Adult ADHD Counseling

Are You Trying—And Failing—To “Do All The Things”?

Do you struggle with time management, overwhelming to-do lists, and follow-through?
Is it hard for you to keep up with your ideas and aspirations, feeling as though there is never enough time to accomplish the things you wish you could do?
Have you ever been diagnosed, or do you suspect that your symptoms align with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

Though you may have managed to get through life thus far without a diagnosis of ADHD, you may wonder if some of your symptoms and challenges were overlooked in childhood. Perhaps you’ve always become easily distracted or overwhelmed, often leaving projects unfinished or unstarted.

Maybe it seems like you can never just Do The Thing, causing you to beat yourself up, compare yourself to others, or struggle with crippling self-doubt. This might make you feel stuck in a never-ending cycle of finding inspiration and energy, starting a task, losing focus, and then stalling until you might give up altogether—again.

Beyond your everyday experiences, ADHD has probably had implications on your career and social life as well. Maybe you’ve always been considered “too much” for people as you grapple with interpersonal expectations of how you should behave and interact with others. Instead of being present in the now, you might always be looking toward the next thing or listening to the thoughts in your head, which can cause you to become easily distracted in your work, relationships, and everyday life. When you do manage to maintain focus on a task, perhaps you become so preoccupied with it (or the wrong task) that you forget to accomplish basic responsibilities like eating or meeting important deadlines.

You are not incompetent, lazy, or broken—your brain just works differently. It’s possible that a diagnosis of adult ADHD is at the core of your symptoms, which can be explored, processed, and addressed in therapy. Working with a therapist, you can learn to identify the way your unique brain works and start developing coping skills that can help you slow down, even focus, and be present so that everyday life feels more manageable.

We All Experience “Deficits” In Our Attention And Ability To Function From Time To Time

ADHD falls under the umbrella of executive functioning challenges. Such challenges aren’t always due to a specific disorder or neurodivergence—instances of trauma, grief, and even burnout can compromise executive functioning skills. As such, symptoms of ADHD exist on a spectrum; there is no one-size-fits-all experience of ADHD, and not everyone who struggles with symptoms meets the criteria for a diagnosis.

These symptoms are complicated by a culture that requires constant productivity and success. Our society defines success on a linear scale, often excluding the strengths of circular, holistic, or outside-the-box thinkers. Instead, these folks are often written off as “lazy,” “inadequate,” “odd,” or simply “not meeting expectations.” But in reality, diverse perspectives and approaches are what make life interesting and worthwhile.

Unfortunately, symptoms of ADHD—especially when overlooked early in life—have often been mischaracterized and misunderstood. If these symptoms go unchecked, it becomes more likely that issues of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or other mental health obstacles will arise out of negative self-criticism, “not being good enough,” and/or a desire to assimilate, “do better,” or mask our true identities.

Therapy offers a chance to take off that mask and live authentically.

But I Already Received ADHD Treatment In Childhood—Why Do I Need Therapy As An Adult?

Even if a concrete diagnosis of ADHD has been present since childhood, it’s still important to address symptoms as they evolve in our lives as adults, adjusting treatment interventions as needed, developing new systems and skills as the old ones stop working. Symptoms often look different in childhood than they do in adulthood, and diagnoses may have been made at a time when we knew far less about executive function disorders in general.

Furthermore, many of us were prescribed ADHD medication in childhood that we were expected to take for life. While pharmaceutical interventions can ease the experience of ADHD, they don’t offer concrete skills for coping, cognitive reframing, emotional awareness, and creative experimentation with ways of working.

Working with a therapist who specializes in adult ADHD, you have a meaningful opportunity to understand how your brain works, overcome ADHD-specific hurdles, and empower your strengths. Through treatment at Sheltering Tree Counseling, you can learn to thrive—and not just survive—as an adult with ADHD.

