About a year ago, a student from a nearby university was referred to me for psychotherapy. The student chose to take a referral outside the university counseling center due to a two-week waiting period. The presenting problem was depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. These symptoms had a clear precipitant. Last semester the student had been placed on what is referred to as “the other Dean’s List.” In other words, if he did not pull his GPA up significantly, his college life was over.

An exploration of his past revealed no history of depression, anxiety or low self-esteem. He was a well-liked student in high school who was quite bright and was able to succeed academically with little effort. He reported a supportive and positive relationship with his parents. With little time to waste, I quickly assessed possible underlying causes for his poor academic performance. One by one I ruled out possibilities such as separation anxieties, drug or alcohol abuse, and conflicts with sexuality. There were no deep unconscious conflicts that were at the root of his problems. The etiology was clear. He stayed up late and slept through his early morning classes. He took shabby notes, skimmed his assigned readings and failed to adequately prepare for his exams. In his words, “I thought I could wing it. I didn’t do any real work in high school and thought I could do the same in college. I guess I was wrong.”

Given the urgency to pull up his grades, we quickly got moving. We contracted that he be in bed weekday nights by 11:30 and no later than 1:00 on weekends. Since he had a habit of shutting off his alarm clock and going back to sleep, he agreed to move it across his room to ensure the need to get out of bed to shut it off. He agreed to go directly into the shower to prevent himself from going back to bed. He also enlisted the help of his girlfriend; she would call him to make sure he was up and headed for class. He brought in copies of his syllabus and we mapped out a semester time line in his planner for readings, papers, projects and exams. Each night I had him e-mail me a list of what he accomplished and what he did not. I praised him for his successes and confronted him directly with his failings. In session we reviewed what was working well and what was not. He was attending all his classes. He was taking good notes. He was completing assigned readings prior to class. He agreed to find a study buddy for a math class in which he was having difficulty understanding the concepts. I helped him to prepare to argue with a professor for a better grade on a paper he wrote.

Managed care and the solution-oriented folks would have loved it. We got results. It was cost-effective treatment. He did well enough to get off of academic probation. He learned what it takes to get decent grades in college and is now armed with the tools for continued success. I saved his parents a bundle. Unwittingly, he gave me something as well, a second profession as an academic coach. In hindsight, I realize that I was acting more like an athletic coach than a therapist.

We all know that any serious athlete has a coach. A successful coach gets his players in top physical shape. He teaches them to eat and sleep well, to set up and maintain an exercise and conditioning program. He works with them to fine tune the skills required of the sport. In addition the coach works on the mental aspects of the game. Players learn how to get motivated for a game and how to use positive mental imagery to increase performance.

Educators are beginning to see the value of coaching for academic success. Studies by the Center for Education Statistics have found that almost a third of college students do not return for their sophomore year and that less than a third of students receive a degree within four years. Not all of the reasons for discontinued or prolonged studies are the result of poor academic performance, but this does figure central for many students. Many colleges and universities are not able to provide the individualized attention that many students require. Academic advisors are often responsible for large caseloads and faculty advisors quite often give low precedence to advising given their demands to publish and teach. Even when services are available, many students fall through the cracks.

Academic coaching serves a need on the high school level as well. It can be helpful for those students who lack sufficient organization and study skills. Students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder are particularly well suited for academic coaching given the need for individualized attention and structure. Public schools often do not have the resources to meet the needs of underperforming students. Parents argue it is the school’s responsibility to provide the structure needed to ensure academic success. Teachers respond by saying it’s the parents’ job to provide the support necessary to get homework done and submitted on time. Busy parents complain that they don’t have the time to spend going over homework and working on projects. They also complain they wind up alienating their children with constant nagging. The value of academic coaching is that the focus is on the student. Coaching provides the skills, training and support to enable students to take over responsibility for schoolwork.

Not all students need to be underperforming to benefit from coaching. Highly motivated and serious students can utilize a personal academic coach to help them take their academic performance to the next level. High school students with their sights set on Ivy League admission are good examples. On the college level, students who are entering highly competitive fields of study where admission to post-secondary schools is difficult might utilize a coach to give them a competitive edge. Adult learners who are returning to school after many years of absence might utilize a coach to help them quickly get up to academic speed.

