A new specialization: The assessment and treatment of ADHD
As a therapist, I love learning new things about the field of psychology and growing professionally, especially since exciting treatments continue to develop. Although I have long worked in the areas of trauma, depression, anxiety, and insomnia, I’ve been interested in expanding my scope of practice. This year I decided to do so by completing training to be specialized in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For me, there were multiple reasons for adding this specialization to my Cincinnati practice.
First, I realized just how common ADHD is, especially among clients who come to see me. Because ADHD symptoms often erode a person’s confidence, secondary depression and anxiety are very common. These are often the issues that first bring someone with ADHD into therapy. If you don’t know much about the diagnosis, let alone the fact that you have it, you may misattribute problems with motivation, focus, and organization to character defects like laziness or lack of caring. Others around you like teachers, parents, and romantic partners might do the same.
Second, I realized that a lot of ADHD goes undiagnosed, either because clients don’t realize they have it, they suspect it but have concerns about getting confirmation, or they’re having trouble accessing the resources they need to get tested. Having ADHD go unnoticed well into adulthood is especially common among my clients who managed to do fairly well in school growing up (often unknowingly working way harder than peers to achieve the same grades). Even before I was offering ADHD assessments, I often got emails requesting them, probably because there aren’t enough clinicians to meet the need in Cincinnati.
Finally, I came to learn that, left undiagnosed and untreated, ADHD symptoms cause serious, life-threatening problems, like a rate of car accidents that is four times that of the general public.
What’s frustrating is that a lot can be done to effectively manage ADHD. Just knowing that you have it and what its symptoms and effects are can be a game changer. No longer will you be misattributing these to character defects. Medication alone can make a huge difference for many, many people. And, in addition, a number of other effective treatments and strategies are available, such as CBT for ADHD, mindfulness for ADHD, exercise, and executive functioning coaching.
To learn more about these options, complete a free screening for possible ADHD, or ask me questions, please feel free to contact me directly or schedule a free, 30-minute consultation.
