Do You Often Feel Like You Can’t Get Things Done
Or Do Anything Right?
Is it hard for you to initiate tasks, manage your time, and keep track of assignments?
Are you continually overwhelmed with emotions that you can’t seem to control?
Do you find it incredibly difficult to maintain a routine or make room for self-care?
Perhaps work or school tasks take so much time and energy that you have no room for anything else. Maybe you procrastinate all day and then stay up late doing all the things that should have been done during the day. You may struggle to manage your social life and end up double-booking yourself or forgetting about plans with friends.
As a result, maybe you’re thinking of seeing a therapist who specializes in treating ADHD and working with neurodivergent clients.
Do these ADHD symptoms sound like you?
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Struggling to start tasks - You know what needs to be done, but getting started feels impossible, even with simple things
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Time seems to disappear - Hours pass without you realizing it, or tasks take much longer than expected
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Emotional overwhelm - Small setbacks feel huge, and your emotions can go from 0 to 100 in seconds
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Procrastination followed by panic - You put things off all day, then stay up late frantically trying to catch up
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Difficulty with routines - Self-care, regular meals, and consistent schedules feel nearly impossible to maintain
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Forgetfulness with important things - You remember random details but forget appointments, deadlines, or where you put your keys
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Social challenges - Double-booking yourself, forgetting plans, or feeling exhausted after social interactions
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Hyperfocus vs. can't focus - You can spend hours on something interesting but can't concentrate on "boring" but important tasks
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Feeling like you're always behind - Everyone else seems to have it figured out while you're constantly playing catch-up
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Physical restlessness - Fidgeting, needing to move, or feeling uncomfortable sitting still during meetings or conversations
ADHD Is Not A Bad Thing—
It Simply Means Your Brain Works Differently
Having ADHD is not a weakness.
People with ADHD are often incredibly creative, perceptive, and forward-thinking. Yet because our society isn’t built for those who are neurodivergent or who think differently, many people with ADHD internalize the negative messages society feeds them and end up believing that they’re not good enough.
From a young age, we expect people to keep track of countless demands, maintain proper social decorum, and regulate difficult emotions with ease.
When people can’t live up to these unrealistic societal standards, their self-worth naturally suffers. They think “What’s wrong with me?” and “why can’t I do what everyone else can?” instead of realizing that the problem is not them, but the fact that society isn’t designed for people who think like them.
All too often, people with ADHD go through life without ever receiving a proper diagnosis. And without a proper diagnosis, it’s harder to get access to treatment.
There are many different presentations of ADHD. When people think of ADHD, the classic example is a person who cannot sit still, focus, or complete tasks. Historically, this is how boys with ADHD present.
However, ADHD is so much more than these classic hyperactive symptoms. For example, girls with ADHD tend to present with inattentive symptoms of ADHD, such as being daydreamy, forgetful, or struggling with time management. They might blurt things out, struggle to relax, and experience racing thoughts.
With all of these differences, it can be difficult to diagnose ADHD, since the presentations vary from person to person.
At Bright Light Counseling Center, we recognize that ADHD presents differently from person to person and that’s why we are proud to offer an individualized approach to our clients.
Many People With ADHD Struggle In Silence And Never Get Diagnosed
ADHD Can Have A Profound Effect On Your Self-Esteem
Because ADHD makes it hard to stay on top of life, it’s easy to slip into negative self-talk and worry that there’s something wrong with you. The things that seem to come so easily to others—work, school, relationships—may be difficult for you. It’s as if everyone else got a lesson on how to socialize and keep up in life and you missed out. This can dramatically impact your self-esteem and lead to feelings of guilt and shame.
Thankfully, ADHD is highly treatable. And with the right skills and support, you can learn to harness the good qualities of ADHD—creativity, hyperfocus, and ability to multitask—to your advantage in life.
At Bright Light Counseling Center, we specialize in helping people with ADHD build lifelong strategies for managing their time, improving their focus, and regulating their emotions. Our therapists work with children, teens, and adults and we are happy to work with clients even if they haven’t been formally diagnosed with ADHD.
Therapy Can Help You Build A Plan For Successfully Managing ADHD
You know yourself best, which is why our practice emphasizes a client-led approach to ADHD treatment.
Whether you want to focus on regulating difficult emotions, learning new self-advocacy strategies, or managing your time more effectively, we’re here for you.
