A Parent's Guide to EF College Coaching

Congratulations! Your student was accepted to college. They’re smart, capable, and motivated.

Alongside the excitement, you may find yourself wondering: Do they have the skills to manage the sharp increase in independence without the scaffolding of home? Can they handle academic pressure, social stress, deadlines, and daily responsibilities with less structure and supervision?

Then the semester begins, and they are missing deadlines, overwhelmed by assignments, or calling home in crisis mode. You want to help, but you are not sure how.

EF College Coaching helps fill the gap between academic ability and independent follow-through. Through structure, external accountability, and practical strategy-building, students learn how to manage college demands with greater confidence and independence.

This guide explains what executive function coaching is, how EF College Coaching works, and how to know whether it may be the right fit for your student.

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What Is Executive Function Coaching?

Executive function is what allows intelligence to show up consistently.

Research from sources such as Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child and the Institute of Education Sciences supports what many parents see firsthand: students need more than intelligence to succeed. They also need the ability to plan, organize, manage time, begin tasks, follow through, shift flexibly, and regulate emotions.

Executive function coaching supports college students as they build the underlying skills they need to manage academics, responsibilities, and daily life. These are not study skills in the traditional sense; they are the cognitive processes that make studying, planning, organizing, and following through possible in the first place.

College places much higher demands on executive functioning than high school, often with far less built-in structure, fewer reminders, and more assignments and projects that require students to plan ahead. Executive functions include time management and planning, task initiation, organization of materials and information, prioritization, focus and sustained attention, cognitive flexibility (shifting between tasks, settings, or demands), emotional regulation, self-monitoring, and self-advocacy.

When these skills are still developing, even very bright students can struggle. They may know what they need to do, but have trouble getting started, deciding what matters most, keeping track of multiple responsibilities, or following through consistently.

At EF College Coaching, the goal is not to manage the student’s life for them, but to help them develop the tools, confidence, and independence to manage their own lives more effectively.

EF College Coaching helps students turn intention into action.

Learn more about executive functioning and how it affects daily life.

Signs Your Student Might Need Support

Many capable students struggle not because they lack ability or motivation, but because the demands for self-management increase faster than their executive function skills.

You may be reading this because something feels off. Perhaps your student is underperforming, highly anxious, pulling frequent all-nighters, or keeping up only through stress and last-minute effort. Some students struggle as soon as college begins; others do well at first, then start to falter as coursework becomes more complex, routines loosen, or competing demands pile up. They may have been successful in high school, or even during an earlier semester of college, but the strategies that once worked may no longer be enough.

These struggles are not a sign that a student is lazy or incapable. They often mean the student needs more explicit support as the demands increase.

Common signs that executive function challenges are affecting your student include:

  • frequent missed deadlines or last-minute all-nighters.

  • difficulty starting assignments, even when they understand the material.

  • inconsistent performance, especially when multiple demands pile up at once.

  • a messy or chaotic living space that reflects internal overwhelm.

  • trouble keeping track of syllabi, due dates, and course requirements.

  • missing important emails, forms, appointments, or administrative deadlines.

  • feeling overwhelmed without a clear sense of what to tackle first.

  • difficulty adjusting to college independence.

  • avoiding office hours or not asking for help when it is needed.

  • frequent calls or texts home about feeling lost, behind, overwhelmed, or incapable.

  • withdrawing, avoiding communication, or becoming harder to reach when overwhelmed.

  • difficulty engaging in big-picture planning, such as exploring summer internships, research opportunities, or longer-term goals.

If this sounds familiar, EF College Coaching targets these challenges directly by helping students build practical systems for planning, prioritizing, getting started, following through, and asking for help.

Not sure if coaching is the right fit? See if this sounds like your student.

Why Parents Choose EF College Coaching

EF College Coaching works primarily with college students. That focus matters.

College is a major shift. Students are expected to manage greater independence with less structure, while also navigating complex assignments, competing priorities, and long-term planning, often all at once. Executive function demands rise quickly, and even strategies that once worked well may no longer be enough.

EF College Coaching maintains a small client roster so students and families receive responsive, individualized support. Parents can expect thoughtful communication, timely responsiveness, and external accountability that supports follow-through while still building the student’s independence.

