Therapy for ADHD

In-person in Philadelphia, PA & Online

ADHD is making life hard.

At work or school, distractions and impulsivity quickly derail your efforts. You start each new project organized but soon slip back into old habits. Keeping a tidy home is a struggle, too. Socially, you often run late. Sometimes, emotions hit you out of nowhere, overwhelming you with intensity. You wonder, “Why do I keep doing this to myself?”

Maybe some of these sound familiar:

  • When working, you focus intensely on one task, leaving others until deadlines loom, leading to the familiar scramble to finish on time. 

  • When leaving the house, you often search for your keys or glasses. Pressure builds as you picture yourself arriving late for an important meeting.

  • When too much happens at once, you lose your temper in frustration without meaning to do it.

Other areas of your life are beginning to suffer.

You find yourself constantly second-guessing your abilities, and the sense of shame and embarrassment over these repeated patterns is weighing on you. You regret some missed opportunities. The stress is exhausting, and on top of that, you need to get enough sleep.

ADHD is challenging, but it doesn’t define who you are.

Instead of battling the distractions and impulsivity of ADHD, imagine focusing on your strengths. 

You know you have what it takes to ace that school project or secure that work promotion, but you need some help organizing and staying on track. Your creativity, innovation, and ability to hyperfocus can help you excel at work. Your high energy and adaptability can help you stay motivated. Your passion, empathy, and sensitivity naturally make people want to be around you. 

Through therapy for ADHD, you will:

  • learn strategies for tackling long-term projects.

  • gather tips and tricks for getting and staying organized.

  • learn to recognize your emotions early and manage them more effectively.

  • change the tone of your inner dialogue from can’t to can.

  • develop tools for managing the anxiety that commonly occurs with ADHD.

Life can get a lot better with these new skills and strategies.

These changes can help you in so many ways. You won’t be racing against deadlines as much. You will feel less stressed and more motivated. That sense of regret will be replaced with pride and confidence. You will also be able to enjoy your relationships more because you’ll be more emotionally available to people and more reliable.

What we’ll work on

Therapy for ADHD can help you:

  • Finish what you started

  • Think before you act

  • Handle your emotions in healthy ways

  • Feel less anxious

  • Strengthen your relationships

  • Let go of shame

  • Feel more successful

Overcome distraction and impulsivity to fully enjoy the best of who you are.

FAQS

Common questions about therapy for ADHD

  • Yes. ADHD in adults can often be diagnosed through a diagnostic clinical interview and supported by results from a few brief questionnaires. We can do that in the first few sessions of our work together.

  • Executive function skills are mental skills such as goal-setting, shifting attention from one task to another, and problem-solving. The type of therapy I do (cognitive-behavioral therapy) and executive function coaching strengthen these mental skills. Cognitive-behavioral therapy also goes beyond executive function to address other areas such as managing emotions, beliefs about oneself that affect self-confidence, how ADHD can impact relationships, and how your past experiences with ADHD can impact how you approach or avoid the challenges you’re facing now.

  • Educational accommodations for ADHD require a comprehensive psychological assessment. I do not perform those types of assessments. If you are not sure where to find one, your pediatrician or primary care physician may be able to provide some referrals.

  • Therapy for ADHD can help you improve executive functioning, problem-solve, and manage your emotions more effectively, even without medication. As a psychologist, I do not prescribe medication or make recommendations about whether or not to take it. However, I can provide information from the research literature about when the combination of therapy and medication works best. If you want to reconsider taking medication at any point, I recommend talking to your physician, and I would be happy to collaborate with them.