4 Steps to Find an ADHD Therapist in the New Year

As professional ADHD coaches, we are always excited when a potential client says they already have a helpful therapist. It means the two of us can really focus on the areas of their life that can benefit from coaching. 

two coffee mugs sitting next to each other

If a client needs a therapist, but doesn’t have one or wants to change their therapeutic care, we support them in finding someone because finding someone can be a daunting, multistep task if they don’t already have a referral or someone in mind. 

This is the process we use. It can be labor intensive, so if you are undertaking it, I’d strongly recommend you get support and accountability of some kind.

Step 1:

Go to PsychologyToday.com and filter therapists in your area (this area might be wider if you’re looking for telehealth). Then filter for therapists who claim to specialize in ADHD and anything else relevant to your specific support.

Step 2:

Send mass emails to any therapist who fits the criteria of step one. When using this process to find therapists with a client, we will send out dozens. These questions are designed to help you rule out potential therapists quickly. Below is the copy/paste template for these emails:

“Hello,

Are you currently taking on clients? If not, approximately how long is your waitlist?

If you are currently taking on clients, I'd love to hear why you specialize in [insert relevant areas]? What brought you to this specialty? What experience do you have with it?

Thank you,

[Your Name]”

two hands reaching for each other

Step 3:

Interpret their reply. I have found the answer to the question about specialties can speak volumes. 

For example, if someone says, “I help my clients to understand that ADHD is a gift, really, and to embrace that,” we know that that person probably isn’t a good fit for most of our clients. Although there can be advantages to ADHD when applied properly, most people are seeking a professional to help them with problems related to their ADHD. 

Sometimes we've heard, “My child has ADHD, so I learned a lot about it by parenting them.” That is not adequate training to support a therapy client with ADHD. 

If someone doesn’t have adequate training or experience with ADHD, they can inadvertently offer counterproductive suggestions. Like, “Have you tried just using a planner?” Or “You should work harder at ___.” (Real examples.)

Step 4:

If you receive a response that seems to indicate that a professional might be worthwhile, or a good fit, contact them for further consultation:

“Hello,

Thank you for that information. How do I go about scheduling a first meeting with you?

Best,
[Your Name]”

a lady writing in a notebook

That’s it. Unfortunately, there’s not an easy way to reduce the amount of email work this process requires. The alternative is scheduling many consultations, which is exhausting. Hopefully having some templates makes it a little easier. And get external accountability for replying, where needed!

One final thought:

Don’t feel the need to reply to every single email. When it becomes evident that someone you’re talking to isn’t a good fit for you, consider dropping things there and hitting “archive”. The more replies to emails we think we need to do, the higher the likelihood we will resist doing any.

What do you think?

Are you considering finding a therapist? Would this work for you? Let me know!