How an ADHD Therapist For Adults Can Support Your Mental Health

Life with ADHD can be a beautiful thing. People with ADHD are more likely to be creative, have a fascinating inner world, and think outside the box. However, the slew of struggles and challenges that accompany ADHD make living with the neurodevelopmental disorder difficult for many adults. 

Neurodivergence is a growing topic of intrigue among adults, and more and more people are being diagnosed later in life. If you’re searching for answers and trying to figure out better ways to live your life, you’re in the right place. I’m Danielle Wayne, a coach and therapist with a specialty in anxiety and ADHD. My own experience with ADHD informs my work, and I have nearly a decade of experience helping people like you.

Understanding what working with an ADHD therapist looks like can help you make an informed decision about whether you want to seek help. So let’s talk about the role of an ADHD therapist and what to expect.

Understanding the Role of an ADHD Therapist: My Approach

When you look for an ADHD therapist or coach, find someone who specializes in the specific challenges that accompany neurodivergence. Other therapists may be great at their specialty, but if they don’t fully understand just how impactful ADHD is, you’re not likely to get the help you really need. A qualified mental health professional can help you understand and overcome ADHD symptoms and their widespread impacts on your life. 

I specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for ADHD. CBT helps you overcome specific challenges that plague your everyday life, reframe negative thought patterns and behaviors, and find better balance in your life. It’s considered the gold standard for managing ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Other techniques I draw from include:

• Goal setting: We work together to set goals and overcome specific challenges you’re facing.
• Education: I listen to your story and help you understand the role neurodivergence plays in your life. Together we weave the pieces of the puzzle into a coherent picture. 
• Behavior modification: I offer techniques to help shift attitudes, behaviors and beliefs in a more positive direction. 

When we work together, we’ll start from where you are. Whether you want to start slow and take it easy or are itching to dive right in to make a big change, I’ve got you. I’m here to help you process and navigate your challenges while improving your life, and that all happens on your timeline.

My approach is straightforward and no-bullshit, which means I will always invite open and honest conversations with you. I’ll be upfront and honest with you and will encourage you to do the same. I’m here to support you, and that means being real with you: making sure we’re on the same page, holding you gently accountable, and cheering you on. 

An ADHD Therapist Helps You Unlearn Old Habits and Beliefs

Life in a neurotypical world teaches many neurodivergent people that they’re wrong, bad, or a failure. An ADHD therapist helps you understand that that isn’t true – your brain simply works differently, and you need to unlearn a lot of the habits and beliefs you picked up in order to succeed early on.

Many of my clients struggle with these ingrained beliefs and habits, most of which are actively harmful to your mental health. I help my clients navigate and unlearn include things like unhealthy coping mechanisms, burnout, feeling like you’re never good enough, and living a script instead of your own life. 

Coping Mechanisms

Many of the habits and beliefs I help my clients unlearn are coping mechanisms that no longer serve them. Things like perfectionism, people-peasing, and even anxiety are all learned coping tools. They’re also often passed down through genetics and culture. People with ADHD tend to be perfectionists and people-pleasers because they received the messaging early on that there was something inherently defective about the way they navigated the world.

Burnout

Burnout is what happens when you can’t take care of yourself amidst the ever-growing pile of obligations that are heaped on you (whether voluntarily or otherwise). Slowing down and setting boundaries is hard for people with ADHD. If you grew up being taught that you’re lazy or not good enough, it’s likely that you’ll spend your whole life trying your damnedest to flip that script. Therefore, many of us feel like we constantly need to be proving ourselves: to our bosses, our family, our parents, and to ourselves. The problem is that there’s never a point in time in which you can simply be good enough. The bar continues to rise, your expectations of yourself become increasingly impossible to attain, and you feel more and more unhappy, resentful, and exhausted. That’s when burnout comes pounding on the door. 

Never Feeling Good Enough

If you grew up feeling different from everyone else, hearing you were lazy, and feeling like things were just harder for you than for everyone else, you probably are now an adult who struggles to ever feel good enough, no matter what they do. This is a tough cycle to break on your own. I help my clients out of this cycle by guiding them toward a definition of success that reflects their own values rather than society’s prescribed view of success. In this process, clients learn to cultivate and trust their innate worth.

Living Someone Else’s Life

Many of my clients work really hard and have a life that looks great on paper, but internally they feel stuck and confused. Sometimes this is because they were never taught how to pursue what they actually want; only what they think they’re supposed to want. As an ADHD therapist, I help you figure out how to live your life according to your own values and desires.

Other Habits

Like I said before, different people come to me wanting help with different things. That’s always okay! Some other common habits and behaviors I help my ADHD clients with are:

• Quit impulse spending
• Reduce revenge bedtime procrastination and get better sleep
• Stop feeling like an imposter
• End the procrastination cycle

No matter what you’re struggling with, I’m here to help clarify your challenges and give you real-time strategies to overcome them.

ADHD Therapy Helps You Solidify New Skills

During ADHD therapy with me, you’ll improve a wide variety of skills to feel healthy, balanced, and functional.

What we work on always depends on your goals and values. However, a similar set of desired skills show up in session over and over again. These include: 

• Balance work and life with neurodivergence
• Remote work 
• Improve time management
• Feel more organized
• Declutter your space
• Build and sustain healthier habits, such as:some text
  • Making healthier eating choices
  • Maintaining a regular exercise routine
• Navigate ADHD mood swings and improve emotional regulation
• Cultivate social and communication skills and understanding social norms

While the above examples are common among my clients, your goals may be completely different. A good ADHD therapist will help you improve whatever skills and tools you need to succeed. 

Next Steps: Working With An ADHD Therapist

Ready to try ADHD therapy? 

Learn more about my therapy services (including EMDR and talk therapy) if you’re located in Idaho or Iowa. For all other locations, check out my coaching services. My coaching program offers all the same expertise, tools, and guidance as therapy in a more direct and goal-oriented approach that you can benefit from anywhere. 

I offer free, no-obligation consultations to see if we’re a good fit. Reach out today to schedule one. Let’s start building a better future together.