What is ADHD?
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and is a neurotype that can cause difficulty with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. Living in an ableist world made to work against the ADHD brain and nervous system greatly impacts the challenges you may face. Learning to understand your ADHD is key to working with it instead of against it or trying to overcome it.
Common ADHD Feelings and Experiences
- Inattentiveness (difficulty concentrating and focusing)
- Short attention span or easily distracted
- Losing things or appearing forgetful
- Difficulty organizing tasks
- Difficulty with scheduling and time management
- Appearing unable to listen or carry out instructions
- Constantly changing activity or tasks
- Hyperactivity and Impulsiveness
- Unable to sit still or concentrate
- Constantly fidgeting
- Excessive talking
- Interrupting conversations
- Acting without thinking
- Craving novelty and unpredictability
- Difficulty with emotional regulation
Working with ADHD in Therapy
When I work with my clients with ADHD the point is to identify your support needs which looks like building plans of care, creating systems to help with executive functioning, identifying stimming needs, and masking breaks, not to “decrease your symptoms.” We will work with your brain and honor the way it functions while recognizing how systems that we have to interact with are not built for differences and uniqueness.
ADHD often overlaps with other neurodivergences such as Autism, BPD, Depression, and Anxiety. It can be difficult sometimes to know how each of these differences works together. In therapy, we will also work to understand your unique ways of functioning and nervous system to help support these different parts that sometimes need opposing ways of support.
