You are ready to begin (or continue) the journey to live your best life with ADHD! But you’re not sure where to start. You’ve heard people suggest counseling or coaching or just visiting a psychiatrist…but what’s the difference? This short guide should help.
Psychiatrist:
- prescribes medications
- is a medical professional
- generally doesn’t provide behavioral or emotional support
Counselor:
- helps find emotional resolutions to current problems
- looks into the past to explore what contributes to current emotions
- is trained to treat or heal a variety of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, and trauma.
- must be licensed and insured
- tends to be more of a generalist, unless they specialize in a specific area
ADHD Coach:
- helps explore strengths, personal narratives, and core values
- helps identify priorities and goals
- helps identify and overcome obstacles with practical action oriented strategies
- future focused
- should have extensive knowledge and training in ADHD
- does not treat or heal mental health conditions
What to choose?
Here are a few questions to consider:
Do you need or want a diagnosis?
- psychiatrist
- counselor
Do you need or want medication?
- psychiatrist
Do you want to focus more on action than process?
- ADHD coach
Do you struggle with extreme anxiety, depression, trauma not related to ADHD?
- counselor
Do you want to see a decrease in anxiety relating to ADHD?
- ADHD coach
- counselor (who specializes in ADHD)
Do you want to explore specific future goals and work on self-improvement?
- ADHD coach
Do you want to find ways to manage your ADHD in areas like time management or executive functioning?
- ADHD coach
- counselor (who specializes in ADHD)
With this information you can make better informed decisions about the next stop on your path to your best life.
Are you ready to take the next step?
If your next step is ADHD coaching or ADHD counseling (Colorado), book a free ADHD Strategy Session with me today to explore how we can work together to get everything you want out of life with ADHD.