The Gift of ADHD

ADHD is Not a Deficit

In fact, it can feel like a superpower. People with ADHD often have wide-ranging interests, paving the way for multipotentiality. They tend to be creative, intuitive, ingenious, and energetic. The ADHD brain can track multiple conversations at once while hyperfocusing intensely on topics of deep interest. Living with ADHD requires creative problem-solving and resilience to navigate obstacles and setbacks. These traits—curiosity, adaptability, ingenuity, and multipotentiality—foster exploration, innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking. You can learn how to manage attentional weaknesses, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and executive functioning challenges; however, ADHD traits like creativity, resilience, and ingenuity are often inherent gifts.

ADHD Assessments

Getting an accurate ADHD diagnosis can be life-changing, but ADHD is complex and often misdiagnosed in adults. I bring both clinical training and decades of lived experience—including 14 years as a parent of ADHD kids—to provide a thorough, insightful evaluation that captures the full picture of who you are, not just your symptoms. My approach is strengths-based and designed to provide real clarity, even for those who have been misdiagnosed or overlooked in the past.

I offer comprehensive ADHD evaluations for adults, using a multi-method, evidence-based approach to ensure accuracy and reliability. My assessment process includes:

  • A thorough clinical interview

  • Developmental history

  • Scientifically validated assessments

  • Input from someone close to you

  • A medical review to rule out conditions that may mimic or contribute to ADHD symptoms

My goal is for your ADHD evaluation to be affirming, insightful, and a positive experience. Evaluations are typically completed in 3–4 sessions, and I strive not just to provide clarity about your symptoms, but to equip you with actionable strategies to help you thrive.

My ADHD Experience

I have ADHD and dyscalculia, but I wasn’t diagnosed until my 40s. As I entered middle age, I started to think something was seriously wrong with my brain. I couldn’t focus and struggled to manage the routine demands of life. A neuropsychologist evaluated me, misdiagnosed me, and I resigned myself to living with my broken brain. It wasn’t until I revisited my own history, through the lens of my children’s diagnoses, that I recognized the signs I’d missed in myself. I loved school and had no “behavioral issues,” but I was a known motor-mouther and fervent hand-raiser. Adults chastised me for inattention, distracting others, being “too creative,” and not living up to my potential. I was told:

  • "Your problem with math isn’t your capacity, it’s that you don’t like it."

  • "You do nothing and get A’s and B’s. Imagine if you tried…"

Standardized tests were my kryptonite and one of the biggest barriers to my success. My high school guidance counselor told me I wouldn’t get into a top school. Spoiler alert: I got in to Johns Hopkins! Plot twist: I became a bartender after graduation. While my peers pursued med school and diplomatic careers, I worked full-time as a bartender—an experience that taught me more about the human condition than any psychology textbook ever could. I volunteered at the med school on the side, answering phones and transcribing physician notes in Drs. Kay Redfield Jamison and Ray DePaulo’s office. My path to becoming a psychologist has been non-linear. I’m a late bloomer, two-time geriatric mother, and one of the oldest graduates of a fully funded applied psychology PhD program. I’m a unicorn in higher ed, and I have no regrets.

I had to get a PhD in psychology to diagnose myself. Like many high-achieving girls with ADHD, I fell through the cracks. I (mostly) did well academically while internally struggling with focus, organization, moodiness, anxiety, and self-esteem. Getting an accurate diagnosis, redefining how I saw myself, and starting medication changed my life for the better.

As a clinician, mother, and human, I understand the complexity of ADHD and how it evolves across the lifespan. If you’ve ever wondered whether you have undiagnosed ADHD, I get it. My goal is to see the whole of you and work together on a non-pathologizing, strengths-based approach to treatment.