Adult ADHD treatment in Byron Bay

Not education. Practical skills

You probably don’t need education. Google has probably already told you how to set goals, how to be organised, how to be mindful and to focus. You know all of that and your mind still jumps all over the place, causing problems at work and in your relationships.

At the heart of ADHD is poor impulse control. The reason impulse control is difficult to learn is because it involves sitting with uncomfortable feelings and sensations. Obvious feelings are restlessness, boredom, frustration, overwhelm, urges to follow this and that thought or thing. Sometimes there are other feelings hiding beneath all that restlessness: sadness, grief, trauma, anger.

Yes, I’ll work with you to create simple strategies to avoid the problems your ADHD creates for you. But at the heart of it all, and throughout it all, I’ll be supporting you to sit with uncomfortable feelings and sensations. That’s the real work. And this is a skill that can be practiced and learnt.

What about medication?

Many people with ADHD report getting great benefit from medication. Some people who have used ADHD medication have had less positive results. And many people with ADHD symptoms do just fine without medication: they’re able to learn how to sit with uncomfortable feelings and sensations and, over time, the ADHD symptoms go away.

My attitude is: if you want to try medication, try it. See what happens. Treat it as an experiment and learn from the results of the experiment.

I don’t prescribe ADHD medication. To get ADHD medication, you’ll need to talk to your GP.

What therapy looks like

My style

We chat. I learn from you how ADHD is causing problems, and how you’d like things to be different.

Now and then I’ll invite you to stop talking and to sit with your feelings and physical sensations. This will often be difficult for you, and uncomfortable. I won’t force it on you. I’ll show you how to do it and I’ll go at your pace. And if I do my job well, you’ll experience that slowing down and feeling your feelings actually feels pretty good.

My general orientation is Gestalt psychotherapy, and I teach the ACT model.

How long are sessions?

50 minutes.

Where?

In person in Byron Bay
or by video link or phone.

How many sessions will I need? How often will I need to go?

Good questions. I answer them here.