Full Course Description
ADHD Assessment for Adults: Overcome Treatment Obstacles, Identify Co-Morbidities & Resolve Diagnostic Dilemmas
When ADHD is misdiagnosed or undiagnosed it presents tremendous life challenges for your clients…
Struggles at work, parenting and relationships can destroy your client’s self-esteem leaving them feeling hopeless.
Get the education to give your clients a path toward thriving in life.
Join Harvard-trained Dr. Roberto Olivardia to go beyond DSM-5® diagnostic criteria and dive into expert assessment. You’ll learn:
- The right questions to make assessment quicker & easier!
- ADHD screening & assessments – plus, their limitations
- How the ADHD brain works in a language your client can understand
- Best practices for identifying learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, mood disorders, eating disorders & MORE!
Advance your ADHD diagnosis, assessment & screening expertise!
Program Information
Objectives
- Theorize how aspects of the ADHD brain help explain its symptoms.
- Investigate components of a thorough clinical assessment for ADHD.
- Diagnose symptoms and features of various co-morbid disorders and conditions (i.e. learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance abuse and addictive disorders, and eating disorders).
- Determine differential factors between ADHD and the comorbid disorders and conditions.
Outline
Diagnosing ADHD Properly
- Review of the DSM-5® Criteria
- Problems and Limitations of the DSM-5® criteria
- Common ADHD surveys
- Problems and Limitations with ADHD surveys
- Neuropsychological testing Measures and Indices for ADHD
- Problems and Limitations with neuropsychological testing
- Understanding the ADHD Brain
Components of a Clinical Evaluation
- Going beyond the criteria
- Ask more detail about symptoms that people endorse or deny (questions to ask)
- Understanding the importance of context
- Screening for psychiatric disorders and possible comorbid disorders for differential diagnosis
ADHD and Co-Morbid Disorders: The rule rather than the exception
*Each section reviews traits/symptoms of the co-morbid disorder, how having ADHD can be a risk factor and/or is commonly associated, how to differentiate it from ADHD, as well as treatment/interventions when people have both ADHD and the comorbid disorder
- Learning disabilities
- Dyslexia
- Dyscalculia
- Dysgraphia
- Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NVLD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Anxiety Disorders
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Anxiety secondary to ADHD and executive function issues
- Mood Disorders
- Depression
- Dysthymia
- Bipolar Disorder and Bipolar Spectrum Disorders
- Suicide
- Substance Abuse and other Addictions
- Cannabis
- Alcohol
- Other Addictive Behaviors
- Eating Disorders and Body Image Problems
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Men and Eating Disorders
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Teachers
- School Administrators
- Addiction Counselors
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Other Helping Professionals
Copyright :
06/03/2022
Adult ADHD Medications & The Recent Increase in Prevalence
There has been a lot of buzz about Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the media lately. The number of adults seeking ADHD diagnosis and treatment has rapidly increased in the past 3 years and as a result, we now have a shortage of Adderall. However, it remains to be estimated that 80% of adults with ADHD are UNDIAGNOSED.
In this session for the Modern Clinician, you’ll understand:
- Implicit Bias – are you harboring negative feelings about diagnosing and treating Adult ADHD, or whether Adult ADHD is real?
- Neurobiology of ADHD – a brief and digestible, yet thorough update on our current understanding of pathophysiology of ADHD
- Safely treating attention deficit symptoms with stimulants and non-stimulants
- Medication Management: how to choose, start, taper, and monitor effectiveness
Program Information
Objectives
- Analyze the prevalence, pathophysiology, and manifestations of Adult ADHD.
- Anticipate the deficits in, and impacts of, Adult ADHD.
- Acknowledge any implicit bias and develop a position of compassion and empathy.
- Express confidence that you can diagnose and manage Adult ADHD.
