Is the back of your phone screen cracked? Do you work well under pressure, because you don’t know any other way? Were you a really hyper child? Do you go on a lot of side quests? Is zoning out a given during every meeting?
Are you stressing out about that thing you need to do, can’t stop thinking about, and know you would feel better if it was done, but you just… can’t?
…when was the last time you, ya know, finished a project you started? (People do that?!)
are we reading your mind right now?
Yeah, we thought so — it’s because OUR minds are the same. (And, yeah, our minds are as messy as our junk drawers, and cars, and desks, too.)
So, when you’re searching for a therapist to help you navigate life as a neurodivergent person (or someone who thinks they may have ADHD), finding someone who actually knows what it’s like to deal with attention deficit hyperactivity is extremely validating.
And unless you HAVE it, you don’t UNDERSTAND it.
SO — ALLOW US TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES:
(…and also a “No, seriously, learning new hobbies IS my hobby” Hobby Hopper.)
My late diagnosis of ADHD-Combined Type with OCD traits led me to find my sense of self, my purpose, and my people. Getting to know my ADHD mind, brain, and body completely changed my life for the better — in the least cheesy way possible, of course.
What I couldn't find, though? An Adult ADHD Therapist to help me figure out what to do next. So, I became that therapist for YOU.
Specializing as a therapist for late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults has been the single best impulsive career move my ADHD mind ever made. But, hey, sometimes impulsivity is just curiosity and creativity gone right!
I founded The Curious Collective in 2021, left my old dream job as an Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit Hospital Social Worker to pursue this new dream job full-time in 2022, and it went so well that I found myself on the TEDxMcMasterU stage in 2023.
Now, I’m finding out what being a parent is all about, and I’m not taking on any new clients (yet!) — which is why I have found you THE BEST TEAM of ADHD therapists. You can get to know them below!
sessions starting at $165/hr
My ADHD experience still feels new, as a more recently diagnosed woman. I do know it’s why I have worked at four different organizations in my ten year career so far, as I have a zest for change and new challenges!
I have a BSW from the University of Waterloo, and met Krista at the University of Toronto in 2018 where I obtained a Master of Social Work. My work experience includes community mental health & addictions counselling/case management, outpatient group facilitation and inpatient discharge planning at the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health, and counselling at a family health team. I joined The Curious Collective last year!
Living and working as a therapist with ADHD helps me stay passionate about learning and following desires - sometimes quite impulsively. I see each of my work experiences as personal growth and more tools in my compassionate toolbox that I can then effectively share with others!
I know the feeling of often shifting between boredom and burnout, and thinking I’m “too much and yet not enough”. This helps me relate more deeply to folks with ADHD or who are ADHD-curious, knowing we are not alone & can together can build more self-compassion & self- acceptance.
sessions starting at $150/hr
I suppose I could tell you I’m a hobby collector extraordinaire (I’m a ‘jack of all trades, master of absolutely none’ type of gal), but maybe you could’ve guessed that, given the ADHD of it all?
I was asked to keep this brief, but I oop-
Getting to know my own ADHD identity has been a journey. It was something I was aware ~might be a thing~ for a while, until eventually things spiraled and I couldn’t ignore my symptoms any longer.
This experience has led me to having a deep sense of connection with fellow ADHDers who find themselves struggling to manage symptoms in the day-to-day, and especially when those symptoms suddenly become unmanageable because something either internal or external has changed.
School was tough for me, but I managed to complete a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) at McMaster University in 2018. I went on to work in community mental health - with a focus on crisis work and suicide intervention - before going back for my Master of Social Work (MSW) at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2020.
Since then, I have worked in the ICU and Palliative Care, providing support to individuals and families facing end-of-life and life-altering experiences, and I come to this work with special care for experiences of grief and loss (and how they intersect with ADHD - a lot).
sessions starting at $150/hr
the work in action ↓
KRISTA
marielle
alison
KRISTA
alison
MARIELLE
marielle
alison
And we wanted to contribute to the cause of making ADHDers feel less alone.
As late-identified ADHDers, it took a while for us to find — let alone feel like we truly fit into — the neurodivergent community. Something about the years spent questioning, and the late-twenties official diagnoses, and the “am I imagining this?” back-and-forth made us feel like we didn’t quite belong.
Now, we’re on a mission to affirm people who know they have ADHD, people who aren’t yet sure if they “belong” in the ADHD community, and everyone in between.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
We wanted to create what we wished we'd had.
Collaboration
Justice
Equity
(Self-) Compassion
Belonging
Safety, as defined by YOU
We also believe that curiosity and creativity equal innovation, and that compassion and community equal empowerment. & Above all else, we’re all about creating the most affirming, safe, and supportive environments.
Accessibility
Playfulness
Learning
Does that sound good to you?
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