How Jen Coleman Went From Educational Therapist to Executive Function Coach
Jen Coleman knew executive function inside and out, yet her students’ progress kept slipping away between sessions, and she carried the weight of feeling responsible for all of it.
In this interview, Jen shares how adding executive function coaching to her educational therapy practice gave her a simple session structure, the confidence to price her expertise, and students who now ask to stay extra minutes.👇
Table of Contents
Meet Jen Coleman
Jen Coleman is an educational therapist in Marin County, California, who added executive function coaching to her practice in August 2024.
The biggest change wasn't a new skill. It was permission to stop being responsible for everything, and to make every 45-minute session count.
Jen holds membership with the Association of Educational Therapists (AET) and is working toward Professional-level membership.
She is also a Certified Executive Function Coach through the Executive Function Coaching Academy.
Sean McCormick, M.Ed., our founder and a Professional-level educational therapist himself, sat down with her in October 2026 to talk through the whole journey.
If you prefer to watch the video interview, you can do that here.👇
If you're an educational therapist who wonders whether executive function coaching fits your practice, this story is for you.
Jen's story at a glance
Before | A solo educational therapy practice in San Rafael; the pandemic moved sessions online and her caseload shifted to high school and college students |
The problem | Students showed up and tried new strategies, but nothing stuck from week to week |
What was missing | A coaching skill set: turning deep executive function knowledge into one small action per session |
What changed | One-to-one modeling from Sean, ready-to-use templates, and a community that normalized pricing and impostor syndrome |
The result | Students saying "that was super helpful" and asking to stay extra minutes, which had never happened before |
What's next | Evening coaching slots for high school graduates and early college students, plus 12 outreach messages by January 1, 2027 |
Where Jen started: an educational therapy practice that changed shape
Jen began with traditional educational therapy in an office she rented in San Rafael, working with younger children and plenty of hands-on materials.
The pandemic shut that down.
By 2021 she couldn't see clients in person, and she didn't feel effective with young kids over Zoom.
Her caseload was already drifting toward high school and college students.
When she looked at what families were actually asking for, it was homework help and focus help.
Like many educational therapists, she had been trained to be the case manager and connector for every professional on a student's team, so she followed the need into executive function support.
"I was doing some executive functioning coaching that I had sort of figured out myself and from my therapy training. Working with college students, mostly freshman and sophomore, and some older high school students who needed help with strategic studying, organization, calendar use."
It was a small, part-time caseload. She knew she needed structure to level up.
The problem: strategies that didn't stick
Jen had the knowledge. What she couldn't get was results that lasted past the session.
"It was very hard to see results when I was finding my way through working with high school and college students at first. Even when they were showing up to our sessions and really trying some new approaches, it wasn't sticking week to week. And so I did think that I needed actual coaching skills."
She was surprised by how little students did on their own behalf.
Strong students had never opened a calendar app.
Many ignored the support their colleges already offered.
With no paper syllabi and assignments scattered across learning platforms, they were lost in time and space.
Her instinct, like that of most highly trained educators, was to teach.
"I would complexify things. I have a neurodivergent brain. So I was offering these in-depth lessons to these smart older teens about ADHD and how it works, or about executive functioning. And that isn't what they needed. They just needed to have an action to improve their situation for tomorrow."
This is the pattern we see most often in deeply skilled professionals: a teaching lens instead of a problem-solving lens.
Inside EFCA, the fix is to solve a narrow problem first.
Clear the missing assignments, and the student decides you can actually save them time.
Only then do they trust you enough to learn from you.
What educational therapy gave her, and what was missing
Jen's educational therapy training gave her a deep foundation.
What it didn't give her was a way to turn that foundation into something a student could use the same day.
Already in her toolkit (educational therapy) | Missing (the coaching skill set) |
A grounded understanding of executive function: the neurobiology, what the skills look like, how and when they develop | A way to convert that knowledge into one bite-sized action per session |
Respect for cognitive load, emotional well-being, and the learning environment | A session structure that produces a visible win every week |
The therapeutic bond: trust and a supportive, encouraging atmosphere | Permission to help with the basics students actually need, like a calendar or an assignment list |
"What wasn't there was sort of how to really convert coming from the right place into action that was maybe bite-sized enough for a student to really use and get something out of one session."
The basics turned out to matter most.
"I didn't think that we, as coaches, could help with these little things, but that is where the confidence starts to build. You sit down, you do it with them. If they can't figure out the app, you sit there and you do it with them."
What changed inside EFCA
Jen enrolled in the Executive Function Coaching Certification on August 13, 2024.
Three things made the difference.👇
1. Being coached herself. Watching coaching done to her taught her more than reading about it.
"Your one-to-one coaching was such an incredible model of what we can do as coaches. I don't think I'd ever been in a situation where I've been coached before, other than athletics back in high school. I learned from models and from apprenticeship almost. That was incredibly powerful."
