Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD: A Practical, Easy-To-Use Guide for Clinicians
a book review by Sarah Wright, A.C.T.
Ari Tuckman, a clinical psychologist in eastern Pennsylvania and member of the Board of Directors of ADDA, has written a wonderful book titled Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD: A Practical, Easy-To-Use Guide for Clinicians.
The cover text describes a four-part, comprehensive treatment model that includes:
- Family education as a clinical intervention
- Effective medication options
- Coaching for better time management, organization, and more
- CBT for depression, anxiety, and self esteem issues
It has garnered rave reviews from Russell Barkley, Sam Goldstein, Barbara Ingersoll, and others for being comprehensive, science-based, and readable. It is aimed at clinicians, but entirely accessible to anyone who is interested in this subject (like ADHD Coaches!).
Really, if you add one book to your collection this year, try this one. It sums up, in a highly readable way, all the stuff we as ADHD Coaches need to know to educate ourselves and our clients about ADHD. There are marvelous sections on effectively diagnosing Adult ADHD (not that we ever do that, just good information to have), and the impact of adult ADHD on all areas of life. The whole chapter on meds and other interventions is readable and to the point. You may not agree with his summaries on non-medical interventions, but he includes everything. And the section on Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is very clear on why therapists need to adapt traditional psychotherapy for the ADHD adult, and how to do it.
In the coaching section, for which he had help from ACO member coaches Nancy Ratey and Jodi Sleeper-Triplett, he cites both the ACO and the IAAC as organizations to know about. He goes over what coaching does and how to find a good ADHD coach. Everything in this chapter will be familiar to all of us, but it can be a good quick review. What I love most about this chapter is his conclusion:
Coaching is an important part of treatment for ADHD adults and it’s the part that was missing from many of these clients’ former therapies. Success in the present cuts the chains of failure binding them to their pasts. [...] The key is to give each client what she needs, no matter how different from the client before her. Coaching is just one more tool in our toolbox to help us get our jobs done, and done well.
So, buy this for yourself. Read it. Enjoy it. Buy it for clinicians you are seeking referral relationships with. I’m willing to bet it will pay off.
About the author:
Sarah D. Wright, M.S., A.C.T., is an ADHD Coach in private practice in the San Diego, California region. She is co-author, with Roland Rotz, Ph.D., of Fidget to Focus-Outwit Your Boredom: Sensory Strategies for Living with ADD. You can find her on the web at www.swcc.biz. Contact her by email at sarah@swcc.biz or by phone at (760) 436-8766.