ADHD: Living with an ADHD diagnosis can be hard. Some people might tell you your diagnosis isn't real and is just a scheme for pharmaceutical companies to peddle pills or parents who don't want to monitor their energetic child. Others might treat you differently because they don't think you are capable of achieving your goals.
In adults, ADHD can effect the quality and nature of intimate partner relationships, it can create challenges at work, and can sometimes point you in a wrong or dangerous direction due to not thinking through a certain situation. It can even make you more accident prone.
For youth and adolescents with ADHD, it can be difficult to make friends because other kids get annoyed if they feel like you are distracting them or interrupting them. You might watch your peers complete tasks and homework with ease, while you struggle to stay focused or interested. At home, you might have larger meltdowns when expectations are not met, or abrupt changes are made without warning. People yell at you. All the time. It's hard to feel good about yourself when your teachers, your friends, and your family get frustrated with you and you don't quite know why.
If we work together, I will help you discover techniques that use your strengths and creativity to come up with ways to complete tasks with more interest and engagement. Together we can practice skills and tools to help you focus better and stay more organized. We can explore how to find the right words to better express your needs or ask for help. I will work with the important adults in your life to help them better understand how to best support you, and ways they can adjust their approach to help you best succeed.
Neurodiversity: Every one of our brains is unique - our neuropathways are formed based on our genetic and biological matrix as well as from our upbringing, our life experiences, thoughts, activities, and relationships. All brains are better at some things than others. Some brains are great at math, others great at reading. Some brains focus on faces, other are more interested in objects and designs. No matter where your strengths and learning edges are, every brain and every person is valuable and can contribute magnificent things into the world.
Unfortunately, most of our society is designed to accommodate certain types of brains over others. This can make it more difficult for people whose brains don't fit that specific box to thrive, because their strongest abilities may not be valued as much as some of the abilities that may not come as easily. Together we will celebrate your strengths and abilities and find ways to use them to help you feel empowered and capable. We will also work to help schools or workplaces find ways to adjust and pivot certain learning styles in a way that works better for your brain. If appropriate, I will also work with your parents, aids, teachers, and other important people in your life to help them better understand how to best support you.
Please note I am not trained in ABA, and am not a good fit for neurodivergent individuals who need extensive support around physicality and speech.