Outline
Neuroanatomy and pathophysiology
- The cortex, limbic system, and brain stem structures and functions
- Genetics of ADHD and brain structures involved
- Dopamine pathway
- Norepinephrine pathway
- Brain wave patterns – regulating alertness
Executive Function (EF)
- Disorder of doing what you know
- Elements of EF
- Evolution of and innate development of EF
- Deficits result in Impairments = Executive Dysfunction
- Executive Dysfunction is situationally dependent
- heterogeneity of impairments/symptoms
Assessment
- DSM-V
- A clinicians’ duty
- Diagnosis rates, average ages and impacts of late diagnosis
- Differential diagnosis and Diagnostic process
- Rating scales
- Getting input from collaterals
- tips for differentiating diagnosis
Treatment
- Guiding principles of treatment
- Stimulants deep dive
- Amphetamine
- Methylphenidate
- Non-stimulants deep dive
- Alpha agonists
- Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
- Off-label medications
- Benefits are addictive, combinations limited by side effects
- A handy prescribing reference chart to use in practice
- Micronutrients
- Lifestyle and therapeutic interventions
- Guiding principles and evidence-based recommendations
- Comorbidities
- MDD and treatment options
- GAD and treatment options
- ASD and treatment options
Target Audience
- Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners
- Clinical Nurse Specialists
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
Copyright :
04/21/2023
ADHD at Work: Strategies to Help Clients Survive & Thrive in Their Careers
Your clients show up late to session, seem to forget skills taught the week before and struggle to stay on track with treatment goals.
Unfortunately, these clients bring the same problems to their professional lives…
Their career history details a graveyard of failed aspirations - perfection that leads to procrastination, an inability to take feedback from colleagues and a lack of follow through on day-to-day office tasks.
Be the therapist that radically changes your clients’ lives by giving them essential skills to finally succeed at work.
Join ADHD expert Ari Tuckman to get essential and advanced strategies to help your adult clients with ADHD:
- Make wise disclosures with colleagues – when & how
- Take feedback without intense emotional reactions
- Balance their strengths & weaknesses to excel at work
- Meet deadlines by feeling the future in the present moment
- Avoid perfection & procrastinate with motivation
- Clarify career priorities & actually achieve them!
Fill your clinical toolbox with evidence-based interventions to get your clients thriving at work!
Program Information
Objectives
- Appraise strategies that help clients to be more productive by deeply understanding how to work with their ADHD.
- Practice strategies that help clients resolve conflicts, clarify priorities & create a successful work environment.
- Support clients in making decisions regarding who to disclose their ADHD to, when & how at work.
Outline
How to Help Your Clients Succeed at Work
- Is the problem awareness or motivation?
- Fill the productivity tank so clients can bring their best
- Set up the productivity tools that work— dump the ones that don’t
- Teach clients to clarify priorities, resolve conflicts & create a good work environment
- Break free of the distractions of the moment—teach clients to feel the future to build motivation
- Balance strengths & weakness to increase self-esteem
- Help your clients take feedback with ease
When and How to Disclose ADHD
- Inform clients’ thinking on when, how, and to whom to disclose ADHD
- Is ADHD an excuse or an explanation?
- A “sometimes better” option than full disclosure
- The most productive way to disclose
- Avoid the potential landmines of disclosure
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Teachers
- School Administrators
- Addiction Counselors
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Any other mental health professionals, health care or rehab professionals typically on ADHD certifications
Copyright :
05/10/2022
ADHD, Shame, & Perfectionism: Living in “The Gap” between Ability and Performance
Living with chronic and persistent executive challenges may be associated with stress and object loss, shame, depression, anxious perfectionism, and rejection sensitivity.
In our enthusiastic rush to emphasize the potential benefit of stimulant medication and strategies and brain hacks, we may miss an important therapeutic opportunity – supporting clients around themes of loss and shame.
In this session, we’ll investigate the frustrating gap between ability and performance which is “baked into” the ADHD experience and assess the functional impact of co-occurring perfectionistic and impulsive tendencies. We will learn to identify clinical “red flags” in the clinical interview which invite further exploration of shame on our ADHD clients’ self-understanding. Practical strategies for working with shame and perfectionism will be reviewed and hands-on application of these strategies will be explored by way of a case study.
Program Information
Objectives
- Identify indicators of shame which require further exploration in the clinical interview.
- Assess the functional impact of shame and perfectionism on diagnostic assessment as well as clinical work.
- Utilize specific strategies for working with shame and perfectionism in both assessment and counseling/psychotherapy process.
Outline
Living in “The Gap” between ability and performance: addressing grief and loss in the ADHD client.
The impact of shame on the ADHD assessment process.
Cooperating with our clients to “catch it early” – recognizing indicators of shame- or grief-related resistance to treatment.
The self-esteem abacus, tonglen practice, and self-compassion exercises: practical strategies for working with shame and perfectionism in our ADHD clients.
Review of the risks and limitations associated with techniques reviewed in our session.