Students are not simply assigned to a coach. At EF College Coaching, students have the opportunity to meet Moira before beginning, because fit and trust matter in coaching.

Because we specialize in college students, we understand the challenges that come with this stage: managing coursework, tracking deadlines, communicating with professors, and using campus resources. We also understand that daily routines and social dynamics, including shifting friendships, roommate dynamics, sleep, meals, and screen time, can affect a student’s ability to follow through. Just as importantly, coaching supports the bigger-picture planning college students are expected to manage, including internships, summer opportunities, research positions, course registration, and emerging-adult responsibilities.

For Boston students, in-person coaching can be especially valuable. Parents often appreciate knowing that their student has someone meeting with them regularly, in person, to help them build structure, stay connected, and practice follow-through in the context of their actual college life.

We meet regularly at Northeastern University and Boston College, and often meet students from other local colleges at the Boston Public Library’s Copley Square location. We frequently support students from Boston University, Emerson College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, MassArt, Berklee College of Music, and other Boston-area campuses, and work with each student to find a convenient meeting location.

If you do not see your student’s college listed, please reach out. We are happy to explore options.

Virtual coaching is also a core part of our practice. It is effective for many students, including those studying outside Boston, studying abroad, or needing greater scheduling flexibility.

Moira Murphy holds a Master of Social Work from Boston University and an ICF Associate Certified Coach credential. She completed specialized training in Student and ADHD coaching through JST Coaching & Training, a research-based program focused on coaching students with ADHD and executive function challenges. She is a professional member of CHADD, the ADHD Coaches Organization, and ADDA.

Learn more about Moira’s approach and credentials.

Parents often describe EF College Coaching as practical, responsive, and deeply reassuring. Here is one parent’s experience:

“I highly recommend EF College Coaching’s executive function coaching services. They have been life-changing for my daughter.

By the end of her first semester of sophomore year, it became clear that my high-achieving daughter, who was getting excellent grades, was actually barely getting by. Her anxiety had skyrocketed, and procrastination and self-doubt had taken over her mindset.

Moira helped turn this around. My daughter is now thriving and loves learning again. When she starts to spin out, her sessions with Moira are an immediate reset. My daughter comes out of every session feeling like she has a plan that she is excited about implementing.

Joy and confidence have returned as her baseline mindset. As a parent, this turnaround feels miraculous. Moira has helped my daughter tremendously with emotional regulation, which has improved all aspects of my daughter’s life, not just academics. My daughter’s ability to focus and her time management skills have also improved.”

‍ ‍- Parent of a Boston College student, Class of 2028

How EF College Coaching Works

EF College Coaching helps capable students learn how to manage college demands more independently, with structure, external accountability, and practical systems that support follow-through. Instead of relying on last-minute stress, crisis energy, repeated reminders, or the “I’ll do it later” mindset that often turns “not now” into “too late,” students learn how to plan, begin, adjust, and follow through more consistently.

Coaching is highly collaborative, practical, skills-based, and action-oriented. Rather than telling students what to do, coaching helps them learn how to manage their work, time, responsibilities, and daily life more effectively. These are skills that extend far beyond any single class.

Coaching helps students move from knowing what they should do to building realistic systems for getting started, following through, and adjusting when things do not go as planned.

What Coaching Looks Like

Through regular one-on-one sessions, EF College Coaching works with each student to clarify priorities, identify obstacles, and develop personalized strategies that fit the way the student actually thinks, learns, and gets things done.

At EF College Coaching, this work is concrete, practical, and individualized. We help students figure out how to sit down and start the calculus homework in the first place, how to plan the week so the essay does not become a 2 a.m. emergency, and how to build systems that work across all of their classes.

Coaching often focuses on strengthening skills such as:

  • task initiation, or getting started

  • planning and prioritizing work

  • breaking down assignments and long-term projects

  • managing distractions

  • transitioning between tasks, settings, or demands

  • using a calendar consistently

  • keeping track of academic and personal commitments

  • communicating with professors, advisors, and campus support offices

  • responding to stress and emotions with more awareness, rather than reacting impulsively

  • recovering when they fall behind

  • following through more consistently

Students also learn to zoom out and see the bigger picture, including planning ahead for exams, projects, internships, summer opportunities, and future goals, rather than constantly operating in crisis mode.

