Different Types of ADHD Therapy

ADHD is a disorder that can be extremely difficult to live with. It can affect relationships, work and family life. However, it doesn't have to be a limiting factor.

Anecdotal reports suggest that many children with ADHD aren't getting access to healthcare. This is despite national guidelines on clinical care and the legal obligation to reduce health inequality.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)

Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of the most well-studied forms of psychotherapy, or "talk therapy." It works by recognizing that your thoughts and emotions influence your behaviour. CBT is focused on identifying harmful habits of thought and changing the way you think to reduce depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

The therapist and you will identify what aspects of your thinking, physical feelings and behaviour are able to be changed and then work on them during and between sessions. This is a structured, short term form of therapy and improvement is usually seen within five to 20 sessions. CBT is widely available on the NHS.

The most effective treatment for test OCD is CBT which is why some local IAPT services reporting rates of recovery as high as 80percent. CBT is based on the principle that your therapist can assist you in identifying the factors that cause your obsessions and compulsions so you can understand these issues better and challenge them. It also encourages you to perform an array of behavioural tests to test your belief system that is not helping you.

If you have OCD, and you spend a lot of time contemplating whether you'll cause harm or are a pedophile, then you may think that you need confirmation. But this only reinforces your negative beliefs. Your therapist can help you to 'remould' your beliefs by encouraging you to keep a data journal in which you write down instances that contradict your beliefs.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing)

EMDR is a psychotherapy integrative approach that makes use of bilateral stimulation, such as sounds or eye movements to purportedly assist people in processing difficult memories and beliefs. It was created to deal with trauma and has been successful in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

In the first phase of EMDR, the client will concentrate on the target image whilst following the therapist's fingers using their eyes. The client will then report any new feelings, thoughts and associations that pop up. The therapy therapist will then meet with the client and determine if the processing is working or not. This phase is called desensitization. It will continue until the level of stress due to memory has diminished.

The next phase of therapy is the installation. Here, the counselor will ask the client to concentrate on a positive belief that is being built in place of the negative one.

In this process, the therapy therapist will also keep track of the progress of the client in between sessions. This is done to ensure that the process is functioning and that no new negative beliefs or associated distressing memories are being formed. In general, the process of reprocessing one particular trauma is completed in just three sessions.

DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy)

DBT is a kind of therapy for talking that teaches skills to help you manage emotions and improve relationships. It teaches you to accept yourself as you are, but also teaches you to change the things that don't work. It's designed to help people with borderline personalities disorder but it has also been proven beneficial for people suffering from anxiety, depression and substance abuse, eating disorders, and PTSD.

DBT blends elements of CBT with mindfulness-based methods. Mindfulness is the ability to observe your thoughts, feelings and behaviours without judgement. It helps you become aware of the triggers that result in a runaway feeling. DBT helps you to create healthy relationships, deal with discomfort and deal with pain.

Weekly, DBT sessions last between 40 and 60 min. Before you begin DBT your therapist will ask you questions regarding your goals and requirements. They will then provide you with the skills needed to help you deal with difficult situations. You might be assigned homework in between sessions. Some therapists provide phone coaching to help you get through tough moments.

A standard DBT program is an annual commitment of one year. These programs are commonly referred to as DBT-informed. They still apply the same principles and techniques but are adapted for people with particular mental health issues or short-term goals. DBT therapists have been taught to utilize a variety methods that are based on research and test are often part of a team that includes other professionals who have worked with clients at high risk.

ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy).

ACT is a kind of psychotherapy which helps to build psychological flexibility. It helps patients distance themselves from so-called private experiences, which include thoughts as well as feelings, emotions, sensations and urges. It rejects the Western psychological idea that negative experiences are signs mental disorders. It believes that everyone has their own unique challenges to overcome in life.

In contrast to CBT that tends to focus on the changing of thoughts, ACT targets the ways patients attempt to control their the uncontrollable inner experiences and how these attempts to control of emotions impact the quality of their lives. Therapists help their patients set goals and evaluate the efficacy of strategies to reach them.

A therapist may encourage you, for example to accept that a negative feeling like anxiety is part of your own experience and will go away eventually. This is what we refer to as clean discomfort. If you are able to accept the pain and don't try to alter it, you will be able to to live with it.

Ruth enjoys working with individuals who have been diagnosed with ADHD and has a deep determination to help them in turning what is commonly seen as a disorder into something she believes can be an amazing superpower! She uses coaching tools and business diagnostics to help clients to achieve their goals.