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We know the feeling. Whether you *think* you have ADHD, you've been trying to manage your diagnosis for years, or you've known about your neurodivergence your whole life, understanding yourself is often the hardest part — and we want to help.
You deserve to understand yourself properly, without overwhelm.
When you learn that you have ADHD, it's an immediate relief. You finally feel validated, that all the difficult moments and experiences finally MAKE SENSE.
...then, after the initial wave of relief wears off, you suddenly feel like there's so much to learn. Now that you know you have it, you have to actually understand how to DEAL with it.
But how are you supposed to decide where to start? And figure out what's real vs. what's just some social media "hack"? And understand all these new terms? And... help?! This is a lot!
you're
You just want a fast-track to understanding your ADHD, so you can go on with your life & finally "get" your own brain.
And you're not sure how to "deal" with this new way of living, because you don't have anyone to talk to about it.
Like you don't know WHY you feel a certain way, or HOW to get through certain situations.
We get that — individual therapy is very much "and how does that make you feel?" and not very "here's exactly what to do to deal with this right now."
introducing....
A 9-week neurodiversity-affirming group therapy program by and for women and non-binary ADHDers in Ontario who are diagnosed, self-identified, or ADHD-curious.
(Translation: nine weeks of group therapy with people whose brains work exactly like yours, so you can feel more supported and less alone.)
WHAT WE’LL COVER IN THIS GROUP THERAPY PROGRAM:
01
A "hey, hi, how are ya and who are ya?!" session, where you'll be introduced to your amazing co-facilitators and your fellow literally-like-minded group members. Our biggest focus is us all up for a "psychologically safe enough" experience in group therapy (don't worry, we go over what the heck that even means together). Think chatting confidentiality, collaborating on group expectations and just going for it in some facilitator-led getting to know you exercises.
week
02
During this week, we talk about the difference between neurodivergent traits and nervous system states. If you've ever heard the terms "regulation" and "dysregulation" before and wondered "um, what does that mean, exactly?" we're answering that question, and defining what that actually means, while we start learning some techniques to feel the differences between them.
week
03
No, um... not that kind! The nervous system kind!
Now that you know more about regulation and dysregulation, we'll spend Week 3 learning what could be stopping our nervous systems from thriving and keeping us stuck in states of "just surviving."
week
04
We've got sensory issues, how 'bout you? This week, we'll learn about our senses (beyond the five basics we learned in kindergarten) and why we might have some issues. We also start learning about how our senses are involved in our reward systems aka here is where we are learning about all the hype around dopamine.
week
05
Specifically: executive function skills — aka the brain-based skills we use to get stuff done (which is actually such a topic so juicy we cover it twice).
We start off our double-header sessions with an assessment tool to see where your strengths and challenges lie when it comes to these skills. We get started on key explanations for each skill: what the skill is and why it matters to you.
week
06
We'll take a closer look at how these brain-based skills work or don't work well together to either be functional or dysfunctional.
We'll also spend a good chunk of the session on a full group discussion, so we can crowd-source some hacks aka accommodations/modifications that have worked for ADHDers, so that you can find some EF management strategies that might work for you.
week
07
Did we pick a slightly vague title so it would fit neatly in our mnemonic? Yes, but hear us out. This session IS about your body's inner world, including key biological rhythms that control things that have a BIG impact on ADHD like sleep and reproductive hormones. Since this group is geared towards women and non-binary folks who range from menstruating to post-menopause; we deep dive into the newest info on managing ADHD across our cycles.
week
08
We are Therapists, do you really think we would let you walk away from this group without talking about your feelings? Come on.
We'll go beyond the classic mad-sad-glad emotions that most people know, to explore more complex emotions and why they can be so hard to deal with as ADHDers. We also teach real tools to use to help you with emotional regulation.
week
09
We saved the group gush-fest for last! We chat about attachment theory basics, mainly how when we don't get our relationship needs consistently met we might learn we can't be our authentic selves; also known as masking.
We reflect on how we feel (hopefully) unmasking in the relationships we gained with our group members. We also recap the key ideas from previous weeks before we wrap-up.
week
Sure, learning actionable skills that'll help you better manage the overwhelm that comes from unmanaged ADHD is probably the "best" benefit of this program, but what our past groups have LOVED most about it have been the "omg, wait, people like me actually exist?! and they're fun and cool?!" feeling that they got once they met people that struggle with the same things they did, and actually LIKED and RESPECTED those people. It was cool to watch, and we assume even cooler to actually EXPERIENCE. And we can't wait for it to happen for you, too.
Never done group therapy before?
It’s healing to know we are not alone in how we feel! Our online group is a closed program, which means we chat with each participant before the group begins to ensure it’s the right fit and we don't add new members as we go.
It's also a psychoeducational group; we have structured content on ADHD that we teach each week with a slide deck. You'll also have a participant manual for following along in sessions and using at home between sessions.
We pair content with real coping skills that we practice together as a group, and we always leave ample room for group discussion on what its like to be ADHDers. And don't worry, we take breaks during the session for water, snacks, the bathroom and getting the wiggles out!
This group is all about connection. You don't need prep; all you have to do is come exactly as you are, participate how you want, and know that facilitators will manage the discussions so it feels as safe as possible to share.
We appreciate that sometimes meeting new people can be hard, but this is a group where participants and facilitators know how it feels to struggle more than most.
It’s a place where we come together knowing we can each be our authentic selves, stim and get distracted throughout the 90 minute sessions, cut each other off, learn from one another - even facilitators gain invaluable knowledge from group members - and maybe even gain a new friend or two by the end of the final week.
NO PROBLEM!
And we can't say it enough:
you belong here.
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