UKAAN Psychosocial support and skills training for Adults with ADHD
This week Doctor Divergent had the privilege of attending the UK Adult ADHD Network Psychosocial support and skills training course. UKAAN are one of the largest ADHD training providers in the UK, offering courses tailored to ADHD diagnosis, management and support which is evidenced based and delivered by experts in ADHD.
Topics covered
The intense course programme covered all elements of support that can be offered to our ADHD clients outside of prescribing medication for ADHD. By taking a closer look at the psychological constructs underlying ADHD, such as difficulties in executive function, altered delay-reward abilities, lower energy and poor motivation, we explored different ways to support our clients which can be applied to a whole range of client issues.
Not just psychoeducation
Whilst psychoeducation is helpful for clients to understand their ADHD and ADHD-associated difficulties, we recognise that there is often grief and loss that underpins an adult diagnosis of ADHD in addition to the validation a diagnosis may provide. Humanistic approaches like we use here at Doctor Divergent, are helpful to enable clients to understand their unique strengths and limitations, make sense of their lives in the context of their new self-knowledge and develop goals for how they want their lives to look moving forward in their new identity as an adult with ADHD.
Coaching strategies for ADHD
Doctor Divergent has already supported clients to better accept their ADHD diagnosis, process grief and loss associated with a late diagnosis, reflect upon and better navigate personal and professional relationships, and to identify and process their emotions.
However, following the UKAAN training, Doctor Divergent is excited to offer new skills adapted from traditional coaching approaches which can be used alongside therapeutic approaches to enable a holistic support package that can be tailored to individual clients. These include:
- Time management skills
- Focusing on singular goals
- Strategies to aid initiating and completing tasks
Doctor Divergent hopes to develop a range of psychoeducational materials to support our clients in their transformational journeys. Please watch this space for more details!
This article was written by Dr Jackie on behalf of Doctor Divergent Ltd. If you would like to know more about how Doctor Divergent can support you following your ADHD diagnosis then please click here to enquire about our individual therapeutic support.