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Adult ADHD Therapy
Empowering adults with ADHD to thrive
Does it feel like...
no matter how hard you try, you can’t do anything right? Maybe you often feel like you are letting someone down. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed and find it hard to control your emotions? You may be dealing with ADHD on your own for years and have done okay, but now you may want additional help so you can excel.
Understanding ADHD in Adults
Despite the common myth that kids will outgrow their ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), research suggests that ADHD isn’t just a childhood condition and as many as 13 million adults in the United States alone have it, too. ADHD can affect various aspects of life, including school, work, relationships, and self-esteem. These adults may have difficulty staying focused and prioritizing. They are often forgetful and disorganized. This often leads to missed deadlines or being late to appointments. The lack of impulse control can range from being impatient waiting in line to angry outbursts.
Undiagnosed ADHD
Some adults who have ADHD don’t know they have it. A person may not be diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood due to several reasons. Teachers or family may not have recognized it. Some individuals with ADHD are high-functioning. They develop coping mechanisms that allow them to manage their symptoms, masking the condition until the demands of adulthood become overwhelming. ADHD symptoms can be mistaken for other issues, such as anxiety, depression, or stress, leading to misdiagnosis or overlooked symptoms.
Types of ADHD
As described in the name, ADHD symptoms consist of 2 general categories. Inattention and Hyperactive-Impulsive Symptoms.
Inattention Type Symptoms
- Failure to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes
- Difficulty sustaining attention
- Does not seem to listen when spoken directly (mind seems to wonder)
- Does not follow through with instructions
- Difficulties organizing tasks (difficulty managing sequential tasks, messiness, poor time management, fails to meet deadlines)
- Avoids or dislike task that require sustained mental efforts
- Loses necessary things easily
- Distracted by external stimuli
- Forgetfulness in daily activities
Hyperactive-Impulsive Type Symptoms
- Fidgets with hand or feet, or squirms in seat
- leaves the seat when being seated is required
- Feeling restless
- Unable to do leisure activities quietly
- Has to be “on the go”
- Talks excessively
- Blurts out answers
- Difficulty waiting in line
- Interrupts or intrude on others
Comorbid Conditions
Research indicates that adults with ADHD are very likely to suffer from a second or even third psychiatric disorder such as mood and anxiety disorders, substance use, depression, and disruptive behaviors. ADHD adults who are recently diagnosed may have increased impairments as they have been undiagnosed and untreated for so long. Many adults with ADHD have suffered years of feeling demoralized, discouraged, due to a long-lasting history of frustration, failures, and underachievement in school, work, family, social, etc. Multiple research studies have also shown that ADHD is associated with low self-esteem and lower overall adaptive functioning.
What are the treatments for adult ADHD?
Treatment for ADHD includes medication, therapy and other behavioral treatments, or a combination of methods.
How I can help
I have helped many of my clients understand how their ADHD affects their psychological, daily, social functioning and find creative ways to enhance and improve these areas. My clients have found me to be a therapist who instills hope, optimism, and motivation in them. They are able to break free from their deep-rooted sense of underachievement, frustration, demoralization, and negative beliefs about themselves, and start to improve their self-esteem. I have also helped many of my adult ADHD clients improve their relationships by helping them manage their impulsivities, improve their focusing and listening abilities using mindfulness strategies. I often incorporate other scientifically based intervention such as psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, reframing, cognitive behavioral skills building, and strength-based interventions into my treatment plan.
Barkley, R. A. (2018). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment. The Guilford Press.
Knouse LE, Safren SA. Current status of cognitive behavioral therapy for adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2010 Sep;33(3):497-509. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2010.04.001.
Faraone, S. V., Banaschewski, T., Coghill, D., Zheng, Y., Biederman, J., Bellgrove, M. A., Newcorn, J. H., Gignac, M., Al Saud, N. M., Manor, I., Rohde, L. A., Yang, L., Cortese, S., Almagor, D., Stein, M. A., Albatti, T. H., Aljoudi, H. F., Alqahtani, M. M. J., Asherson, P., Atwoli, L., … Wang, Y. (2021). The World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement: 208 Evidence-based conclusions about the disorder. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 128, 789–818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.022
Frequently Asked Questions
Currently I do not offer any psychological assessments for ADHD.