Getting the Most out of ADHD Counselling
You finally got an ADHD diagnosis, or if not a diagnosis, an inner sense that ADHD is part of your experience. Many who have their suspicions confirmed, after a lifetime of confusion, feeling “different” or that things somehow seem to be harder for them, feel both relieved and overwhelmed at this news. Finally; an explanation to an experience that lacked the words to describe it. But, what now?
Counselling for ADHD is becoming widely discussed, but many are unclear what it actually entails. And to get a sense of whether it is something that can help you, it is important to understand its function and its benefits. So, let’s break it down.
ADHD consists of a number of symptoms and behaviours that might feel unwanted (though not necessarily) to the person experiencing them (Chadd.org).
Symptoms vary from interrupting coworkers and friends, having a flood of ideas, feeling overwhelmed by too much input on the senses, or the feeling of coming back into awareness after your 5th day-dream in an hour (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). A significant component of ADHD therapy is examining your experience of ADHD, putting words to it and having it validated by a clinician. It is well-known that people with ADHD tend to have lower self-esteem than their neurotypical peers (Newark et al., 2016), and having someone attentively listen to your experience, knowing you are believed, is an integral part of mental healing. Talking to a therapist who knows ADHD inside and out also means that previous stories you told yourself about being lazy, dumb or broken (and the emotional pain which accompanies them) can be taken apart and reassembled in a way that works in your favour. The reworking of these inner stories can allow you to truly see yourself as worthy, and your brain as an organ with unique needs to work at its best.
I have noticed that those who seek out therapy for ADHD are looking for specific ways of dealing with some of the symptoms described above and others (impulsive decisions, emotional outbursts, chronic lateness, and just getting stuff done). Although less romantic than other therapy models, CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy, is an essential piece of the puzzle. ADHD therapists can use CBT to help catch impulsive behaviour when it is a thought and practice redirecting the impulse to other outlets. Working on unhelpful thinking patterns can help folks interrupt habits that just aren’t working to get back to the task at hand. CBT is well coupled with mindfulness exercises to help regulate our emotions and increase interoceptive awareness, something that is commonly challenging for those with ADHD (Kutscheidt et al., 2019).
Part of working through ADHD challenges in therapy also involves recognizing how its symptoms intertwine with other mental health issues. Those with ADHD often experience depression, anxiety, addiction issues and an intensified experience of rejection (a.k.a rejection sensitivity dysphoria) (Cleveland Clinic, 2024). Working with an ADHD-focused therapist can help you tease apart mood-related symptoms and determine whether their roots are in ADHD or in other areas of your life. Someone with undiagnosed ADHD may underperform at school, work, in hobbies and elsewhere without knowing why, leading to feelings of hopelessness, which in turn lead to depressive symptoms (Newark et al., 2016). Others experience anxiety from everyday tasks that pile up and never seem to get done, or from needing to be in a work environment which is too noisy or includes co-workers who are critical of their mistakes. On the other hand, someone with ADHD might have had a series of situational losses in their life unrelated to ADHD, but their ADHD symptoms make it difficult to manage their disappointment and move forward. Regardless of the origin of these mood issues, ADHD adds a layer of experience that can be helpful to understand with the help of someone who knows what it’s like.
Lastly, ADHD-specialized therapists are knowledgeable about common ADHD medications and their benefits and side effects. Making the decision to include medication in your treatment plan is a deeply personal decision and is one to be made with your primary healthcare provider, however, counselling sessions can offer a supportive space in which to weigh your options and trial different behavioural changes while you try different medications with your doctor. Having someone to support you emotionally during this phase of treatment can be significant in moving forward with a sense of hope.
It is understandable that you might be feeling overwhelmed with a new ADHD diagnosis, but you made it this far using creativity and ingenuity to get through your challenges. That is an accomplishment in itself and not one to be forgotten. Now that you have some new information about yourself, what will you do?
Warmly,
Evi
References
American Psychiatry Association (2024). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/adhd
CHADD (2024). About ADHD. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://chadd.org/about-adhd/overview/
Cleveland Clinic (2024). Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24099-rejection-sensitive-dysphoria-rsd
Kutscheidt, K., Dresler, T., Hudak, J., Barth, B., Blume, F., Ethofer, T., Fallgatter, A. J., & Ehlis, A. C. (2019). Interoceptive awareness in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, 11(4), 395–401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-019-00299-3
Newark, P. E., Elsässer, M., & Stieglitz, R.-D. (2016). Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, and Resources in Adults With ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 20(3), 279–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054712459561
