Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed with ADHD or been aware of it for years, managing ADHD can feel like an ongoing battle. Especially when your symptoms add to the existing stress of managing schoolwork, extracurriculars, and your social life.
Many teens with ADHD feel like the condition makes it hard to live up to expectations of school, work, and relationships with friends and family.
If this sounds familiar, know you’re not alone.
The good news is there are ways to make things easier — and people who are here to help.
Managing teen ADHD in Newport Beach
As you probably already know, prescription medications are the primary form of treatment used to help manage the symptoms of ADHD.
So, as long as you get the right medication, problem solved, right?
Yes and no. While medications are generally an effective way to improve focus and reduce hyperactivity in people with ADHD, it’s not always a perfect solution.
Even with medication, ADHD can still make it difficult to stay organized, control impulsivity, or plan for the future. These challenges in particular aren’t something that a prescription can simply fix. Some people may be looking to find a treatment plan that reduces the necessary dosage or potential side effects associated with stimulants. Others may prefer to manage their symptoms without any medication at all.
Luckily, medication isn’t the only solution when it comes to managing ADHD.
What is ADHD therapy?
ADHD therapy involves working with a therapist to better understand and develop strategies for consciously managing the symptoms of ADHD. Studies show that combining medication with therapy is more effective than relying on medication alone.
Common approaches to ADHD therapy include the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and neurofeedback techniques. Working with a therapist who specializes in applying these practices to ADHD can help you “retrain your brain” to recognize and respond to things like overstimulation, distraction, or racing thoughts.
But beyond addressing the primary symptoms of ADHD, therapy can also have some other surprising benefits for teens.
The (unexpected) benefits of ADHD therapy in Newport Beach:
Getting to know your brain
Everyone’s brain works a little differently. When it comes to ADHD, these differences play a significant role in how you relate to the world, where you excel and where challenges arise.
When you work with an ADHD therapist, you gain the benefit of working with someone who understands these differences on a fundamental level. They’ll start by getting to know you and helping you to get to know yourself — examining your unique viewpoint and experiences and helping you uncover how those thoughts and experiences are connected. They can help you recognize what you’re good at and begin to appreciate why other things may not come so easily to you.
They can use their expertise to help you understand how the physical and chemical elements of your brain shape your everyday life. Once you know what your brain is doing and why, it will be easier to pinpoint the skills you’ll need to overcome these challenges.
Less stress about school (or work)
School often presents a long list of challenges for teens with ADHD, from staying focused in class to staying on top of a seemingly endless pile of assignments. Beyond giving you a safe space to openly vent about these challenges, ADHD therapy can help you develop skills to make your school life easier.
Depending on their expertise and your specific needs, you and your therapist will determine where to focus. You may want to learn mental techniques to help block out distractions or stop runaway thoughts. They may be able to teach you organizational strategies to keep track of your responsibilities or create routines to better manage your time.
They can even help you implement techniques like “body doubling” — relying on a trusted individual to serve as a supportive presence, a model of calm focus, and a source of accountability when completing important tasks.
Stronger relationships
The social challenges associated with ADHD have a tendency to be overlooked, especially when it comes to a traditional medication-focused treatment plan.
Therapy can help you identify and address any sources of social stress related to ADHD, whether it’s trouble reading social cues, controlling impulsivity, or staying focused in conversations. Your therapist will be able to give you strategies to feel more confident in social situations and better communicate your needs in relationships. Better communication means deeper understanding and, ultimately, stronger bonds with your friends and family.
Hope and happiness
One of the most difficult aspects of any mental health challenge is battling feelings of loneliness that come from being “different,” or the hopelessness that can come from trying to fix things all on your own. It can be all too easy to give up.
Having a therapist in your corner can make a world of difference.
By giving you the tools to better understand yourself, reducing stress at school or work, and strengthening your relationships, therapy can go a long way toward giving you a happier, healthier life. And beyond helping you manage the primary symptoms of ADHD, it can also help to address any related mental health struggles that may go hand in hand, including anxiety or depression.
Ultimately, the goal of ADHD therapy is to give you the long-term skills to hope and plan for the future you want for yourself.The right therapist will work to understand your experiences and concerns and meet you where you are. At Care Concepts Therapy, we’re here to help you move toward a brighter, more hopeful future one step at a time. Book a free consultation to get connected with one of our therapists.