2. Templates she could start from, then adapt. For a self-described associative thinker, a starting point beat a blank page.
"Just the practical, structured: use this template, start here. I tend to go outward and associative, and so to have a model to start with, and then if I need to change it or get creative, I can. It is so supportive of how I grow and learn."
3. A curriculum laid out from the first day. Jen valued the community and the conversations with other coaches.
But for her, having every module visible and sequenced came first. She called the program practical, informative, and generous with information.
What changed in her sessions
Jen's sessions got a shape.
She and the student go through every class, put each assignment and its link on one template, get it onto the calendar, and end with one task that takes a couple of minutes, like an email to a teacher.
Her own energy shifted too.
Even with students who struggled to turn on a camera or show up on time, she believed they could cover a couple of inches of progress, and it showed.
"Your template list of what are the assignments I have to do and here are the links to them. In theory, it sounds so basic, but actually, that was one of the most empowering actions that my clients could take. It simplifies a lot of the chaos so they can start to feel more competent."
The template Jen describes is the student dashboard we teach in the certification and in the Semester Success Blueprint.
As Sean put it in the interview, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, especially when it's paired with consistency.
Then the feedback changed.
"I had students saying, probably for the first time, in session, 'Well, that was super helpful.' Or even asking if we could go extra minutes, which never happened before."
Pricing, impostor syndrome, and valuing what educational therapists know
Pricing was Jen's biggest growth area, and it's the one we hear most from educational therapists.
Some of the most educated, experienced people in the field charge less than tutors with a fraction of their training.
"Everything to do with how to build a business. That's my big growth area. But maybe number one, I'm thinking of just pricing, like seeing packages, being encouraged to keep the price high."
The pressure isn't only internal.
Jen has heard parents in her own community dismiss a far more experienced therapist's fees over something as irrelevant as a messy car.
Mental health therapy is an accepted category. Educational therapy still has to explain itself.
"I think sometimes for educational therapists, you're still teaching clientele what it is. And so I think that created a lot of self-doubt for me. It kind of picked up my own impostor syndrome. And it's intimidating to have a parent just say, I don't understand what I'm paying for."
What helped most was something she called a sneaky, invisible value of EFCA.
Sean would describe the same skeptical-parent moment she had faced alone, and other coaches would share theirs.
"Then the whole community chimes in. It's like, okay. This is normal. And it doesn't mean that we're frauds."
Sean borrows a principle from James Clear here: the fastest way to change a habit is to join a community where the behavior you want is the normal behavior.
In EFCA, that behavior is pricing your expertise without defending your ego.
As Sean says, clients can't pay you your value, but they can pay your rate.
If this section sounds familiar, start with his video on impostor syndrome and the article How I Stopped Giving Away My Coaching For Free.
The biggest shift: letting go of being responsible for everything
The moment Jen said "you're going to want to cut this" became the heart of the interview.
The traditional model can quietly make an educational therapist responsible for everything.
Coaching gave her a focused outcome she could actually deliver.
"The client's in the middle, but you're case managing all these different parts of their experience. It has the maybe unintended but implicit message that you are kind of responsible for everything. And that is lovely if you maybe are in a situation where someone's gonna pay no matter what, and you can see the kid four times a week. But often, you're not actually able to make good on that promise. And psychologically and emotionally, that can be really challenging."
"What also came out of it was releasing me from sort of an over-responsibility for every part of that client's experience. You can't heal ADHD. You can't fix a poor fit with their school. But you can offer something that the client experiences as kind of a springboard to their next small win."
"I needed to feel more efficacy in my actual minutes with a student."
Jen is clear this isn't a knock on educational therapy.
Intensive, several-times-a-week support is critical for the right learner, especially a young reader.
But an 18- or 19-year-old rarely meets with anyone five days a week, so the model has to work in one 45-to-60-minute session.
Intensive educational therapy | Executive function coaching | |
Best fit | Younger learners with foundational skill gaps, when the family can support frequent sessions | High school and college students who need to manage school independently |
Typical rhythm | Several sessions a week | One 45-to-60-minute session a week |
Scope | The whole learning profile, with the therapist as case manager | One agreed outcome at a time |
What the student leaves with | Remediation over time | One small win and one next step |
"It is more ethical, I think, for everybody to be able to say, I have something to offer, and you'll benefit from it, and this is how long it takes."
Sean's version of this inside EFCA is to under-promise and over-deliver.
Educators who need to pay their bills often do the reverse.
Being honest about what fits in 45 minutes a week lets you welcome the families you can help and refer out the ones who need more.
To keep families involved without waiting months to report back, we teach the Family Team Meeting, held roughly every five weeks.
What's next for Jen
Jen's three-year vision blends both of her fields.
In the late afternoons and evenings, she sees three or four older students on Zoom for executive function coaching.
