Counselling clients with ADHD
Mary Lynn Trotter MSW RSW Clinical social worker EAP provider Parent of young child with ADHD
What is ADHD? Attention Deficit (Hyperactive) Disorder Mental health disorder Learning disability
Who has it? Children Teens Adults
How do they know? Red flags at school Performance issues at work Relationship issues everywhere
How is it diagnosed? Physician/specialist such as a pediatrician, psychiatrist Psychologist – school board, private, university
Treatment options First-line: medication Exercize – cardio Counselling/coaching
Traits Inattentive Distractible Impulsive Forgetful
More traits Disorganized Hyperactive Emotionally over-reactive Poor motivation
Impact on work Poor time management Doesn’t finish things Gets bored easily
More challenges at work Quits/gets fired Underemployed Can’t follow instructions
Strengths at work Often right-brained/creative Good at sales, crises, high energy, novelty Suited to self employment
Interpersonal issues Too talkative, scattered Resistant to authority Can have oppositional traits
Counselling ADHD’ers Short, regular meetings “Chunk” information into pieces Reminders of appointment times Help with accountability
Key issues to address Motivation Focus more on strengths, less on areas of challenge Commitment/perserverence
Supports that work Hire an ADHD coach Identify workplace accommodations Recommend assistive devices
Ready for more?
Thank you!