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Nurses
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Teachers/School-Based Personnel
- Addiction Professionals
- Case Managers
Copyright :
09/25/2023
ADHD, Social Anxiety and Rejection Sensitivity: Moving Beyond Hello
Many children and adults with ADHD struggle with fears of embarrassment, rejection or criticism and hold back from participating in the relationships they truly desire. Following these past two years of isolation and restrictions, social anxiety and rejection sensitivity have increased for clients with ADHD of all ages.
In this session, Dr. Sharon Saline, award-winning author, international speaker and consultant will teach you how to help your clients participate in social situations with more confidence and less self-criticism. After describing how social anxiety works and its relationship to perfectionism and rejection sensitivity dysphoria, Dr. Saline will demonstrate interventions and tools to:
- Improve communication skills and connection while reducing discomfort and insecurity
- Initiate and maintain friendships, manage rejection sensitivity dysphoria
- Promote resilience and growth mindsets in clients of all ages with ADHD
Program Information
Objectives
- Demonstrate how social anxiety and rejection sensitivity dysphoria operate for children and adults with ADHD.
- Develop effective strategies with clients for managing social situations and personal relationships with ease and confidence.
- Determine which communication skills would best assist clients in engaging in clear, appropriate and meaningful conversations.
Outline
- Nervousness, worry and general anxiety in the brain and the body
- Elements of social anxiety and rejection sensitivity dysphoria and their relationship to ADHD
- Efficacy of clinical interventions and modalities for working with ADHD and social anxiety
- Strategies and tools for improving connections, communication and confidence
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Educators/Teachers
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Psychologists
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Social Workers
Copyright :
11/10/2022
Advanced Treatment Considerations for Women with ADHD
As we have learned from emerging research over the past few decades, ADHD presents in complex and unique ways for women. Many women are expressing more nuanced and intersectional phenomenological experiences of being neurodivergent than previously understood or disseminated to mental health providers.
This workshop seeks to provide an approachable evidence-based foundation of knowledge about the ways in which ADHD presents in women and best practices for culturally and clinically competent treatment. As more women than ever before seek ADHD diagnosis and treatment, this presentation seeks to elevate the conversation to address the ways in which ADHD differs in women and provide clinicians with the knowledge base they need to feel confident providing quality care to this formerly underserved and misunderstood population.
Program Information
Objectives
- Identify and describe three recent research updates pertaining to women and ADHD.
- Generate a comprehensive conceptualization of women’s ADHD challenges and treatment needs that considers the role of lifespan, biological, psychological, emotional, and relational components.
- Explain how to educate clients on the impact of ADHD on women’s self-concept and relational health.
Outline
Expanding Your Knowledge Base: Key Research Updates
ADHD Deep Dives: Understand and target common therapeutic themes
ADHD Work is Grief Work: Addressing themes of loss and grief - especially for late in life diagnosis
Rethinking Treatment Planning for the ADHD Adult
Taking ADHD Seriously: Risk Management
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologist
- Psychiatrists
- Case Managers
- Addiction Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech Language Pathologists
- Vocational Counselors
- Psychiatric Nurses
- Probation Officers
- Clergy
- Professional Coaches
- Professional Organizers
- ADHD Coaches
- Other Mental Health Providers
Copyright :
10/15/2023
When One Partner Has ADHD: A Guide for Couples Therapy
Adults with ADHD are over-represented in therapy offices—and especially over-represented in couples therapy. If the couples therapist does not recognize the impact of ADHD on the couple’s dynamic, they will fall into the same disempowering trap that the partners are stuck in. Fortunately, an informed therapist can apply specific interventions to break the couple out of the under/over-functioner dynamic and promote each partner’s agency to make positive changes. Some of this involves helping the partners actively manage the ADHD in order to reduce its impact on daily life. The rest involves helping the partners do the universal work of negotiating different preferences, but through the lens of how ADHD impacts relationship functioning. Because ADHD can exacerbate common relationship dynamics, knowing how to work with couples with one ADHD partner will make you a better therapist with every couple you see.
Program Information
Objectives
- Address each romantic partner’s contribution to the under-/over-functioner dynamic.
- Guide both romantic partners in managing ADHD and its relationship impacts more effectively.
- Teach partners to negotiate more effectively.
