5 Areas to Focus On When Working With an ADHD Therapist
Maybe you know you have ADHD or suspect that you might have ADHD. You struggle with focus and attention. It takes you longer to do things than you feel it does other people. You know there are things you need to do but no matter how much you will yourself to do them, you cannot for the life of you make it happen. You feel misunderstood by others, and you give yourself hell because of how much you struggle.
Having ADHD means you respond to the world differently. You think differently, and you struggle with things that other people don’t struggle with as much. It can be hard to try and make sense of this. It's hard to know how how to cope with it all. Many of them I work with have tried to figure it out themselves and don’t want to rely on others because they don’t want to be seen as weak. I can understand wanting to deal with it on your own and have felt the same way in the past. I also know how much working with a therapist can make a difference. Meeting with an ADHD therapist can change your life and help you to be able to cope much better.
What is an ADHD therapist?
An ADHD therapist is a mental health professional that specializes in treating people with ADHD. ADHD treatment focuses on helping you learn to cope with your ADHD and move toward thriving. When you work with an ADHD therapist you focus on topics and areas of your life that are important to you. Therapy can help you make connections between your life and ADHD that you hadn’t made before. The overall goal of working with an ADHD therapist is to feel better about yourself and feel that you can cope with ADHD more effectively.
What can an ADHD therapist do for someone with ADHD?
The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to working with an ADHD therapist. I can’t speak to what every person needs but these are some of the common themes that are discussed in therapy.
Self-esteem
A common theme that arises with the men I work with that have ADHD is how much they thought there was something wrong with them. They felt like they were stupid, lazy, or didn’t have enough willpower. You may have felt the same way. You may have felt like everyone was smarter and more capable than you are. You may have gotten messages from parents, teachers, and other authority figures that you needed to try harder and just learn to push through and have grit. All of these negative messages may have been internalized. You might now struggle to feel confident. Working with an ADHD therapist can help you challenge some of these beliefs and help you see things in a different more helpful way.
Relationship Challenges
I don’t know if you have been in a situation where you have forgotten your anniversary or a doctor's appointment. You may have been in a position where you have forgotten day-to-day tasks. When other people are dependent on you to help or be present, ADHD can cause difficulties. You might have a frustrated spouse when yet again you forget something important. You are left feeling guilt and shame because no matter how hard you try this seems to keep happening. You might also have a difficult time dealing with your emotions and this leads to a rocky relationship. Working with an ADHD therapist can help you learn to deal with situations and conflict more in healthy ways. Therapy can help you learn to be the time of husband, father, and friend you want to be.
Time Management Skills
When you have obligations and responsibilities for work, school, and other commitments, having ADHD makes it hard to focus and manage your schedule. A whole hour can go by and you realize you haven’t been able to accomplish anything. Sometimes it feels impossible to get done everything you need to in a day and a week. Working with an ADHD therapist can help you learn to balance your life to find things you enjoy and are rewarding with finding ways to cope with obligations.
Motivation and procrastination
It can be hard to find the motivation to do the things you need to do. It can feel impossible sometimes. Even when you want to do something and know it’s important it can be hard to make yourself do it. You might end up putting off things and procrastinating. You can end up in even more difficult situations when you have to work at the last minute. Therapy can help you understand more about why you have this response and being able to brainstorm ways to combat it. Motivation and time management may be something that doesn’t come naturally for you when tasks are mundane and feel meaningless but working with an ADHD therapist can help combat the struggle.
Emotional Regulation
Being able to cope with and express your feelings might feel harder because you have ADHD. It’s one step harder than that likely because you’re a male that has learned to believe you were weak for having feelings. Part of the challenge of ADHD is being able to cope with frustrations or situations that make you feel overwhelmed. Having ADHD sometimes means that you can be overstimulated. Working with an ADHD therapist can help you learn to cope with these experiences better. It’s hard to know how to cope with something when it’s difficult to understand why you feel this way. ADHD therapy can help you come up with healthier ways of dealing with your feelings.
Working with an ADHD Therapist can help you manage your ADHD better
It’s difficult to try and manage ADHD on your own. You’ve had many experiences in your life that have led you to feel like you are stupid or lazy. In turn, you have struggled to feel confident with yourself and your ability to be successful. You don’t have to keep struggling with your self-esteem and being ashamed of what you struggle with. Working with an ADHD therapist can not only help you manage symptoms of ADHD better but it can help you change the beliefs you have about yourself. You can learn to believe in yourself and understand how your brain works. An ADHD therapist can help you understand your brain, help you overcome negative thoughts, and learn to feel more confident.
Start working with an ADHD therapist in Utah
You don’t have to keep struggling with a lack of focus and hating yourself because you can’t function the same way you think others can. ADHD treatment can help. This Utah Counseling Practice has an ADHD therapist specializing in ADHD treatment. To begin therapy follow the steps below:
Meet with a therapist for ADHD
Begin ADHD treatment
Online ADHD Treatment in Utah
ADHD treatment should be accessible. I want you to be able to get the support for ADHD that you need. I know when you have ADHD sometimes it makes it even harder to schedule everything you need to and be aware of time management. I offer online therapy in Utah. This makes it accessible for you to meet with an ADHD therapist on your lunch break or between classes at school. Online ADHD treatment is just as effective as in-person therapy.
Online ADHD treatment also means I can work with you wherever you are located in Utah. I work with clients in St. George, Salt Lake City, Heber City, Cedar City, Logan, and more. Reach out today for help.
Other Mental Health Services in Utah
ADHD treatment isn’t the only mental health service this Utah Counseling Clinic provides. Other mental health services offered by Marcus Hunt Therapy include depression therapy, EMDR therapy, PTSD treatment, anxiety therapy, therapy for men, marriage counseling, premarital counseling, and LDS marriage counseling.
About the Author
Marcus Hunt is a marriage and family therapist at Marcus Hunt Therapy in Utah. He has a bachelor's degree in behavioral science from Utah Valley University. Marcus also holds a master's in marriage and family therapy. He enjoys working with men and helping them have more insight and understanding of their mental health. Marcus was diagnosed with ADHD during the last semester of his graduate program and knows what it’s like to live your life not understanding your brain. He is committed to helping others have different experiences and learning how to cope with ADHD. When Marcus isn’t doing therapy, he enjoys riding his ebike through hobble creek in Springville.