Maggie discusses how EF coaching focuses on functional challenges—like focus, organization, and emotional regulation—regardless of diagnosis. ADHD may inform the work, but it doesn’t define it.

Using the metaphor of “Amy the Amygdala,” Maggie shows how anxiety disrupts executive functioning. Coaching helps students train their brains to keep working even when stress is present.

Maggie challenges the idea that EF coaching is just about attention. She often starts with time, organization, or inhibition—skills that support focus by addressing what’s underneath it.

Lisa Novak offers an explanation of the experience of neuropsychological testing that parents can share with their children.

Lisa Novak explains why “I don’t know” is often an opening in psychological assessment.

Lisa Novak discusses how assessment helps patients and families become more aware of their internal experience—what’s happening and why. She explains how building that awareness can open up new options for coping and change.

Lisa Novak, PhD, of Illuminate Psychological Assessments, describes how neuropsych testing can help distinguish between anxiety and ADHD—two diagnoses that often present with overlapping symptoms.

Lisa Novak, PhD, co-founder of Illuminate Psychological Assessments, explains what neuropsych testing measures and why it can offer clarity for families.