Can Counseling Help ADHD?

Need To Know:

Keep in mind that children with ADHD may not enjoy traditional sit in a chair and talk type counseling.

Need To Know:

To help determine if your child might benefit from counseling, answer yes or no to the following questions:

• Does your child make negative statements about himself/herself, his/her ability to make friends, or his/her schoolwork?

• Does your child have difficult with sleep, appetite, or moodiness?

• Is it difficult for your child to talk to you about his/her problems?

• Have you seen a dramatic change for the worse in your child’s daily behavior and functioning?

• Does your child understand ADHD, and is he/she a motivated participant in the treatment process?

• Does the rest of the family need counseling?

• Is your family under stress?

• Is there conflict between you and your partner about the best way to work with your child?

• Are brothers and sisters having a hard time?

• Do you need to learn better strategies to help your child?

• Are you having trouble managing your child’s behavior?

Any “yes” answers might mean that your child, or the family, would benefit from counseling. It need not be long term; sometimes just a few sessions can make a big difference.