Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program (Second Edition): Therapist Guide
Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Program comes in two volumes. This page is for the Therapist Guide. Click here to access the Client Workbook.
Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program offers a comprehensive guide for therapists to help clients overcome the unique challenges of adult ADHD. While medications can alleviate core symptoms like inattention and impulsivity, many adults continue to face significant difficulties in areas such as organization, time management, and emotional regulation. This evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program provides practical tools and strategies to complement medication, empowering clients to build lasting improvements in both personal and professional domains. Developed at Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School (MGH / Harvard) and backed by rigorous clinical research, this treatment program combines cognitive and behavioural techniques to address the real-world impairments of ADHD. Therapists are guided through a structured, modular approach that includes adaptive thinking skills, organizational systems, and strategies for overcoming procrastination. With refinements based on patient feedback and tailored sessions for family involvement, the guide delivers a proven, holistic pathway to success for adults navigating the complexities of ADHD.
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Introductory Information for Therapists
Session 1: Psychoeducation and Introduction to Organization and Planning
Session 2: Informational Session with Spouse, Partner, or Family Member (if applicable)
Session 3: Organization of Multiple Tasks
Session 4: Problem-Solving and Managing Overwhelming Tasks
Session 5: Organizational Systems
Session 6: Gauging the Client’s Attention Span and Teaching Distractibility Delay
Session 7: Modifying the Environment
Session 8: Introducing a Cognitive Model of ADHD
Session 9: Adaptive Thinking
Session 10: Rehearsal and Review of Adaptive Thinking Skills
Session 11: Application of Skills to Procrastination (optional)
Session 12: Handling Slips
Appendix: Forms and Worksheets
References
Front Matter
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Introduction & Theoretical Background
ADHD is a well-established neurobiological disorder that is validly and reliably diagnosed in both childhood and adulthood (Agarwal, Goldenberg, Perry, & Ishak, 2012; Barkley, Murphy, & Fischer, 2008). Adult ADHD is associated with significant impairments in employment, education, and social functioning, with core symptoms such as inattention, impulsivity, and poor self-regulation leading to challenges in organization, time management, and interpersonal relationships (Biederman et al., 1996; Barkley, 1998). These difficulties often result in underachievement, financial struggles, and chaotic routines. Additionally, adults with ADHD have higher risks of substance abuse and engagement in risky behaviors, including unsafe driving and impulsive decision-making (Barkley, Murphy, & Fischer, 2008).
Medications are currently the most extensively studied treatment for adult ADHD and are effective in alleviating core symptoms like inattention and hyperactivity (Faraone & Glatt, 2010). However, 20% to 50% of adults are nonresponders due to insufficient symptom reduction or medication intolerance, and even some responders
Therapist Guidance
Each Treatments That Work® title is published in multiple volumes:
- Clients use the Workbooks, which contain elements of psychoeducation, skills development, self-assessment quizzes, homework exercises, and record forms.
- Therapists use the Therapist Guides, which contain step-by-step instructions for teaching clients’ skills, overcoming common difficulties.
Although written for the client, the exercises in the Workbook are intended to be carried out under the supervision of a mental health professional. The authors suggest that the most effective implementation of these exercises requires an understanding of the principles underlying the different procedures, and that mental health professionals should be familiar with the Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program: Workbook as well as this Therapist Guide.
Therapists with an active subscription to a Psychology Tools ‘Complete’ plan are licensed to use Treatments That Work® titles, and to download and share chapters with their clients.
References And Further Reading
- Agarwal, R., Goldenberg, M., Perry, R., & Ishak, W. W. (2012). The quality of life of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 9(5–6), 10–21.
- Barkley, R. A. (1998). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
- Barkley, R. A., Murphy, K. R., & Fischer, M. (2008). ADHD in adults: What the science says. New York: Guilford Press.
- Biederman, J., Wilens, T. E., Spencer, T. J., Faraone, S. V., Mick, E., Ablon, J. S., & Keily, K. (1996). Diagnosis and treatment of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In M. H. Pollack, M. W. Otto, & J. F. Rosenbaum (Eds.), Challenges in clinical practice (pp. 380–407). New York: Guilford Press.
- Faraone, S. V., & Glatt, S. J. (2010). A comparison of the efficacy of medications for adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using meta-analysis of effect sizes. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 71(6),