[PrepCouture]

I had my first session of therapy/coaching and want to hear your tips for getting the most out of it.

My psychologist is a nice guy and has a decent amount of experience with helping people with ADHD, but he even said he doesn't think coaching will benefit me a great deal. He said I already have already developed some excellent strategies; most of the stuff he recommend had already been tried or is something I already use. Going med-free and without any counseling or help of any sort, has led me to develop some pretty decent coping strategies.

While at this point in my life, I could probably write my own book on coping strategies, I really want to give therapy/coaching a try and get the most out of it. The last time I did anything of this sort, I was a little kid. The psychologist just played games with me and gave me Playdough. I suppose it was okay considering I was a little kid, but I've never really been through therapy or coaching as an adult.

Feel free to share your personal opinions, tips, or whatever, I'm all ears.

[stages]

maybe not very useful per se because i have not beein in a session specificaly for adhd, but here's my experience so far

all i could really tell was i have a problem thats been there all my life, its too much to handle alone, and no one around me could help. so i met with a therapist who asked about my life and etc and suggested i do CBT for anxiety, which wasnt exactly the problem i wanted to address but i couldnt describe or explain what that problem was, and i do have big anxiety problems so i agreed

She gave me tasks to complete like practicing deep breathing and stuff, and i think it was third appointment she asked if i wanted to consider medication, then i got a referral to psychiatrist, who started me on bupropion because its known to improve attention, energy, and sometimes anxiety. its more commonly known to worsen anxiety but i think she understood me better when i described my problems, bupropion is also used to treat ADHD

Anyways I meet with my psychiatrist every once in a while to check up on medications and I meet with my therapist kind of rarely because after several sessions I just felt bad because I couldnt follow up on her advice. Then i saw an information post about ADHD in adults and realized that described the problem that i was unsure what it was. My psychiatrist is the one who I suggested ADHD to and she referred me to a specialist who tested and diagnosed me last month and now im on adderall.

I feel like maybe I should see my therapist and see if things work out better now that we both understand whats going on a bit more but I hear that typical therapy is often not helpful in the long run for ADHD for the same reasons im reluctant to see her - getting sidetracked too much, tuning out, not 'doing your homework'. But its still useful for our all too common co existing conditions (ie my anxiety), as long as the ADHD is being addressed somehow. Most likely I will see her when I find a medication and dose that improves me enough that I think i will be able to benefit from the sessions more. (I just came to this conclusion after writing this far, i was still undecided on what to do. Thanks for making the topic? haha)

Since you have coping strategies, your psych has experience with ADHD, and you both know that you have ADHD, I think your sessions will probably be much more useful than mine

Coaching is interesting to me but afaik not covered by my insurance.. Games and playdough sessions are interesting too, i wonder if those are more affordable?