ADHD can affect much more than attention. Difficulties with initiation, working memory, time awareness, planning, emotional regulation, motivation, and follow-through can make everyday life surprisingly difficult even when you understand perfectly well what you are supposed to be doing.
I work with adults and older teens who often describe a frustrating gap between knowing and doing. Over time, that gap can contribute to anxiety, shame, relationship conflict, burnout, and the feeling that ordinary responsibilities require much more effort than they seem to require for other people.
I’m Zac Erickson, a Registered Psychologist in Edmonton. ADHD and executive functioning are major areas of my practice, and I also have ADHD myself.
How ADHD can show up in adult life
ADHD may involve:
- difficulty getting started
- chronic procrastination
- losing track of time
- inconsistent routines
- forgetting things you intended to remember
- becoming overwhelmed by multi-step tasks
- difficulty switching attention
- relying on urgency to get moving
- emotional reactivity
- inconsistent follow-through
It can also affect how people feel about themselves. Repeated difficulty doing seemingly simple things can gradually become shame, self-criticism, or the belief that you are lazy or unreliable.
ADHD does not explain every difficulty a person has. Part of therapy is figuring out what ADHD seems to account for, what it does not, and what else may be contributing.
What therapy can help with
We might work on:
- understanding your particular executive-function difficulties
- reducing avoidance
- starting tasks more reliably
- planning and time management
- building simpler external systems
- emotional regulation
- shame and self-criticism
- relationship patterns affected by ADHD
- anxiety or burnout occurring alongside ADHD
Practical strategies matter, but strategies tend to work better when we understand the problem they are meant to solve.
Assessment and medication
I provide psychotherapy for ADHD and executive-function difficulties. I do not provide psychological assessment or ADHD diagnosis.
A formal diagnosis is not required to work on executive-function difficulties in therapy.
Medication can be an important part of ADHD treatment for some people. Assessment and prescribing are provided by physicians or other authorized prescribers, not through Recharge Psychology.
Sessions
Individual therapy for adults and older teens, generally age 16 and up.
In person in Edmonton and virtually throughout Alberta.
50-minute sessions. $235 per session. Direct billing is available with many extended-health insurance providers depending on your plan.
