How I work, and where the limits are

Coaching at Bridge & Bloom follows a flexible five-step arc that moves from the inside out: what is going on for you, why it makes sense for you, how things interact inside you, what happens between you and your world, and what you want to do with it. The stance behind it is to understand before asking for change; ADHD and autism are lenses here rather than an explanation for everything, and the environment is part of the picture, not only the person. Confidentiality is agreed at the start and, for people under 18, additionally put in writing. Coaching does not replace assessment, psychotherapy, medical treatment or crisis support.

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The five steps

Step 1: What is going on for you

This starts with you — not with a diagnosis, school, your parents or your employer. What are you experiencing? What matters to you, what feels hard, what feels easier? What gives you energy and what drains it?
Step 2: Why that makes sense for you

What does the situation mean to you, what are you expecting, which patterns do you notice? Responses that look puzzling from the outside often make good sense from the inside. Difficulties are not located inside you here if relationships or circumstances are part of the picture.
Step 3: How things interact inside you

Body and sensory experience, feelings, thoughts and behaviour are connected. Knowledge of ADHD and autism supplies questions and possible explanations here — not ready-made answers. Whether something else entirely is involved stays an open question.
Step 4: What happens between you and your world

School, training, university, work, family, relationships: where is the fit and where is the friction? What can you change, what could the environment change, what needs saying? This is explicitly not about getting used to something that does not fit.
Step 5: What you want to do with it

Understanding turns into movement that you direct yourself. What would you like instead? What already works sometimes? What would be a first small sign of change, and how much of it is realistic right now?

This is a map, not a fixed programme. The order shifts, steps repeat, and some fall away. How many sessions it takes depends on the situation — a fixed number would be an empty promise.

The stance behind it

Understanding comes before changing

Advice is cheap and usually already known. Before talking about what should be different, we get clear on what is actually happening — in which situations, under what conditions, and what of it is cause and what is consequence.

The environment is part of the picture

When something is not working, it is rarely down to one side alone. So coaching also asks what could change in school, training, work or family, and how much of that can be raised. Getting used to conditions that do not fit is not a goal.

Safety does not mean avoiding difficult things

A conversation in which nothing uncomfortable may be said helps nobody. The point is to be honest and stay respectful — including when the honest answer is inconvenient.

Ownership rather than compliance

The goal is not that someone does what I say. Goals are set together, steps are carried jointly, and what did not work is reviewed rather than judged. Someone who only executes learns nothing that reaches beyond the situation.

ADHD and autism are lenses, not an explanation for everything

They help make sense of why certain situations run differently. They do not explain every thought, every feeling and every decision. So each observation comes with the question of whether something else is involved — sleep, overload, a relationship, the wider context.

Neurodivergence explains, it does not excuse

ADHD and autism explain why certain things are hard — and that explanation matters, because it can correct years of self-blame. At the same time it does not remove responsibility. Both hold at once, and carrying that tension is part of the work.

Autonomy is the direction

Coaching should make itself unnecessary. It has gone well when someone can increasingly assess, decide, act, communicate and ask for support on their own — not when the appointments run as long as possible.

What I can promise and what I cannot

There is no ready-made module package, no fixed number of sessions and no guarantee of a particular outcome. What I can promise is careful work, honesty about limits and reliability within the agreed frame — not a particular result. Anyone promising that is promising something nobody can hold to.

Limits and referral

This clarity is not small print. It is part of taking the work seriously. Bridge & Bloom does not offer:

ADHD or autism assessment. Diagnostic work belongs with medical or psychological professionals.
Psychotherapy. Coaching works on the present situation and on concrete steps, not on treating mental health conditions.
Medical or psychiatric treatment, including questions about medication.
Crisis intervention or emergency support. Where there is acute risk, a coaching appointment is the wrong route. Contact the medical or emergency psychiatric services where you live.
Clinical family treatment.
Official careers or educational guidance. Switzerland has dedicated services for educational pathways.
Case management and legal advice.
Consultancy for employers, HR or managers on neurodiversity, and institutional training.

If it becomes clear during the work that one of these is needed, I say so. I do not simply end the work but discuss which service would fit and how to reach it. In some cases coaching continues alongside; in others it makes more sense to pause.

And there is no promise of cure. ADHD and autism are not things to be trained away.

For professionals considering a referral

If you work at a school, an advisory service, a practice or an agency and are weighing whether a referral fits: the offer is for teenagers and young adults, and for parents as clients in their own right. It is coaching-based, not clinical, and a diagnosis is not a condition of access.

Work happens in English and German, online across Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and in person in Rheinfelden. Qualifications are listed under about. A short enquiry is enough for questions about fit.

What is said in coaching stays in coaching

Coaching only works if it is possible to speak honestly. Confidentiality is therefore not a side note but the basis.

When you are the client: What we talk about is not automatically passed on to your parents. What parents hear is agreed together and in advance, not afterwards.
Parent involvement is agreed, not assumed: Whether, when and about what parents are involved is part of setting goals at the start. It is never taken as read.
For minors, additionally in writing: Consent, information sharing, parent involvement and the safeguarding exceptions are agreed in writing before we start, so that everyone involved knows the same things.
Confidentiality has limits: There are legal and safety-related exceptions — for instance where there is serious risk to you or to others. I name those limits in advance, not only when they apply.

We go through the specific arrangements in the introductory call and put them in writing before the work begins.

Written by Fatmatu Jalloh. Last updated 23 September 2026.

Find out whether it fits

The introductory call takes 20 to 30 minutes, is free and commits you to nothing. We look at what brings you here, how I work and whether coaching is the right thing for your situation. It is explicitly not a free coaching session.

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