Executive Function Coaching for College Students

Transform your collegiate journey with our executive function coaching for college students and young adults. Our customized services focus on building strong time management, organization, and study skills, empowering you to excel in your coursework, manage daily responsibilities, and prepare for your future career. Whether you’re struggling with focus, balancing commitments, or staying organized, our coaching provides practical tools to help you thrive academically and personally.

How We Help

Student Services

Helping College Students Thrive Academically, Professionally, and Personally

OptiMind’s executive function coaches for college students are here to help. Our team supports you or your college-aged child if you’re struggling with any of the following:

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Time Management

Poor time allocation and difficulty balancing coursework with other areas of life and responsibilities, such as part-time jobs or extracurricular activities, healthy habits, and a social life.

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Organization

Challenges with keeping dorms, apartments, or workspaces organized; trouble tracking assignments and supplies; and difficulty organizing thoughts for papers or presentations.

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Planning

Difficulty creating effective study schedules, breaking down long-term assignments or papers into manageable steps and determining which tasks are most urgent or important.

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Impulse Control 

Difficulty resisting impulses like social media, video games, frivolous spending, or rash decision-making. Giving up easily when faced with challenging tasks or setbacks.

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Task Initiation & Completion

Struggles with sticking to study plans, starting and completing assignments, chores, or other responsibilities, often leaving work unfinished despite deadlines.

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Flexibility 

Difficulty adapting to changes in schedules or unexpected challenges and trouble generating alternative solutions when plans fail.

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Stress Management

Difficulty coping with academic pressures and balancing multiple demands.

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Focus and Attention

Easily distracted during study sessions or class lectures, leading to gaps in understanding and retention.

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Working Memory

Forgetting important details, such as assignments or upcoming tests, or information needed to complete tasks despite being informed.

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Self-Advocacy

Reluctance or difficulty in seeking help from professors or peers when facing academic or organizational challenges.

Does your college student face any of these challenges?

Our Executive Functioning Coaching Services for Students

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    Goal Setting and Action Planning

    Collaborative goal-setting sessions to establish academic goals and personal goals, and actionable plans to achieve them effectively.

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    Skill Development Lessons

    Personalized one-on-one lessons focused on developing relevant executive function skills for college students to meet the demands of higher education.

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    Home and Life Management Strategies

    Coaching on maintaining a healthy work-life balance, managing stress, prioritizing self-care, and building resilience in the face of academic and personal challenges.

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    Digital Organization Solutions

    Assistance in implementing digital tools and apps for task management, scheduling, note-taking, and project tracking tailored to individual preferences and needs.

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    Customized Study Strategies

    Tailored strategies and tools to improve efficiency in studying, note-taking, exam preparation, and managing academic deadlines. Guidance is provided in building, refining, and maintaining these strategies to ensure sustained improvement and effectiveness.

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    Assessment and Progress Tracking

    Personalized executive function assessments identify strengths and areas for growth. They are followed by regular progress tracking and strategy adjustments to meet evolving needs to sustain progress over time.

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    Financial Organization and Budgeting

    Education and support in managing personal finances, budgeting for college expenses, and making responsible spending and saving decisions.

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    Career Readiness

    Support in navigating internships, job applications, and interviews.

Meet Sarah Ritter

Founder and Executive Functioning Specialist

Sarah Ritter has close to a decade of experience in special education, serving as a Special Education Teacher, as well as a Learning and Behavior Specialist, prior to becoming an Executive Functioning Specialist. She worked in the public sector for Fairfax and Howard County Public Schools in the private sector for individual clients throughout the DMV, as well as provided her services virtually. Sarah’s boundless enthusiasm captivates her clients, who are a diverse range of learners, to address their unique needs.

Sarah attended graduate school at George Mason University, focusing on Adaptive Curriculum in the School of Special Education. Prior to that, she attended Christopher Newport University, where she earned her undergraduate degree with a major in Organic Biology. The combination of these two diverse educational experiences and Sarah’s passion for each field of study has deeply influenced her approach to working with students with executive functioning challenges.

With OptiMind ES, Sarah’s passion lies in empowering students to understand how their brains function through science. Through science-based strategies and evidence-based tools, she enables students with the skills they need to succeed in all aspects of life.