Our therapists draw from a wide variety of counseling interventions to help children, teens, and adults navigate life with ADHD.
The first step of ADHD therapy is often normalizing your symptoms and helping you understand that there is nothing wrong with you. ADHD can be a wonderful thing, and it can greatly benefit your creativity and enhance your ability to think outside the box.
Adopting this empowering and nonjudgmental perspective can boost your self-esteem and help you work through some of the negative messages you may have internalized.
Once these deeper hurts have been addressed, we can turn our focus toward practically managing your symptoms in daily life.
Together, we can explore your motivation to change your habits and look at what patterns in your life are helpful versus hurtful.
We can help you build strategies for initiating tasks, maintaining routines, and breaking down complicated assignments into more manageable steps.
We can also work on increasing your repertoire of emotional regulation strategies and improving your ability to tolerate distress.
What To Expect In ADHD Counseling Sessions
Tailoring Our Approach To ADHD Therapy
Depending on your needs and goals for treatment, our therapists may draw from the following interventions to help you manage your ADHD symptoms:
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)—ADHD is often accompanied by negative self-talk and shaming messages like “Why can’t I be like everyone else?” and “What’s wrong with me?” CBT is all about reframing these beliefs so that you can develop a more positive outlook and a stronger sense of self-esteem.
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—At its core, ACT focuses on approaching yourself nonjudgmentally, accepting yourself as you are, and committing to working through the symptoms that are within your control.
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Mindfulness—Through the use of mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing, you can slow down your mind, increase your self-awareness, and regulate your ADHD symptoms more effectively.
Our therapists can also help you advocate for yourself and your needs in day-to-day life, connecting you to resources and accommodations that you need for school and work. And if you struggle with task initiation, we can implement planners, timers, reward systems, and various strategies for behavioral activation.
Through our comprehensive and highly personalized approach to ADHD therapy, we believe we can help you overcome the barriers in the way of your personal goals and harness your neurodivergence to your advantage in life.
You May Have Some Questions About ADHD Therapy…
Uncertainty about therapy is a common concern people have when considering whether or not to try therapy for ADHD.
We know that attitudes toward therapy vary between people and cultures, but beyond fear there are many valid questions about the effectiveness of therapy in managing ADHD symptoms.
What if I don’t have an ADHD diagnosis?
That’s okay—you don’t need an ADHD diagnosis to engage in therapy with us.
Many people with ADHD choose not to pursue a diagnosis because of the cost and time commitment of an assessment as well as insurance barriers.
Additionally, we know that for some people having a formal diagnosis of ADHD is not important. A diagnosis can be very helpful, as it can give you access to medications, resources, and accommodations, but it isn’t a requirement for counseling.
What if I tried therapy before and it didn’t work?
If you had an unhelpful therapy experience in the past, we’d love to know what didn’t work and what you’d like to do differently.
We prioritize individualizing our approach, since you are the expert on your own life and you know what works best for you, and we will guide you and teach you strategies along the way.
Throughout our time together, we will have frequent check-ins to make sure you’re getting what you want out of ADHD therapy and ensure that your needs are being met.
Will I need to take medication to feel better?
Medication can be helpful for some people, but there are many valid reasons for not wanting to take it.
The good news is that without medication, you can still learn plenty of helpful strategies for living your life and managing your ADHD symptoms, as many of our clients are able to make progress with therapy alone.
If you are interested in trying ADHD medication, we are happy to provide referrals, but it is not a mandatory part of treatment.
I don't have the time or money for therapy.
We understand that time and financial constraints can feel overwhelming when you're already managing ADHD challenges. However, investing in ADHD therapy actually makes everything else more manageable by teaching you personalized strategies for organization, time management, and emotional regulation.
Our approach works with your ADHD brain, not against it. We offer flexible scheduling and online counseling to eliminate commute time, plus we take insurance!
The coping tools you'll learn can transform how you navigate daily life, leading to improved focus, better emotional regulation, and more mental space for what truly matters.
From Distracted and Dysregulated
to Focused and Fulfilled.
ADHD doesn't have to hold you back—it can become one of your greatest strengths. With the right tools and support, your ADHD brain can be an incredible source of creativity, innovation, and unique insights that set you apart.
You deserve to feel confident in how your mind works. Take the first step toward transforming your relationship with ADHD and discovering what's possible when you have the right support with one of our ADHD Therapists.
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