Building Skills Through Practice and Accountability

Alongside academic systems, coaching helps students build the daily habits and regulation skills that make follow-through possible. Students begin to understand how sleep, workload balance, emotional regulation, and intentional recovery time affect attention, motivation, and performance.

Between sessions, students practice new strategies with external accountability, feedback, and support. This is where much of the growth happens: students try a strategy in real life, observe what works and what does not, and adjust the system with their coach.

External accountability gives students structure outside their own heads. Instead of relying only on willpower, last-minute pressure, parent reminders, or the hope that they will “just do it later,” students have a consistent place to return, reflect, and reset. Over time, that accountability helps students build trust in their own systems.

Executive function skills do not develop from insight alone. They develop through repeated practice, reflection, and adjustment. Coaching gives students a structure for learning from real life as it happens.

Developing Independence

Over time, coaching intentionally shifts from coach-led support to shared responsibility, and ultimately to greater student independence.

The goal is not for students to rely on a coach indefinitely. The goal is for students to develop reliable executive function skills, stronger self-monitoring, and the confidence to manage academic and daily life demands more independently.

As students move on from coaching, they have more than a planner or a checklist. They understand what works for them. They have practiced systems for planning, starting, adjusting, and following through. They have built greater consistency, flexibility, and self-trust.

Instead of relying on “I’ll do it later,” students learn to recognize what is getting in their way and use strategies to take action.

Coaching, Therapy, and Tutoring: Different Roles

Therapy supports emotional well-being and mental health. Tutoring supports academic content and subject-specific learning. EF College coaching focuses on the self-management skills that help students put their abilities into action.

A tutor may help a student understand calculus, strengthen an essay, or prepare for an exam. Coaching focuses on the skills underneath the work: when to do it, how to get started, how to manage competing deadlines, how to recover when they fall behind, and how to create systems that work across classes and daily life.

Coaching is not a substitute for therapy. Many students benefit from both. Therapy may help a student process anxiety, depression, stress, or emotional challenges, while coaching helps them build the practical systems, routines, and follow-through needed to manage academic and daily life demands with increasing independence.

Together, therapy, tutoring, and coaching can each play an important role. Coaching fills the gap between understanding the material, caring about the outcome, and consistently doing what needs to be done.

What to Expect as a Parent

Your involvement still matters; it shifts toward support rather than management.

At EF College Coaching, we often begin with a parent conversation. You know your student well, and your perspective helps us understand their history, strengths, challenges, and what has or has not worked in the past.

Once coaching begins, the primary working relationship is between your student and the coach. Your student is navigating adult responsibilities, and coaching respects that. At the same time, parents do not have to disappear from the process. Unlike many campus resources, EF College Coaching can include thoughtful parent communication when appropriate, while still respecting the student’s role as the primary coaching client.

Parent communication looks different for each family. Some parents prefer occasional check-ins, while others want more regular communication. We discuss this at the start of coaching so expectations are clear. Communication is handled thoughtfully and appropriately, with the goal of supporting your student’s independence rather than managing their college experience for them.

Parent communication is also discussed with the student so everyone understands what will be shared, how often communication will happen, and how the student’s privacy and independence will be respected.

At home, your role shifts from managing to supporting. Support without solving. Notice and celebrate progress, ask curious questions, and resist the urge to manage your student’s schedule or fix problems for them.

The goal is independence, and independence requires practice. Parents can also rely on EF College Coaching for guidance and support along the way.

Does My Student Need an ADHD Diagnosis?

No. Students do not need an ADHD diagnosis to benefit from executive function coaching.

Executive function challenges affect students with and without ADHD diagnoses. Many students who benefit from coaching have never been formally evaluated. They may struggle with the skills that make college manageable, including planning, getting started, staying organized, managing time, regulating emotions, noticing what is getting in the way, evaluating their own progress, and following through consistently. These challenges are real whether or not they come with a diagnosis.

If your student does have ADHD, EF College Coaching can be a valuable part of a broader support plan, alongside supports such as therapy, medication, accommodations, tutoring, or campus resources, when appropriate. Coaching is not a substitute for medical or mental health care, and it does not diagnose ADHD. Instead, EF College Coaching focuses on helping students build practical systems, routines, and strategies that support daily functioning and independence.