Join Sarah on a journey of discovery and empowerment as she harnesses the potential of every client.

Helping College Students Thrive with Executive Functioning Coaching

  • "My daughter has a newfound sense of confidence in her academic skills."

    My daughter has been seeing Sarah for a year now and our experience has been nothing short of incredible. She has been so supportive in helping my daughter prepare for the independence of going off to college and her transformation since starting her EF services has been life changing. My daughter has a newfound sense of confidence in her academic skills and has been able to start taking more control of her own schedule and responsibilities in ways I wasn't sure I would see for a long time. I am more confident than ever in my daughter's ability to thrive in college and beyond thanks to Sarah's expertise.

    - Shari

  • "The improvement in their executive functioning skills has been significant."

    Sarah is excellent! She has been working with our twins starting with the 2024-2025 school year. The improvement in their executive functioning skills has been significant. Most important, the growth in their overall confidence is amazing. We had really been struggling to find help for our twins with the executive function skills needed to be successful in a challenging and competitive school environment. In addition to her work with our children, Sarah has been wonderful in providing my husband and I guidance on how to understand the challenges of executive function disorder, how to best support our children and how to advocate for them at school, including when to not step in. We would be lost without her!

    - Gina DeStefano

  • "I am so grateful for the confidence my daughter has gained in social settings since working with Sarah."

    Sarah provided me the guidance I needed to support my child. We are now able to focus on strategies to help with maintaining attention and effective ways to regulate emotions to reach our goals. I am so grateful for the confidence my daughter has gained in social settings since working with Sarah.

    - Tayler Hemstetter

  • "My son has made remarkable progress in organization, time management, and massively improved his grades in school."

    I can’t thank Sarah at OptiMind ES enough for the incredible support she has provided our family. Her expertise in enhancing executive function skills has truly transformed our child’s life. Thanks to her guidance, my son has made remarkable progress in organization, time management, and massively improved his grades in school. Sarah’s dedication, professionalism, and genuine care has been invaluable to us. I can’t recommend OptiMind enough to any family seeking expert assistance in supporting their child’s executive functioning skills.

    - Christian Schou

Is your college student ready to gain the skills, systems, and confidence to succeed?

Book a FREE consultation today!

Frequently Asked Questions About Executive Function Coaching for College Students

  • Executive function coaching for college students is a personalized, skill-based approach to improving organization, time management, planning, and study habits. At OptiMind, our coaches work one-on-one with students to create strategies for managing coursework, balancing daily responsibilities, and building the habits that lead to long-term academic and personal success.

  • College demands strong self-management skills, and our coaching equips students with the tools to meet those demands. We help with creating effective study schedules, breaking down long-term projects, staying organized, reducing procrastination, and maintaining focus in class and during study time—all skills that can boost grades, reduce stress, and improve daily life.

  • Yes. Our coaching is especially beneficial for college students with ADHD, dyslexia, or other learning differences. We provide customized strategies to address challenges such as distractibility, time blindness, and difficulty starting or completing tasks, while also helping students develop self-advocacy skills for communicating effectively with professors and peers.

  • Tutoring focuses on specific academic subjects, while executive function coaching builds the skills and systems that help students succeed across all subjects. Instead of reteaching course material, we help students improve organization, time management, planning, and focus so they can learn and work more effectively in every area of their college experience.

  • Yes. All of our coaching sessions are offered virtually, making it easy for college students to receive support regardless of their location or schedule. Virtual sessions are flexible, interactive, and designed to fit seamlessly into your life.

  • Coaching sessions are scheduled twice a week, each session lasting 50 minutes. 

  • The duration of executive function coaching varies based on the intensity of the client's issues. Long-term progress often takes about a year, although many clients choose to continue for extended periods to further enhance skills and maintain growth.

  • Unfortunately, executive function coaching is not typically covered by most insurance companies at this time. Clients may need to seek alternative payment methods for these services.

  • Absolutely. While our focus is on empowering the student, we welcome appropriate parent involvement to ensure support systems are aligned. This might include occasional progress updates or strategy check-ins so parents can reinforce skills at home during breaks or holidays.