ADHD Therapy
For Women in Denver
Maybe you feel constantly frustrated at yourself for leaving things till the last minute, but you can’t seem to make yourself plan in advance. You put things off until you feel you can do it “perfectly”, but then end up feeling panicked or paralyzed. You worry that your friends think you’re unreliable when you struggle to answer texts or commit to plans. It feels like you are always behind, and by the end of the day, your brain is buzzing and you can’t think straight. You’re constantly apologizing to everyone in your life for showing up late or forgetting plans, and can’t stop beating yourself up. You wonder, “what’s wrong with me?” “Why can’t I just get it together like everyone else?”
Are you a high achieving woman who struggles with signs of ADHD?
All you want is for your brain to slow down and let you focus.
But no matter what you try, nothing seems to stick.
You don’t have to live with constant overwhelm and self-doubt. ADHD therapy can help.
What is ADHD?
ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a condition that relates to your nervous system and how it develops. It primarily impacts the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for things like attention, focus and planning. The way that it presents varies a lot from person to person, and some people have more inattentive-type symptoms (affecting things like concentration and focus) while others have more hyperactive-type symptoms (struggling more with things like restlessness and impulse control). Some people with ADHD struggle with both. According to most recent CDC data, 7 million children in the US have been diagnosed with ADHD (11.4%), and many people are not diagnosed until adulthood. While it sometimes presents challenges that get picked up in school, many people “fly under the radar” until adulthood, when their symptoms may start to cause problems at work, in their personal life or relationships.
How Does ADHD Present in Women?
In school-age children, boys are more frequently diagnosed with ADHD than girls. This may be related to how symptoms show up differently between men and women - men tend to struggle more with hyperactive and impulsive symptoms, while women more often have struggles with attention and focus, seeming to others as if they are “daydreamers”, which is less likely to be disruptive in a classroom. Because of how women are socialized to care for and please others, more women tend to “mask” their symptoms, feeling like they have to deal with them all on their own. This can look like low self esteem, imposter syndrome or even anxiety and depression. There is also some evidence that women with ADHD can experience an increase in symptoms during the premenstrual period of their cycle due to changes in estrogen levels.
Common signs of ADHD can look like:
Difficulty paying attention for a long period of time, especially if it’s something you’re not interested in
Putting off tasks until you can do them “perfectly”, and then feeling panicked or paralyzed by being in a time crunch
Feeling as if you’re being driven by a motor, or can’t stop “doing”
Difficulty motivating yourself to do work when you’re alone or no one is holding you accountable
Struggling to be consistent with routines, finding that you will give up after one “off” day
People-pleasing, feeling like you have to say “yes” to everything and then feeling totally overwhelmed with all you’ve committed to
Often feeling restless, fidgety or having a hard time sitting still
Feeling like you are always behind
Entering “hyperfocus” mode when you start on a task that you enjoy, and then being unaware that hours have passed by
Difficulty relaxing
Alternating between periods where you focus well and feel super productive, and others where you feel exhausted, burnt out and can’t get anything done
Feeling like you have to work twice as hard as those around you to get to the same goal
Starting to do a task and getting distracted with other related tasks that often end up incomplete
Feeling “scatterbrained”, or like your brain is rapidly jumping from one topic to the next
Struggling to manage feelings like frustration or overwhelm, and then feeling ashamed of this
Feeling anxious or overwhelmed when your environment is noisy or cluttered
Struggling with being on time or forgetting appointments altogether
Feeling like a failure
Feeling like a fraud or imposter
Dealing with feelings of inadequacy by overcommitting and taking on more, stretching yourself even thinner
Therapy for ADHD Can Help
It's not your fault that you feel this way. Women in our culture are expected to do it all - which is impossible! I help women with ADHD find clarity and focus in their lives. You will learn to trust yourself, recognize your strengths and stop comparing yourself to everyone around you. In therapy together, we will:
Help you develop coping skills and a self-care routine to physically calm down your nervous system and be more present in your environment
Change your relationship to anxious and self-doubting thoughts, and learn to embrace your strengths utilizing concepts from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance Commitment Therapy
Help you to get more done and feel more organized and productive by learning practical strategies to break down tasks into manageable parts and build upon small successes
Teach you to rethink the way you respond to high-pressure situations through mindfulness-based strategies including learning tools to feel more present in your life, be kinder to yourself and accept all parts of yourself
Help you to dig deeper and draw connections between your experiences from childhood and the expectations that you put on yourself in the present utilizing concepts from psychodynamic psychotherapy
Help you to feel confident confronting your fears, avoiding less and communicating your needs with others in your life.
Suggest relevant books, articles and tools that can help you to get a deeper understanding of your condition and make progress in between sessions
Through therapy for ADHD, I will help you learn to celebrate and build upon your successes. You will break free from the cycle of avoiding and feeling stuck. You will learn to trust your brain, and find ways to work with it instead of against it. Women with ADHD have many strengths, and through therapy you will learn to honor and find pride in them.
You don’t have to live with constant feelings of overwhelm, inadequacy and imposter syndrome. Therapy can help you to find clarity, balance and confidence in your life.
My Denver-based therapy practice specializes in treating high-achieving women dealing with anxiety, perfectionism and people-pleasing. To start your counseling journey, follow these simple steps
Step 1
Contact Victoria
Step 2
Meet with Victoria for an intake session
Step 3
Get started on your journey towards taking anxiety out of the driver’s seat and start living your life!