Outline
An individual condition. . . with relationship dynamics
- The easy slide into the classic dynamic of the under-/over-functioner
- A new diagnosis of ADHD can be a total game changer if the therapist knows how to work with it
Actively Manage ADHD—By Both Partners
- Help both partners actively manage ADHD—and also expectations
- Get partners out of defensiveness and personalizing ADHD symptoms
Re-balance the relationship
- Get the partner with ADHD to step up—and also the partner without ADHD to step down
- How to negotiate different desires and get things done
- Can I trust you? How to increase honesty and follow through
- Help partners work with each other, rather than for each other
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
- Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners
- Other Mental Health Professionals
Copyright :
07/14/2023
Effectively Keep ADHD Clients On-Time & On-Task: Step-by-Step Guide to Building Accountability Relationships
Despite wanting to do better, many adults with ADHD feel intense shame, anxiety, stress, and depression related to time-blindness, overwhelm, missed deadlines, strained relationships, poor job performance, financial penalties, and letting people down. Drawing on insights from over 1800 hours of facilitating accountability groups with over 950 adults in more than 55 group coaching sessions, ADHD expert, Eric Tivers, LCSW, MSSW, will teach you how to effectively keep your clients on track with their goals and intentions. Attend and learn:
- How to structure accountability relationships (individual, group, dyads) to support short and long term goals
- What healthy and productive accountability looks like vs co-dependency
- The three pillars of success for neurodivergent individuals
- Importance of building trust and why conflict is critical in building trust
- Ways to develop community to foster connection and understanding
View this session to learn how to help your clients build supportive bridges to close the gap between good intentions and actions! With accountability relationships there are no power imbalances. It’s not punitive. And, it’s NOT shaming! Register today!
Program Information
Objectives
- Differentiate between accountability and co-dependence in the context of ADHD coaching.
- Develop an accountability framework to use with clients and peer support accountability groups.
- Propose five structured ways to use accountability to help achieve short-term and long-term goals.
Outline
- What Makes Teams Thrive and What Makes Them Dysfunctional
- Accountability Strategies to Support Executive Functioning Challenges including stopping, starting, transitioning, inhibition, focus, self-care, and more
- Powerful Questions to Create Shame-free Accountability
- Accountability in Action
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Educators/Teachers
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Psychologists
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Social Workers
Copyright :
11/11/2022
The Critical Intersection of ADHD & Addiction: Why Treating Both Matters
While the link between addiction and ADHD is well established, treatment options for those with dual diagnoses are unclear. Ongoing stigma and perceived risks around using stimulant medication for treatment can complicate the prognosis. Gender differences, traumatic experiences, age of ADHD diagnosis and family history all play a role in developing a successful continuing care plan.
In this session, view ADHD & Addiction expert, Jeremy Didier, as she shares her comprehensive approach to effectively manage both ADHD and Addiction in her practice. You’ll learn strategies you can immediately utilize with your clients including:
- Executive Function Skills protocols designed to increase after care compliance
- Relapse prevention & risk reduction techniques utilizing CBT, mindfulness and motivational interviewing
- A well-informed clinical interview to identify symptoms related to ADHD and which are a result of co-morbid depression, anxiety and/or SUD
- Critical psychoeducation on ADHD symptom manifestation for the dually diagnosed and impact of the bi-directional relationship between ADHD and Trauma on clients in recovery
- Assessment tools aimed at stopping the inter-generational cycle of chaos - ensuring at risk families get the knowledge and support they need
- Integrated community and healthcare management strategies to ensure continuum of care
Program Information
Objectives
- Integrate treatment options for clients with co-morbid ADHD and Substance Use Disorder.
- Support clients navigating recovery options and executive function challenges to improve treatment outcomes.
- Distinguish between pre and post treatment symptoms of ADHD in the individual with co-morbid substance use disorder.
- Defend the necessity of evaluating clients with substance disorder for co-morbid ADHD.
Outline
- Is it ADHD, Addiction, or Both
- Assessment & Diagnosis
- Trauma Informed ADHD
- Childhood v Adult onset
- Meds, Mindfulness and Management
- Treatment Options
- Relapse prevention/Risk reduction/Symptom Management
- CBT & EF Skill Development
- Communicating, Connecting and Championing
- Psychoeducation – acceptance, prevention, identification
- Integrated Healthcare & Community management
- Recovery speed bumps & roadblocks
- Stigma or Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Educators/Teachers
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Psychologists
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Social Workers
Copyright :
11/10/2022
ADHD and Eating Disorders: Disentangling the Complex Brain-Behavior Relationship
Due to the higher prevalence of eating disorders among individuals with ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) and vice versa...
It’s likely that if you are working with a client with ADHD, they likely have an eating disorder.
