Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program (Second Edition): Workbook
Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program comes in two volumes. This page is for the Client Workbook. Click here to access the Therapist Guide.
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 / Havard) and backed by rigorous clinical research, this treatment program combines cognitive and behavioral 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, Mastering Your Adult ADHD delivers a proven, holistic pathway to success for adults navigating the complexities of ADHD.
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Chapter 1: Information About Adult ADHD
Chapter 2: Overview of This Treatment Program for ADHD in Adulthood
Chapter 3: Informational Session with Spouse, Partner, or Family Member (if applicable)
Chapter 4: The Foundation: Organizing and Planning Skills
Chapter 5: Organization of Multiple Tasks
Chapter 6: Problem Solving and Managing Overwhelming Tasks
Chapter 7: Organizational Systems
Chapter 8: Gauging Your Attention Span and Distractibility Delay
Chapter 9: Modifying Your Environment
Chapter 10: Introducing a Cognitive Model of ADHD
Chapter 11: Adaptive Thinking
Chapter 12: Rehearsal and Review of Adaptive Thinking Skills
Chapter 13: Application of Skills to Procrastination (optional)
Chapter 14: Handling Skills
Appendix
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 Therapist Guide as well as this workbook.
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),