ADHD THERAPY IN NEW YORK
ADHD therapy for adults whose brains do not do well with vague advice
If you keep calling yourself lazy, inconsistent, bad at follow-through, or “just terrible at life,” there is a decent chance that is not actually the problem. ADHD in adults can look like overwhelm, shame, task paralysis, burnout, chronic lateness, perfectionism, emotional overreaction, and never quite being able to do things the way other people seem to.
I work with adults across New York State through telehealth. A lot of my clients are high-functioning on paper and exhausted in real life. They are smart, capable, and deeply tired of trying harder in ways that never actually work.
Currently accepting new clients
01 THIS MIGHT SOUND FAMILIAR
This might look like ADHD
- You know exactly what you need to do and still cannot make yourself start.
- Small tasks turn into full-body dread for reasons that make no sense on paper.
- You wait until the last possible second, then pull it off, then feel terrible about how you got there.
- You are always trying to build a better system, and every new system works for about four days.
- You lose track of time, forget things you genuinely care about, or feel constantly behind.
- You swing between overcommitting and shutting down.
- You are successful enough that other people assume you are fine.
- You have spent years being called lazy, dramatic, disorganized, flaky, too sensitive, or "bad at adulting."
A lot of adults with ADHD are not obviously hyperactive. They are overwhelmed, ashamed, and very good at hiding it.
02 WHAT ADULT ADHD ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
Adult ADHD rarely looks the way people think it will
A lot of people still picture ADHD as a little kid who cannot sit still in class. That is part of why so many adults miss it for years.
In adults, ADHD often looks more like:
- chronic procrastination
- task paralysis
- emotional intensity
- time blindness
- impulsive decisions
- burnout
- perfectionism
- starting strong and struggling to sustain
- feeling capable but inconsistent
- needing urgency to function
For a lot of people, especially women and people diagnosed later in life, the story is not “I could never focus.” It is more like: I can focus incredibly well on some things and absolutely cannot access my brain for others.
That inconsistency is part of what makes ADHD feel so defeating. It is hard to trust yourself when you know what you are capable of, but cannot always get there on command.
03 THE PART PEOPLE USUALLY MISS
The problem is not that you do not care enough
Most adults with ADHD have already tried:
- trying harder
- planners
- apps
- timers
- color-coded systems
- shame
- self-criticism
- pretending they are finally "getting it together"
Usually the issue is not insight. It is not intelligence. It is not motivation in the simple sense.
The issue is that ADHD affects initiation, regulation, prioritization, working memory, and follow-through. Which means the advice that works for other people often lands as one more thing you cannot consistently do.
That is why ADHD can turn into a constant low-grade identity crisis. You start wondering whether you are actually irresponsible, selfish, lazy, immature, or broken.
You are not.
But living that way for long enough can absolutely make you feel like you are.
04 WHAT THERAPY LOOKS LIKE
Therapy should feel like the most useful conversation you have all week
This work is not about giving you a prettier planner and sending you on your way.
It is about figuring out what is actually happening in your brain, where the friction is showing up, what shame has built up around it, and what kind of support is actually useful for you.
In therapy, we might work on:
- understanding how your ADHD shows up specifically
- reducing shame and self-criticism
- building systems that fit your actual life
- noticing emotional triggers and overwhelm earlier
- working with perfectionism instead of pretending it is helping
- understanding rejection sensitivity and why certain things hit so hard
- untangling the years of "why can't I just do it?" from your sense of self
- making daily life feel less chaotic and less punishing
This is practical, but it is not shallow. We are not just trying hacks. We are trying to make your life feel more doable.
Related reading: ADHD is not laziness, task paralysis and executive dysfunction, and rejection sensitivity.
05 WHY THIS WORK IS PERSONAL
I understand this clinically and from the inside
I’m an LCSW with nearly two decades of clinical experience across private practice, community mental health, and psychiatric emergency work. I also have ADHD, which means I understand what this kind of brain feels like from the inside, not just professionally.
That matters.
A lot of adults with ADHD have spent their lives being misunderstood by teachers, partners, parents, bosses, and eventually by themselves. It is a different experience to sit with someone who is not going to pathologize everything, oversimplify it, or give you generic advice that falls apart by Tuesday.
You do not need more judgment. You need a better map.
06 WHO THIS IS FOR
ADHD therapy may be a good fit if you are
- newly diagnosed and trying to make sense of it
- wondering if ADHD might explain a lot
- burned out from years of overcompensating
- successful in some areas and barely holding it together in others
- stuck in cycles of shame, avoidance, and urgency
- dealing with rejection sensitivity, people-pleasing, or perfectionism on top of ADHD
- tired of being told to "just make a list"
You can also read more about the broader therapy services I offer or check the FAQ for insurance, rates, and first-session questions.
07 FAQ
Questions about ADHD therapy
Do you offer ADHD therapy virtually?
Yes. I work with adults across New York State through telehealth.
Do I need a formal ADHD diagnosis to start therapy?
No. Some clients come in with a diagnosis, and some come in because they are starting to wonder whether ADHD might explain what has felt hard for years.
Can therapy help if I already know I have ADHD?
Yes. Knowing you have ADHD and knowing how to actually work with it are two different things. Therapy can help with shame, overwhelm, patterns, relationships, and daily functioning.
Do you work with adults who were diagnosed late?
Absolutely. Late diagnosis often comes with grief, relief, anger, and a lot of rethinking. That is real material for therapy.
You might also be dealing with:
If this sounds familiar, we should probably talk
I offer a free 15-minute consultation. No intake form. No pressure. Just a chance to see whether this feels like the right fit.
Currently accepting new clients