How Does CBT Work for ADHD?
Published February 22nd, 2024
5 min read
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective way to treat the symptoms of ADHD.
Written by Simon Spichak
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental health conditions affecting kids. It makes it hard to stay on task and regulate emotions and makes it difficult to do well in school. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps treat ADHD by teaching kids the skills they need to manage their symptoms.
Signs and symptoms of ADHD
There are many different kinds of symptoms of ADHD. Some of the symptoms affect focus, attention, and concentration like:
A tendency to get distracted
Difficulty staying on task
Difficulty organizing tasks
Careless mistakes
Difficulty finishing tasks
A short attention span
Zoning out or daydreaming
Other symptoms affect behaviour and are sometimes called hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. They include:
Difficulty sitting still
Interrupting conversations
More risk-taking behaviours
Trouble waiting
Trouble regulating emotions
Difficulty maintaining social relationships
Symptoms in girls and women might be less visible. They are more likely to experience daydreaming, inattention, and anxiety as a result of ADHD.
In adulthood, ADHD can also make it difficult to hold down a job, manage work and social relationships, and also make it hard for you to deal with stress.
Getting CBT for ADHD
There are a few different ways that people can start their ADHD treatment journey.
Sometimes, people will seek a referral from their family doctor and try to get a diagnosis from a psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychiatric nurse. The referral might be a requirement for insurance coverage, or you might want to know for sure that you have ADHD.
But a diagnosis isn’t required if you want to try CBT with a psychotherapist — they can help treat the symptoms even if you aren’t able to afford or access a proper diagnosis.
Finding the right therapist
The first step that you’ll need to take is finding the right therapist for you. Typically, therapists will offer a free 15-minute consultation as a meet and greet.
You can ask the therapists how often they’ve treated people with similar symptoms, as well as other questions, to get to know them and whether their therapy style might fit you. For some people, it might take some time to find someone they are comfortable working with.
The first therapy session
During the very first formal session, the therapist will ask you a lot of different questions to understand how your symptoms are affecting other aspects of your life.
They will ask you about your goals, and by the end of the first session or the start of the second session, they will present a treatment plan that the two of you can discuss.
How CBT can treat ADHD symptoms
CBT is often used to help people with ADHD get unstuck from negative, self-critical thought patterns that can affect their mood, concentration and productivity.
Some of these thoughts might sound familiar to you:
“I never do anything right.”
“This can’t be good if it’s not perfect.”
“I just can’t do it, so I won’t even try.”
“They can do it, why can’t I?”
The strategies and skills that CBT teaches you include:
Cognitive restructuring or reframing. Helping you identify, challenge, and eventually even change negative underlying thoughts or beliefs.
Behavioural modification. Helping you change your response to specific thoughts, emotions, or situations to align with long-term goals. This can help replace behaviours like procrastination with more productive strategies.
Skills training. This helps you learn how to think through your emotions, organize your thoughts, and recognize some of the harmful thought patterns or irrational beliefs you may hold. It can also help you develop healthy coping strategies for stress.
Goal setting. CBT can teach you how to set goals in a manageable and attainable way.
Is CBT effective for treating individuals with ADHD?
CBT is effective for treating both adults and kids with ADHD.
It is often combined with frontline pharmaceutical treatments like Adderall and Ritalin, which are effective in 70 to 80 percent of children, teens, and adults with moderate to severe ADHD.
Some people with ADHD might also opt for different forms of therapy like dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), which focuses solely on changing behaviours and building up a distress tolerance, or executive function coaching.
Assistive technologies can be thrown into the mix. These software programs, devices, and apps help people with ADHD work more effectively, stay organized, and prevent procrastination.
How Resolvve can help
If you are looking to read more about ADHD, you can check out these resources:
Resolvve’s therapists are skilled at delivering CBT for people with ADHD and other problems with executive function. Click here to book an appointment with one of our therapists.
Please note that this post is written for educational purposes; it is not therapy. If you need to talk to a professional, please book a consultation with a psychotherapist through Resolvve.
