, they’ll model a dual-lens approach that honors both personal experience and coaching practice. Coaches are invited to bring their own learning, lived experience, and curiosity into the conversation as we explore how recovery and neurodivergence meet in real life.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore how neurodivergence and recovery overlap and shape coping patterns
• Hold a compassionate, nonjudgmental space that centers around authenticity
• Understand how to support clients in their chosen recovery approach

Guest Speaker:

Maria Caso (PCC, CEC) is a Certified Professional Coach and a coach in recovery who helps many people achieve and maintain sobriety.

Maria works with everyone from CEOs and celebrities to people battling addiction. She is the go-to girl when addictions show up in people and families, having facilitated many live addiction meetings, including online meetings for Hazelden Betty Ford. She is also a certified grief recovery specialist and a powerful force in addiction recovery and sobriety management.

Maria trained at IPEC and is a well-respected member of ICF NYC. She brings to her work years of experiential education, having overcome a life of almost unimaginable obstacles as a Cuban exile in Miami. She resurrected herself in Manhattan decades ago and transformed her challenges into strategies for purposeful living. www.mariacaso.com

Disclaimer: The information discussed is for informational and educational purposes only. This is not a forum to seek medical advice, and attendees are reminded of the importance of respecting the boundaries between coaching and therapy or mental health counseling and of making referrals to qualified professional experts where appropriate or seeking their guidance. ICF NYC is not liable for risks, issues, or costs associated with using or acting upon any of the information provided at these events.

CCEU eligibility and issuance

In accordance with ICF guidance, in order to receive CCEUs for ICF NYC events, you must attend a minimum of 80% of the event whether virtual or in-person. 

CCEU certificates are not awarded for attending less than the 80% threshold or for watching recordings.

Please login first to register as an ICF NYC Member!