ADHD Therapy for Teens

Adolescence is a time in which academic and social demands increase, expectations for independence grow, and teens are required to manage more responsibility with less external support. All the while, the teenage brain and body are going through major changes. For teens with ADHD, the growing demands and rapid changes can feel especially overwhelming, and it’s common that ADHD-related challenges become more noticeable during adolescence.

Signs of Struggle with ADHD

ADHD is a condition that affects the structure and function of the brain, meaning that its impacts are felt everywhere: academically, socially and emotionally. Common things we see with teens struggling to manage their ADHD include:

• Procrastination and difficulty getting started on tasks
• Difficulty translating intention into action
• Troubles with managing time and task switching, especially between sticky tasks (focus grabs into it and can’t let go) and slippery tasks (focus cannot hold onto it) 
• Experiencing emotions as big, overwhelming, or rapidly changing 
• Impulsivity and struggling to ‘pause’ 
• Zoning or tuning out
• Feelings of frustration, anxiety, shame, or sense of “falling behind”
• Carrying this story that they’re “lazy” or “not trying hard enough” while also feeling like they’re exhausting themselves trying so hard 
• A deep sensitivity to rejection – real or perceived – from others
• Sometimes a struggle with perfectionism and/or shame
• Inability to break down bigger tasks into smaller bite-sized tasks
• A struggle to keep their spaces, like their room, locker, or backpack organized

These challenges are hard to navigate and many teens with ADHD can benefit from ADHD focused therapy. The teenage years are a foundational time to build self-awareness and learn practical skills to carry into adulthood. 

into adulthood.