ADHD Cognitive Training

(Sometimes referred to as ADHD Coaching)

When ADHD-related symptoms are impacting you daily, it’s difficult to make progress toward your goals. If this is happening for you, please consider our program for adults struggling with ADHD and anxiety.  

ADULT ADHD & ANXIETY

Improve and protect your cognitive health.

 

It can be tricky to understand how adult ADHD and anxiety play off of each other. There are clues, though, and a specialist can help you make gains and overcome both barriers. Here is a hint – let’s take social anxiety, for example. Let’s say someone struggling with social anxiety has to give a speech. That person would worry about being seen by so many people, looking nervous or sounding stupid, or worried that anxiety symptoms will show. However, a person with ADHD leading the anxiety cascade, would first worry about not focusing, concentrating on multiple tasks, or staying on topic. They would also most likely hope that they’re having a “good attention day” as ADHD symptoms can worsen with even mild fluctuations in stress and sleep.

At CLCEC, ADHD providers train to provide executive function counseling. If you’re struggling with both ADHD and anxiety, this is essential for recovery.

 

 

 

 


 

Executive Function Training for adults living with ADHD (ADHD Coaching).

PROVIDER: Kama Jensen, LPCC

 

What’s ADHD or Executive Function Coaching?

Executive function, an essential aspect of cognitive health, is measured by a person’s ability to make a plan, follow a plan, and complete the planIn a sense, it is maintaining self-directed attention. These skills are referred to as executive function (EF) skills or self-regulation skills. EF skills can be learned and strengthened!

 

10 Key Focus Areas

1.Self-Awareness: A person’s ability to accurately see his or her behavior, motives, name emotions, and maintain self-directed attention.

Example of typical goals:

  • “I want to stay on an exercise plan.”

  • “I want to live life focused on my priorities and not get pulled off course”

 

 2. Other-Awareness: Often referred to as “social awareness” it is a person’s ability to accurately identify the behavior, motives, and emotions of others.

Example of a typical goal:

  • “I want to learn how to return calls and texts. I’m always losing relationships.”

 

3. Inhibition: Often referred to as “self-restraint” or “self-control.” To inhibit is the ability to stop an action in order to fully process information necessary to make a wise decision.

Example of a typical goal:

  • “I want listen and be more present during conversations.”

 

4. Non-Verbal Working Memory: The ability to hold things in your mind and create mental images.

Example of a typical goal:

  • “I want to support my memory.”

 

5. Verbal Working Memory: This is self-speech which may occur both internally or externally. It is your brain talking to your brain. Inner verbal self-speech is the number #1 factor that influences your behavior.

Example of a typical goal:

  • “I want to learn how to make better decisions. I get so overwhlemed by day to day life.”

 

6. Emotional Self-Regulation: Emotion regulation is dependent on other EF skills functioning well. Emotion regulation is your ability to manage cognitions, emotions, and your body’s physical sensations.

Example of a typical goal:

  • “I want to keep my cool and not be so impulsive.”

 

7. Internal-Motivation: How well you can motivate yourself to complete a task when there is no immediate external reward or consequence.

Example of a typical goal:

  • “I want to reach goals more consistently.”

 

8. Planning Ahead: How well you can stay aware of your values and priorities and not become easily distracted by momentary desires which will block you from reaching your goals.

Example of a typical goal:

  • “I want to procrastinate less.”

 

9. Active Problem Solving: This skill requires the mind to be realistic, creative, and flexible. Like other EF skills, it can improve with practice. You must be able to see true options (what exists) and eliminate magical thinking (currently doesn’t exist). With true options, you mix and match to create options for moving forward based on your desired outcome.

Example of a typical goal:

  • “I want to make decisions more quickly and be more confident in my decisions.”

 

10. Time Awareness: How much wisdom you have about time (example: how long does a task take to complete?) and the energy it takes to complete a task in a certain time frame (doing too little will make the body sluggish and doing too much will fatigue the body). Time awareness is required for time and energy management. People who demonstrate poor time awareness usually struggle with time and energy management. They often do not understand why a planner is helpful and struggle to use it effectively.

Example of a typical goal:

  • “I want to be on time- when I want to be on time.”