How EF College Coaching Complements Campus Resources

Boston-area colleges offer valuable support services, and each plays an important role. At the same time, these services have defined scopes. Disability services can provide accommodations such as extended test time or reduced-distraction testing. Academic advising helps students select courses and meet degree requirements. Counseling services support mental health and emotional well-being. Tutoring and office hours can help students better understand course material.

EF College Coaching works alongside these supports by helping students build the practical skills needed to use them effectively. Coaching reinforces planning, organization, task initiation, follow-through, self-monitoring, and self-advocacy in the context of the student’s real academic and daily life demands.

Executive function skills develop through repeated practice, feedback, and adjustment, not insight alone. Coaching provides regular structure and external accountability as students learn how to plan their week, break down assignments, follow through on commitments, communicate with professors, use accommodations, and recover when they fall behind.

EF College Coaching can also give parents a clearer point of communication than many campus resources are designed to provide. Parent communication is handled thoughtfully and appropriately, with the goal of supporting the student’s independence rather than managing their college experience for them.

In this way, EF College Coaching helps bridge the gap between the resources available on campus and what a student needs day to day. The goal is for accommodations, advising, tutoring, office hours, and other supports to become tools the student can use consistently and independently.

See how coaching works alongside Northeastern's campus resources.

Get Started Today

The first step is a complimentary Meet-and-Greet. We’ll talk broadly about what is going on with your student, what EF College Coaching can look like, and whether this kind of support feels like the right fit.

Parents often reach out first to learn more about EF College Coaching before involving their student in the decision, and that is completely fine. When your student is ready, we can include them in the conversation or schedule a separate time for them to meet Moira. A student does not need to be fully convinced before the Meet-and-Greet; they only need to be willing to have a conversation.

At EF College Coaching, students have the opportunity to meet Moira before beginning. This matters because fit and trust are important. Because the student will be doing the core work, they should have the chance to ask questions, get a feel for the coaching relationship, and decide whether they are open to giving coaching a try.

After the Meet-and-Greet, coaching begins with a student intake. This gives us time to understand the student’s goals, current challenges, routines, academic demands, and what kind of structure and accountability will be most useful.

Request a Complimentary Meet-and-Greet | Call or text (617) 359-8551

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Coaching supports your student’s academic success, daily life, and long-term independence. Because each student’s goals, challenges, and level of support are different, coaching is customized rather than one-size-fits-all.

    Pricing is discussed during the complimentary intro call. Session frequency and the recommended level of support are determined after the student intake, once we have a clearer understanding of the kind of structure and accountability that would be most useful.

  • Session frequency depends on the student’s goals, current challenges, and the level of support that would be most useful. Many students benefit from meeting weekly, while others need more frequent support during demanding periods, transitions, or times when follow-through is especially difficult.

    Frequency can be adjusted over time as the student builds stronger routines, greater consistency, and more independence.

  • Most students work with us for at least one semester, and many continue for two. Some students continue longer as they build skills, navigate new challenges, and benefit from the consistency, structure, and accountability coaching provides.

    As students develop stronger routines and more consistent follow-through, coaching can often be reduced over time. We usually know it is time to step back by gradually reducing the frequency or duration of sessions and seeing how the student manages with less support. This allows coaching to taper thoughtfully while the student continues building self-trust and independence.

    There is no minimum commitment, and families are not asked to prepay for a package of locked-in coaching hours. We check in regularly to make sure the level of support still fits your student’s goals and is helping them move toward greater independence.

  • Parents are often involved at the beginning of coaching because they can provide helpful context about the student’s history, strengths, challenges, and what has or has not worked in the past.

    Once coaching begins, the primary working relationship is between the student and coach. Parent involvement can vary depending on the student’s age, preferences, and goals. Some families benefit from periodic parent check-ins, while others prefer to step back.

    The goal is to support the student’s independence while keeping parents appropriately informed and supported.

  • Yes. Parent communication is discussed at the start of coaching so expectations are clear. Some parents prefer occasional check-ins, while others want more regular communication.

    Because students are building independence, communication is handled thoughtfully and in a way that respects the student’s role as the primary coaching client. Parents can expect timely, thoughtful communication when questions or concerns arise.