Earlier in the day, in an office at home, she works in person with emergent readers and early math learners ages 5 to 7, play-based and ideally with a therapy dog.
"I call them the two ages of autonomy. And I love both."
Sean closed with one more coaching question: what's the single domino that would move her toward that vision in the next six months?
Jen's answer was outreach to her own network, re-announcing that she's taking evening executive function coaching clients.
Sean pushed for a number and a date.
She committed to contacting at least 12 people by January 1, 2027, and to posting that goal in the EFCA community so other coaches can hold her to it.
Work with Jen
Jen has a few late-afternoon and evening openings for high school graduates and early college students who need executive function support.
Email: jcoleman.edtherapy@gmail.com
"I love this field, both fields, and they do merge sometimes. It's super collaborative, and just generous. I'm just grateful to be in it."
Five lessons for educational therapists considering executive function coaching
Your educational therapy foundation is an asset, not a detour. Knowing how executive function develops, respecting cognitive load, and building trust all carry straight into coaching.
Lead with one action, not a lesson. Solve a narrow problem first, like clearing missing assignments. Trust follows, and then the teaching lands.
Help with the basics. A calendar, an assignment list with links, an email to a teacher. These small wins are where confidence starts.
Scope honestly. Promise one outcome you can deliver in a weekly session, and bring the family back in roughly every five weeks.
Price like a professional, and don't do it alone. Packages beat hourly rates, and a community that has heard the same skeptical-parent comments keeps you steady.
FAQs
What is an educational therapist?
An educational therapist works one-on-one with learners who have learning differences, combining educational and therapeutic approaches to address both the cognitive and emotional sides of learning. In the U.S., the Association of Educational Therapists (AET) sets membership standards at the Associate, Professional, and Board Certified levels. Educational therapy is not a licensed profession.
What's the difference between an educational therapist and an executive function coach?
Educational therapy looks at the whole learning profile and often involves remediation over many sessions. Executive function coaching focuses on specific skills like time management, organization, planning, and follow-through, usually in a weekly session built around one agreed outcome. Many practitioners, like Jen, offer both.
Can an educational therapist become an executive function coach?
Yes. An educational therapist's understanding of executive function, assessment, and the therapeutic relationship transfers directly. What most add is a coaching skill set and the business systems to find clients.
Do I need to be an educational therapist to become an executive function coach?
No. Plenty of teachers, special educators, SLPs, and school psychologists become executive function coaches without an educational therapy background. Educational therapy training is a strong foundation, not a prerequisite.
Do I need a certification to become an executive function coach?
There is no legal governing body for executive function coaching, and there is no legally required certification to practice. A certification program is a way to get structured training, templates, mentorship, and a community, and to show families you've completed a defined program. EFCA is a private training program; certification is awarded by EFCA upon completion of program requirements.
How much do executive function coaches earn?
Rates vary with location, experience, and niche. Our State of the Executive Function Coaching Industry report breaks down what EFCA graduates actually charge and earn.
Watch next
Each video below goes deeper on something Sean and Jen talked about.
Video | Where it shows up in Jen's story |
Keeping families involved every five weeks instead of reporting back months later | |
Strategies that didn't stick from week to week | |
Parent skepticism and pricing self-doubt | |
Jen's 12-person outreach commitment | |
The assessment background educational therapists bring | |
The foundation Jen already had from educational therapy | |
Jen's August 2024 decision to get certified | |
Clarifying her offer and backstory | |
Sean's own path through educational therapy |
Keep reading
5 Tips to Help Students Who Do NOTHING Between EF Coaching Sessions
5 Ways to Deal With Impostor Syndrome as an Executive Function Coach
The 3 Limiting Beliefs Holding Executive Function Coaches Back
How to Network With Prospective Clients and Referral Partners
The Anatomy of a Perfect Outreach Email for Executive Function Coaches
How Michelle Glennon Went From Teacher to Her Own Profitable EF Coaching Business
Ready to add executive function coaching to your educational therapy practice?
We built a page just for educational therapists: see how the certification fits your practice.
If you're not ready to apply, start with Sean's book, From Educator to Executive Function Coach (also on Amazon).
When you're ready, apply for certification. If you're a good fit, Sean meets with you personally to map out your next step.
Here is one of our favorite reviews. You can read all recent reviews on this page.Â
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About Jen Coleman
Jen Coleman is an educational therapist in Marin County, California, who added executive function coaching to her practice in August 2024.
The biggest change wasn't a new skill. It was permission to stop being responsible for everything, and to make every 45-minute session count.
Jen holds membership with the Association of Educational Therapists (AET) and is working toward Professional-level membership.
She is also a Certified Executive Function Coach through the Executive Function Coaching Academy.
Sean McCormick, M.Ed., our founder and a Professional-level educational therapist himself, sat down with her in October 2026 to talk through the whole journey.
Connect with Jen👇
Email: jcoleman.edtherapy@gmail.com