You’ve been told by your doctor that you have ADHD, and your doctor has recommended that you get some support, preferably from a therapist who offers ADHD therapy in Toronto.
So you go on one of the major sites where therapists advertise, and you’re immediately overwhelmed with the sheer number of therapists. How are you ever going to choose? What do you look for? The lowest session fee? The best copywriting? The nicest smile?
Below is a brief guide to choosing a psychotherapist for ADHD.
You’ve been told that you have ADHD, but you might not really know what it is. Don’t be embarrassed: some healthcare professionals are so overloaded that they may not feel they have the time to walk you through the mounds of online information to simplify the picture.
ADHD is an arrangement in your brain that keeps you on the hunt for stimulation more than the average person. It’s not a defect, but a physical condition just like height or eye color or being left-handed, and about 1 in 20 people are diagnosable as having ADHD.
This constant need for more stimulation typically shows up in one of two “presentations”: inattentive ADHDers find it hard to focus on what’s at hand, and mentally wander off in search of more interesting thoughts; hyperactive ADHDers act-out their boredom by impulsively spicing up their environments. (Combined ADHDers, by the way, do some of both.)
As you can guess, people with ADHD often have trouble executing routine tasks at school and work, even when they’re quite capable. We call this a deficit in executive functioning. That’s why some clinicians define ADHD as the chronic, problematic gap between intention and execution.
Non-ADHD people are often puzzled by ADHD behaviors. He seemed so enthusiastic about this. Why didn’t he finish? Or Sometimes he seems so mature, but other times he blurts out stuff like he’s in junior high! This misunderstanding can often lead to breakdowns in relationships—and the lack of connection can produce anxiety, depression and other not-so-fun-stuff.
Related: Daily Tips for Living With ADHD
There are several components to ADHD therapy: medication management, ADHD coaching, and ADHD-informed psychotherapy.
ADHD medications are various forms of stimulants aimed to provide the stimulation that the ADHDer is unconsciously, but constantly, seeking. These stimulants target the region of the brain where the neurodiversity is located, so that they do not jazz people up the way that caffeine or cocaine does. They also metabolize completely overnight, so there is little to no risk of physical addiction.
ADHD medications are largely effective for the majority of people who take them. That said, everybody is different. And everybody is different. As with any psychopharmacological intervention, the healthcare practitioner prescribing ADHD medications usually starts with the lowest dose that might be effective for a patient, and then increases the dosage gradually as needed until the patient feels more like themselves.
ADHD coaching is largely psychoeducational in nature. ADHDers are helped to catalogue their individual ADHD symptoms, and clinicians offer tried-and-true strategies to address these deficits. Coaching can target organization, sleep hygiene, interpersonal relationships, diet, exercise, and task execution.
ADHD-informed psychotherapy addresses co-occurring or resultant challenges, such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Even victims of trauma can be better helped by therapists who bring an understanding of ADHD to their work. ADHD-informed therapists often report their clients asking, “Is my behavior the ADHD talking or is it something else?”
If you are looking for ADHD therapy in Toronto (or throughout Ontario by means of telehealth), there are some things that would serve you well to keep in mind.
Do some homework. Kick the tires. Ask straightforward questions and engage a serious ADHD professional as soon as you’re ready. A better life is just ahead.