Regardless of the need, the coaching process involves a number of steps. The coach must determine the student’s ability to benefit from coaching. It must be determined that the student is not suffering from a psychological disorder, and if so, an appropriate referral to a qualified mental health professional must be made. Secondly, the student must posses sufficient motivation to put out the effort necessary to improve academic performance. The next step involves an evaluation of the student’s academic strengths and weaknesses. An action plan is developed to teach techniques and skills needed to enhance academic performance. These skills may include:

• Organizing a Study Space
• Time Management
• Goal Setting
• Note Taking
• Study Skills
• Test Preparation
• Assertiveness Training and Advocacy
• Anxiety Management for Test Taking

The addition of these techniques and skills coupled with the presence of a personal mentor serves as a powerful motivator for change. When I have informally asked coaching clients what was most effective in our work, the response given most often had to do with support and accountability. Knowing that I was closely monitoring their progress and truly interested in their success provided the incentive to make the necessary changes needed to improve academic performance.

For the most part, coaching students has been rewarding and fun. Eager to build a coaching practice, I accepted several very difficult students with ADD and had only mixed results. As I gain more experience, I will be able to determine those students who will benefit from coaching from those who will not. As a coach I feel much less restrained than in my role as psychotherapist. I feel free to do whatever it takes to get the desired result. Most of my coaching clients e-mail me daily with progress reports. I use lots of praise for work well done. I harass and nag clients who procrastinate. For example, I sent an E-mail to a student who failed to hand in an assignment on time that read, “Dear Joe, Do you want to wind up as a toll collector on the New Jersey Turnpike? If your professor was your boss how long do you think you would have a job? Let’s get serious here. Schoolwork is your job! Students except it and receive it well because they accept that I am their coach.

Academic coaching does not need to be done in person. Phone, FAX and E-mail work well. I utilize low-bandwidth videoconferencing equipment for out-of-town students who desire face-to-face coaching. I am currently developing models for working with students in groups using bridge lines that allow for multiple callers on the same line. I have conducted an experimental four session coaching group for graduate students and from their feedback it appears to be a powerful method for providing support and motivation. I would like to develop theme-oriented coaching groups for students. I envision a group for underachieving high school students who plan to attend college; underperforming college freshman; premed students and a scholars group for students who want to graduate with top honors.

Psychologists, I believe, are uniquely qualified to work as academic coaches. We are trained to evaluate whether poor academic performance is the result of an undiagnosed emotional or behavioral problem. Psychologists are also experts in motivation and behavior change. On the other hand, most of us are not very adept at the business of marketing a practice, especially one targeted to a national clientele.

Developing a national coaching practice typically requires an investment in a webpage, the development of an E-mail newsletter, and the promotion of the webpage and newsletter to attract clients. While the overall costs are relatively low given the low overhead, the time commitment is substantial, especially while maintaining a full private practice. Efforts must be made targeting gatekeepers. Within academic coaching, guidance counselors, academic advisors, teachers and school psychologists are key gatekeepers. The magic of marketing on the Internet is that unexpected and unanticipated results often occur. A colleague of mine who has a coaching practice had his newsletter forwarded to the editor of a national magazine who contacted him to write an article for the magazine. Once the article came out a publisher interested in a book on the topic then contacted him. On the down side, the Internet attracts all kinds of folks. I had a consultation request from a young man who asked me whether I thought a pitcher who had given up two runs in the eighth inning should be pulled from the game. Apparently, he was unable to make the distinction between academic and athletic coach.

Working with high school and college students can be highly rewarding. Academic coaching of high school and college students dovetails nicely with my prior experience working in college counseling centers. Adolescents and young adults are at a particularly critical stage in life. They are laying the foundation for their futures. Nothing is more gratifying than helping a bright but underachieving student to reach their potential. I should know, I was one.

Robert Shapiro, Ph.D. is a psychologist in private practice in Silver Spring, Maryland. He is the owner of Jumpstart Coaching and the author of a free monthly e-mail newsletter “The Successful Student: A Guide for Students and Parents.” He can be reached at http://www.jumpstartcoaching.com or by calling 301-495-5850.

By Robert Shapiro, Ph.D.