How Can Therapy Help with ADHD?

There has been a lot more focus on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and how it
presents in adulthood. Symptoms of ADHD tend to change from childhood to adulthood. For
example, in adulthood instead of high energy-jumping off the furniture it would present itself as
restlessness or fidgety behaviour in adulthood. Some common symptoms of adult ADHD include
impulsivity, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, procrastination, distractibility, black and white
thinking, disorganization, lack of attention to detail, and sensitivity. This can affect work,
relationships, care with household/personal tasks, and responsibilities.

Although ADHD is a lifelong neurodiverse condition, therapy can help someone manage their
symptoms more effectively and lean into their individual strengths. Symptoms can present
themselves differently and varying degrees of severity for each individual and so therapy can
help tailor goals and strategies to fit unique needs.

Therapy can help individuals set themselves up for success by preplanning and getting ahead
of things that can trigger or make symptoms worse. For example, if distractibility is an issue at
work, strategies around lessening distractions and increasing self awareness could be some
tools to build in therapy. Building in more successful routines, reminders, extra breaks, and
breaking things down into more manageable and smaller goals are some other tools that can
help set someone up for success.

With issues such as black and white thinking using some cognitive behavioural therapy can help
restructure thoughts and process them more effectively.
Mindfulness tools can be used in therapy to help with regulation, focus, and keeping on tasks.
Psychoeducation can be used to help individuals and their partners or family members
understand their symptoms and help support them with navigating their presentation.
Experiential activities such as using art expression can help someone with ADHD externalize
and bring more awareness from their unconscious mind to the surface.

Therapy can also help someone identify their strengths and help use those to their advantage
and build upon them. It can also help identify needs such as an outlet for energy and how to
manage this in a healthier way.