Comment by chrsig | Hacker News Reader

Comment by chrsig | Hacker News Reader

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> It’s $99/mo.

Person with severe adhd and disposable income here: Nope. This is too much. Especially if you're not offering psychiatric services (e.g., no meds).

> in honor of our launch and celebration of October being ADHD Awareness Month, the first month is 40% off (offer until Nov 12).

I can appreciate celebrating october being adhd awareness month in november.

I also want to call out that there's no regulation around adhd coaching. More or less anyone can do it with out qualifications. You'll notice that there's no mention of insurance being accepted. I say this because it's a ripe area for taking advantage of people. In the absence of regulation, extra scrutiny is warranted.

The faq states:

> All of our Shimmer ADHD Coaches are licensed or certified mental health professionals or have extensive experience with ADHD & undergo our Shimmer Coach Training program developed alongside our clinical advisors Dr. Amin Azzam (MD, MA), Dr. Anil Chacko (PhD), and our Head ADHD Coaching Psychologist Xenia Angevin.

> All of our Shimmer ADHD Coaches are licensed or certified mental health professionals or have extensive experience with ADHD

That's a sneaky 'or' there -- What're the statistics around the coaches qualifications?

> have extensive experience with ADHD & undergo our Shimmer Coach Training program

So not mental health professionals

> our clinical advisors Dr. Amin Azzam (MD, MA), Dr. Anil Chacko (PhD), and our Head ADHD Coaching Psychologist Xenia Angevin.

No linkage to their qualifications

> Person with severe adhd and disposable income here: Nope. This is too much. Especially if you're not offering psychiatric services (e.g., no meds).

Thanks for pointing this out, we know it's still not in reach for most people. We're trying our best to get it as low as possible and are working on alternate routes, especially for those with the financial need. Right now we have our financial aid application, and we're working on something a bit bigger that will disproportionately impact communities of need

> I can appreciate celebrating october being adhd awareness month in november.

Haha, yes, we're a few days late. The month we're observing is Oct12-Nov12

> I also want to call out that there's no regulation around adhd coaching. More or less anyone can do it with out qualifications. You'll notice that there's no mention of insurance being accepted. I say this because it's a ripe area for taking advantage of people. In the absence of regulation, extra scrutiny is warranted.

Agree on extra scrutiny. The area of ADHD coaching has been unregulated and quality is definitely variable (really great coaches costing $2,000+/mo. and other new coaches marketing their services without much training etc). I have a separate comment down / up there somewhere on insurance. We're standing on the shoulder of giants by putting together psychoeducation that is science-backed and pooling resources & knowledge to help guide with what has worked for ADHD brains. We're working towards some loftier goals right now as well including an Academy-like offering...

> That's a sneaky 'or' there -- What're the statistics around the coaches qualifications?

Our coaches fall in 1 of 2 categories: (1) Coaching or MH professional credentials (ICF, Therapists, Psychiatrists) or (2) Masters-level or equivalent of psychology- or ADHD- related field along with extensive hours of client-facing facilitation & coaching work. 100% of our coaches fall into 1 of the above 2 categories.

> No linkage to their qualifications

Dr. Anil Chacko: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/people/anil-chacko

Xenia Angevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xenia-angevin/ Dr. Amin Azzam: https://meded.ucsf.edu/people/amin-azzam

> Person with severe adhd and disposable income here: Nope. This is too much

Even for people with disposable income, a rate like this should trigger some cursory research on your insurance provider's website. Common tech company insurance plans might very likely come out much cheaper than this when multiple sessions are considered across a year and deductibles are taken into account.

And you get to choose your provider and know their qualifications as a mental health professional. Telehealth is commonly available, too.

Don't let the high price of any of these cash-only services discourage anyone from seeking therapy. If you have insurance, always check that first and do the math.

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