  • This is extremely common in our practice. Executive function challenges are not a reflection of intelligence or ability.

    Many bright, capable students know what they need to do but struggle to get started, organize competing demands, manage time, or follow through consistently. EF College Coaching helps students build the systems, routines, structure, and external accountability they need to put their abilities into action.

  • No. Students do not need an ADHD diagnosis to benefit from executive function coaching. Executive function challenges affect students with and without ADHD diagnoses. Many students who benefit from coaching have never been formally evaluated. They may struggle with the skills that make college manageable, including planning, getting started, staying organized, managing time, regulating emotions, noticing what is getting in the way, evaluating their own progress, self-advocacy, and following through consistently. These challenges are real whether or not they come with a diagnosis. Coaching does not diagnose ADHD and is not a substitute for medical or mental health care.

  • Coaching tends to be most effective when a student is at least open to trying it. Executive function coaching is collaborative and action-oriented, so students are more likely to benefit when they can see some value in the work and are willing to practice strategies between sessions.

    It is common for students to feel hesitant about coaching, especially if they have had discouraging or unhelpful experiences with past support, feel embarrassed about needing help, or worry that coaching will feel like another adult telling them what to do.

    If this sounds familiar, we can talk through these concerns during the complimentary intro call. Together, we can think about whether coaching feels like a good next step and how to introduce it in a low-pressure, student-respecting way.

    Sometimes the best first step is simply giving the student a chance to meet Moira, ask questions, and decide whether they are open to giving coaching a try.

  • Yes. At EF College Coaching, students can meet Moira before beginning coaching. Fit matters, and students are more likely to engage when they feel respected, understood, and included in the decision.

    Parents often reach out first, but the student should also have a chance to ask questions, get a feel for the coaching relationship, and decide whether they are open to working with Moira.

  • After the Meet-and-Greet, coaching begins with a student intake. The intake gives us time to understand what is bringing the student to coaching, including their current challenges, routines, academic demands, and what kind of structure and accountability may be most useful.

    If your student has a neuropsychological evaluation or other relevant documentation, it is helpful to share it before the intake. These materials can provide important context about the student’s learning profile, executive function strengths and challenges, and supports that have been recommended in the past.

    From there, we begin building a coaching plan that is practical, individualized, and flexible enough to adjust as the student’s needs become clearer. 

  • Yes. Summer can be an excellent time for coaching because it allows students to practice executive function strategies without the intensity of a full semester. Coaching can support students taking summer classes, managing internships or jobs, preparing for the transition to college, or building foundational skills through everyday routines.

    Some students use summer coaching to prepare for transitions, such as starting college, returning after a challenging year, or moving into a more independent living or academic situation. Others use the summer to strengthen planning, follow-through, sleep routines, screen-time habits, or general self-management before the next semester begins.

    Summer coaching is optional and is not required to continue or resume coaching in the fall. Families can decide what level of support makes the most sense for their student at any given time.

  • Yes. We regularly work with students outside the Boston area, including students studying elsewhere in the United States and abroad.

    Virtual coaching is a core part of our practice, not a backup option. Students receive the same individualized strategy-building, structure, external accountability, and support for follow-through that they would receive in person.

    We work with students across time zones and schedule coaching in a way that fits the student’s academic schedule and location.

  • Yes. While EF College Coaching works primarily with college students, we also work with a limited number of high school students who would benefit from more explicit support with executive function skills.

    For high school students, coaching may focus on building skills such as planning, time management, task initiation, organization, self-advocacy, emotional regulation, and follow-through.

    This work can be especially helpful for students who have relied heavily on parent reminders, school-based structure, or last-minute urgency to get things done. Coaching gives students a chance to practice these skills before college demands increase. It can also give parents a way to step back from daily reminders and problem-solving while their student practices using support outside the family system.

  • EF College Coaching works primarily with college students. We also work with graduate students, a limited number of high school students, and adults across life stages who would benefit from executive function coaching to support planning, organization, time management, task initiation, follow-through, self-advocacy, transitions, and daily life.

    Executive function skills are life skills, and coaching can be helpful across academic, work, family, and adult-life demands.

    The complimentary Meet-and-Greet is the best way to determine whether coaching is a good fit.

    Request a Complimentary Meet-and-Greet | Call or text (617) 359-8551