Building Skills for a More Focused Life
ADD Therapy
Living with ADD or ADHD as an adult is more than just a struggle with focus. It’s a daily challenge.
When left unmanaged, adult ADD or ADHD could strain your relationships, impact your career, and lower your self-esteem. The solution is not as simple as “trying harder” or “being more organized”—it involves a comprehensive approach to treatment that meets your mental health needs and goals.
ADHD and ADD therapy, which may be combined with medication, is where lasting change often takes root. Various therapeutic techniques are designed to help adults living with ADD and ADHD effectively manage their symptoms while building the practical skills and self-understanding to lead a more organized and confident life.
Understanding the Types of ADHD and ADD Therapy
At its core, ADD therapy helps you work with your brain, not against it. The goal is to identify how your symptoms create specific challenges in your daily life, and then implement evidence-based strategies to address them. Modalities used to treat ADD or ADHD in adults may include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Also known as CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to treat a variety of conditions by challenging specific thought patterns. When treating ADD or ADHD, CBT focuses on targeting the executive functioning deficits and emotional challenges that you may face.
This ADD therapy can help you:
- Reframe Negative Self-Talk: A lifetime of struggling with deadlines and organization can lead to deep-seated beliefs like “I’m lazy” or “I’m not doing enough.” CBT helps you identify these thoughts, challenge their validity, and replace them with more realistic, compassionate self-perceptions.
- Develop Practical Organizational Skills: A therapist can work with you to create customized systems for managing time, organizing your physical space, and planning projects. This goes beyond generic tips, helping you build sustainable routines.
- Manage Procrastination: CBT provides tools to break down overwhelming tasks into manageable steps, address the anxiety that often fuels avoidance, and develop strategies for initiating non-preferred tasks.
Mindfulness-Based Approaches
A core challenge of ADD and ADHD is regulating attention; as such, mindfulness-based approaches may be integrated into an ADD therapy plan. “Mindfulness” involves paying attention on purpose and being present in the moment, which can be a powerful tool for managing impulsivity.
Mindfulness training can help you:
- Improve Focus: By practicing mindfulness, you learn to notice when your mind has wandered and gently guide it back, improving your ability to stay on task.
- Reduce Impulsivity: Mindfulness creates a crucial pause between an impulse and an action. This gives you the space to make a conscious choice rather than reacting automatically.
- Manage Emotional Dysregulation: It teaches you to observe your emotions without being consumed by them, helping to reduce the intensity of emotional reactivity or mood swings.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Many adults with ADD or ADHD struggle with emotional challenges, such as emotional dysregulation or Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). The skills taught in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (or “DBT”) may help patients manage those challenges.
A therapist may incorporate DBT skills into an ADD therapy plan to help with:
- Distress Tolerance: Learning how to survive and navigate moments of crisis or intense emotional pain without making the situation worse with impulsive actions.
- Emotion Regulation: Gaining a better understanding of your emotions and learning skills to manage their intensity and duration.
Therapy & Medication: A Powerful Combination
For many adults, the most effective treatment for ADD and ADHD combines therapy with medication. These two modalities play distinct, yet complementary, roles in a person’s journey toward wellness and resilience.
Medication, expertly managed by a psychiatrist, addresses the neurochemical aspects of ADHD. It can provide essential support by improving one’s ability to focus, regulate impulses, and engage more fully in their life.
Therapy equips individuals with the evidence-based strategies, skills, and behavioral changes needed to organize their lives, manage their time, and improve their relationships. When used together, medication can make it easier to learn and implement these skills, while therapy helps ensure the changes are meaningful and lasting.
Your Next Steps With Resilient Psychotherapy
At Resilient Psychotherapy & Psychiatric Services, we specialize in addressing the unique challenges that adults with ADD and ADHD face. Our approach is not about forcing you into a box; we work to understand your individual strengths and struggles to create a truly personalized, integrated treatment plan that meets your needs.
You don’t have to continue the cycle of frustration or feel like you’re missing out on your potential. Contact us to learn more about ADD therapy, medication management, and how effective treatment can empower you to build a more resilient life.