Psychotherapy Informed by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD can shape how you begin, organize, prioritize, remember, shift between tasks, manage time, regulate emotion, and follow through. It can also shape how you understand yourself.

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Many adolescents and adults with ADHD arrive in therapy carrying both the practical consequences of executive-functioning differences and years of criticism about those differences. Difficulty getting started becomes “laziness.” Inconsistency becomes “not caring.” Missed details become “irresponsibility.” Over time, these interpretations can contribute to shame, anxiety, perfectionism, avoidance, depression, and the persistent feeling that you are failing at things that appear easier for everyone else.

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At Samar, ADHD therapy addresses both parts of the experience: the emotional impact of living with ADHD and the practical work of building a life that is more manageable.

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Some of the reasons people seek ADHD-responsive therapy

• Feeling chronically overwhelmed, behind, or unable to keep up

• Difficulty starting, prioritizing, organizing, transitioning, or completing tasks

• Cycles of intense productivity followed by exhaustion or loss of capacity

• Anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, or a harsh and punitive self-concept

• Emotional intensity, rejection sensitivity, defensiveness, or difficulty recovering after conflict

• Repeated breakdowns in routines, systems, or strategies that initially seemed promising

• Conflict involving reliability, household responsibilities, parenting, communication, or follow-through

• Difficulty managing work, school, health care, finances, paperwork, or other administrative demands

 

What therapy may include

Therapy may involve understanding a recurring pattern, identifying where a task is breaking down, reducing shame, improving emotional regulation, or developing more realistic supports for everyday functioning.

The work is specific. Rather than recommending another planner or productivity system, we examine what made previous strategies difficult to sustain. The problem may involve unclear starting points, too many steps, limited working memory, low reward, sensory discomfort, competing demands, time blindness, perfectionism, fear of failure, or a system that required more executive functioning than it provided.

 

Sessions may include:

• A clear agenda or written recap when helpful

• One or two defined next steps rather than an overwhelming list

• Breaking a task down until the first action is genuinely clear

• Developing routines with realistic restart plans

• Completing planning, paperwork, or other difficult tasks together when clinically appropriate

• Distinguishing ADHD-related difficulties from depression, trauma, sleep disruption, sensory overload, anxiety, or values conflict

• Including a partner or family member when misunderstandings around ADHD are affecting the relationship

 

Strategies are treated as experiments, not tests of character. When something does not work, we examine what needs to change.

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Medication and evaluation

Psychotherapy can support mental health, relationships, self-understanding, and everyday functioning. It does not replace medical evaluation or medication management when those services are indicated.

With written consent, Samar can coordinate with outside prescribers, evaluators, or other members of your care team.

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Session options

In-person appointments are available in Pasadena, California. Secure telehealth appointments are available throughout California.

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Fees and Insurance

Individual psychotherapy sessions are $255. Couples, relationship, and family therapy sessions are $275.

Samar Neurodivergent Therapy Center is an out-of-network practice and does not participate directly with insurance plans. Upon request, we can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Coverage and reimbursement vary by plan. We recommend contacting your insurance provider directly to confirm your out-of-network mental health benefits.

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