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Therapy For Adults With ADHD At Sheltering Tree Counseling

Coming into adulthood in an environment that has forced you to hide or apologize for your ADHD ways, you may not realize how much you are fighting just to keep your head above water. ADHD therapy tailored for adults teaches you how to swim more effectively so that you can start making positive and lasting strides in your life. Therapeutic treatment gives you the space to experiment with new ways of coping with ADHD symptoms in a nonjudgmental, affirming atmosphere.

What To Expect

My specific approach to ADHD therapy for adults is to help you understand that your brain is not broken, and that you can function better with the brain you have, with some learning and skill building. There are lasting, effective skills you can use to address both long- and short-term goals for treatment, and in your life. We will work together on understanding how your brain works, to be better able to navigate commitments, consistency, and follow-through, helping you to recognize how and when your brain becomes bored or overwhelmed, and how to respond in those moments so that you can get the things done.

Therapy sessions are an opportunity to practice experimenting with systems or skills that might help with time management and prioritization while also acknowledging and working through the feelings and emotions that can accompany adult ADHD symptoms.

The Modalities I Use

As a seasoned therapist and someone who has adult ADHD myself, I am here to help you understand what is getting in your way in the here and now so that you can become more self-accepting and aware of your patterns—and begin to change your behaviors nonjudgmentally. Specific counseling techniques included in ADHD treatment might include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Motivational Interviewing—all of which can help you identify your goals, your areas of desired change, and to live according to your values, rather than to society’s rigid expectations of you. In general, I take a strengths-based approach to ADHD treatment for adults, empowering your innate gifts and perspectives in a way that will foster self-compassion.

You can accomplish goals, become more self-compassionate, and learn to effectively navigate the world with a neurodiverse brain. By learning to understand and appreciate your strengths and weaknesses in therapy, you can engage essential coping skills to help you thrive.

Please note, I am not a psychiatrist and thus I do not prescribe medications for ADHD. I work primarily with helping you understand how your brain works and improving your ability to navigate with it. I can work with you to determine the likelihood of a diagnosis of ADHD, and I can provide that diagnosis. I do not provide the types of of assessments that a psychologist would offer (which usually takes a few appointments of answering questions and providing information, and is useful if you are a student seeking accommodations, or you simply want more detailed info about your type of ADHD). If you are wondering about getting a full assessment for ADHD or you are curious about integrating ADHD medication into treatment, I have resources and referrals that can help you - and I am also happy to help you ponder the pros and cons of exploring those for yourself.

Perhaps You’re Not Sure If Adult ADHD Therapy Is Right For You…

What if I don’t have ADHD and am just really good at procrastinating, bad at my job, afraid of commitment, or unable to finish things?

Regardless of if you have an official diagnosis that explains your challenges, you are nevertheless struggling with specific obstacles that are making you feel stuck, helpless, and unsatisfied. Counseling gives you a chance to address your struggles, no matter how they are characterized.

If you’re afraid that you are simply “bad at life” and that’s keeping you from reaching out for the help you need, reach out anyway. As a skilled, nonjudgmental therapist, I welcome you to the therapy space so we can figure out solutions together—even if you don’t officially meet the criteria for adult ADHD.

What if I lose my interest in counseling and it just becomes another thing I quit?

This is a pretty common concern in ADHD treatment, and it’s something I strongly suggest discussing in the counseling space should these feelings occur. I am here to navigate your symptoms with you, which means that the therapeutic process is tailored to your needs and goals on any given day. Sometimes, this means switching gears to keep things engaging or exploring exactly what it is that makes you want to quit.

There is no “right” way to do counseling, and you will never be judged in therapy.

How do I know that you’re the right fit as a therapist?

I aim to provide support for the whole person, customizing the therapeutic process to your experiences, goals, and strengths. Furthermore, I consider you to be the expert on your life, and my role as a therapist is to support your needs with my specialized training and skills. It might also help to know that I have ADHD myself, bringing both professional and personal insights into therapy for adults with ADHD.

I welcome you to schedule a free, 20-minute consultation if you want to find out more about my treatment approach.