Transform shame to success.
Therapy for highly intelligent clients with ADHD and executive functioning issues
On-line across Florida, Virginia, and PsyPact states
“You're so smart, why can’t you just focus?”
You are smart and capable, but somehow “simple” tasks like getting out of the door on time and remembering where you put your keys elude you. You miss appointments or you make them by getting everywhere way too early, wasting precious time. You have found strategies to survive, but everything feels like so much work. Maybe you didn't get the support you needed when you were young, often being told “you’re so smart, what can’t you focus!” Or maybe people thought you were “dumb” because you were always a bit of a mess, late, and disorganized. As an adult, you have succeeded and are managing, but need some help to get to the next level, to feel more comfortable with the way your brain works, and find some peace.
Therapy for your unique way of thinking.
ADHD and its related disorders and symptoms can impede self-esteem, relationship communication, and parenting. When ADHD is combined with anxiety, learning disabilities, or a history of trauma, it can become unmanageable and exacerbate difficulties in work, social connections, and life in general. For those who are also highly intelligent, the frustration of never quite feeling like one is succeeding at the level they are meant to can be particularly frustrating and demoralizing.
ADHD+ presents itself in unique ways in each person, so treatment should take your uniqueness into account. I know that there is no perfect system or universal step-by-step process that will lead to the best you. We will work together to analyze what has worked in the past, what hasn’t, and how you are functioning now to find achievable goals to build habits that will flexibly support you and build in wiggle room for when strategies fail. We will also tackle the unhelpful and often cruel self-talk that makes executive functioning glitches so painful. You don’t have to believe the stories people told you about your brain and you can heal while building the life that has felt out of reach until now.
WHAT WE’LL DO TOGETHER
Therapy for ADHD+can help you:
Learn how connecting with your most valued goals can lead to action rather than paralysis.
Work with your current strategies to build habits that work for you more consistently.
Find ways to communicate your needs to others so your best self can shine.
Connect more deeply to your creativity, focus, and joy while making your goals more achievable.
Discover how anxiety and depression are linked to issues with focus and concentration and how this knowledge can lead to greater well-being.
Common questions about therapy for ADHD+
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Executive functioning (the way we plan, focus, and self-motivate) is complex and disorders in this area can range from mild to very severe and often are quite unique in presentation. ADHD+ is my way of noting that some people have executive dysfunction that does not meet criteria but is still troubling, may meet criteria but their anxiety is too high to make the diagnosis, or is so tied to their trauma that it needs to be treated in that context. Regardless, struggling with focus and motivation is incredibly frustrating and often can limit our full potential. Strategies and therapy focused on finding the unique ways your brain works is a speciality and can help relieve the frustrations of executive functioning issues.
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No, although sometimes those types of recommendations help some people, you have probably already tried those strategies. We will work together to problem-solve at various levels of thinking patterns, emotions, and actions to build workable strategies for your unique way of going through the world.
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We will spend time discussing your history and your current struggles. Sometimes your history will be clear, and sometimes there was not enough care taken to clarify these issues in childhood (when ADHD tends to emerge). As we address the most prominent symptoms, a clearer picture will develop. Sometimes, we will find that despite a reduction in anxiety, focus and attention remain significant concerns. Sometimes, we find the opposite is true. As we find solutions that work for you and engage different methodologies for healing, we will learn how best to categorize your symptoms.