But knowing how to effectively treat this unique client is extremely complex.
You must understand if the symptoms are related to one over the other, or both.
And when not treated simultaneously, clients end up with unhealthy coping mechanisms leading to a perpetual cycle of physical, emotional, and psychological distress and dysfunction.
Join ADHD and eating disorder expert Dena Cabrera, Psy.D., CEDS, as she guides you through how:
- The brain-behavior relationship between ADHD and eating disorders works
- Each condition can exacerbate the other's symptoms
- Genetic, neurological, psychological, and environmental factors play a role
- An untreated eating disorder can worsen ADHD symptoms
You’ll also learn how to use:
- An ADHD lens for eating disorders treatment
- Body-based interventions for body image concerns
- Polyagal Theroy-infomred interventions for nervous system regulation
- Sensory strategies for sensitivities, picky eating, and cravings
- Techniques for managing client’s strong emotions as well as releasing them
- Nutrition rehabilitation to keep client’s medically and emotionally safe
Attend this session so you can make a significant positive impact on your clients' journeys toward recovery of both conditions and improved overall well-being!
Program Information
Objectives
- Evaluate three risk factors in individuals diagnosed with eating disorders / disordered eating and ADHD.
- Describe three core symptoms associated in both ADHD and eating disorders.
- Utilize three ways to distinguish between ADHD and eating disorder symptomology.
- List five treatment strategies to utilize with clients with ADHD and eating disorders.
Outline
Prevalence of eating disorders and ADHD
Risk factors / associations between ADHD and eating disorders
Brain – Behavior relationship present in both disorders
Looking through the ADHD lens to treat eating disorders
The role of nutrition / nutritional rehabilitation in the treatment with ADHD and ED
Understanding and treating Body Image
Treatment Interventions
Case examples and Stories
Body-based / Sensory strategies for sensitivity, regulation, picky eating and craving
Strategies for managing strong emotions as well as techniques for releasing them
Limitations of research and risks of treatment
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Addiction Professionals
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Dieticians
- Social Workers
- Case Managers
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
Copyright :
11/10/2023
ADHD and the Mindful Path
What do you do when medication and traditional therapies stop working for your clients struggling with ADHD? Utilizing the practice of mindfulness and specific exercises based in neuroscience can help you break through your roadblocks and help clients regain their focus. This session will give you an in-depth look at the truths and misconceptions of using mindfulness to help treat ADHD, as well as the neuroscience that informs the practice and the evidence-based treatments that are available for your clients, from children to adults and even parents.
Program Information
Objectives
- Differentiate between ADHD and other disorders in relation to assessment and treatment planning.
- Analyze the common misconceptions regarding ADHD as related to clinical treatment.
- Integrate the neuroscience of ADHD into mindfulness interventions.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the various evidence and mindfulness-based treatments for ADHD to inform the clinician’s choice of treatment interventions.
- Employ numerous mindfulness exercises and interventions targeting the emotional and executive functioning impacts of ADHD in clients to improve treatment outcomes.
Outline
The Mindful ADHD Clinician
- Understanding symptoms of ADHD
- How is it diagnosed?
- What is executive functioning?
The Neuroscience of ADHD and Mindfulness Explained
- Why the brain does what it does
- What we need it to do
- Why mindfulness works for ADHD
Differentiate fact from fiction
- Common myths about ADHD
- Assessing for co-occurring disorders and other causes
- Client misconceptions regarding mindfulness for ADHD
Understand the impact of ADHD on children, adults and parents
- Are you treating ADHD or its emotional impact?
The Mindful Treatment of ADHD
- Medication Options
- Evidence-based treatment for ADHD
- Evidence-based efficacy of alternative approaches
Mindfulness Psychoeducation for ADHD
- Making mindfulness accessible
- Differentiating between mindfulness and meditation
- Explaining the benefits of mindfulness for ADHD
Mindfulness-based Tools for the Clinician
- Exercises to:
- Increase attention and impulse control
- Calm the mind, body and emotions
- Increase organization, memory and planning
- Manage Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria
- Increase self-compassion
- Reduce ADHD-related anxiety
- Increase emotional regulation ability
Mindful Parent-Behavior Therapy for ADHD
- Why we treat the parent and not the child
- Essential elements of Parent-behavior Therapy
Appropriate Referrals for the child or adult with ADHD Target Audience
- Counselors
- Educators
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Nurses
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- Other Mental Health Professions
Copyright :
03/09/2023