I recall being a psychiatrist in the early 2000s; ADHD in therapy was just beginning to enter clinical conversations. Some psychiatrists rejected the idea of neurodiversity, while others saw an opportunity to move toward something clinically important. Over time, more mental health professionals recognized how ADHD symptoms can profoundly shape treatment outcomes. Today, recognizing ADHD in therapy is not a niche skill, it is a practical clinical competency that helps therapists reduce shame, improve follow-through, and tailor interventions to how a client’s brain and nervous system actually function. Below are five reasons why every therapist should understand ADHD in therapy.
Adult ADHD
Emotional Dysregulation
ADHD and Trauma Overlap
Short answer: ADHD in therapy means identifying how executive function, attention regulation, and emotional reactivity affect treatment progress. When therapists recognize these patterns and use smaller steps, external structure, and shame-reducing language, clients are more likely to follow through, regulate emotion, and genuinely benefit from care.
Clinical frame: Recognizing ADHD in therapy does not mean “labeling quickly.” It means holding a broader, more accurate hypothesis about attention, emotion regulation, nervous system load, and daily functioning, so the client’s story makes sense and treatment planning becomes more precise.
Key clinical facts
- Emotional dysregulation is a clinically significant feature in many people with ADHD. (Shaw et al., 2014)
- ADHD and trauma-related symptoms can overlap significantly, complicating assessment and care. (NIH/PMC comorbidity review)
- Evidence-based care may include behavioral supports, therapy, and medication when appropriate. (CDC)
- Comprehensive, individualized assessment improves treatment matching and outcomes. (NIMH)
1. ADHD in Therapy: Why Long-Term Relationships Reveal What Short Assessments Miss
When clients seek an ADHD diagnosis, there is often a sense of urgency to reach a decision as quickly as possible. In contrast, therapists have the unique opportunity to truly get to know their clients over time, how they think, feel, plan, remember, relate, and recover from setbacks. This is one of the core reasons ADHD in therapy matters: the therapeutic relationship offers a longitudinal view that can clarify patterns that short assessments may miss.
Research by Drechsler et al. (2020) shows that building long-term relationships in clinical settings leads to a more nuanced understanding of diagnoses compared to short assessment sessions. Ultimately, considering a diagnosis in this context stems from a genuine understanding of the client, not simply trying to label them.
Quick self-check for therapists: when should ADHD be on your radar? (tap to expand)
- Client is highly motivated but repeatedly struggles to convert insight into follow-through.
- Frequent “I forgot / I lost track / I meant to” patterns across multiple settings.
- Emotional spikes, quick regret, and recurring shame cycles.
- Chronic overwhelm around planning, time, and transitions.
- Therapy homework fails repeatedly, even when the task is small and meaningful.
You are not diagnosing in-session. You are widening the clinical hypothesis so the treatment plan actually fits the person.
What you can notice in therapy
- Time-blindness (“I thought it was five minutes… it was two hours.”)
- Inconsistent performance: high potential, uneven execution
- Working-memory strain: losing track, forgetting steps
- Emotion spikes that fade quickly but leave shame behind
What clients often conclude instead
- “I’m lazy.”
- “I’m irresponsible.”
- “I don’t care enough.”
- “I always fail, so why start?”
Therapist resource: If you need client-friendly language to start this conversation, share GoodTherapy’s article on adult ADHD and everyday functioning – it helps normalize the conversation before formal assessment.
2. How Unrecognized ADHD in Therapy Creates Frustrating Loops
It is crucial to recognize that many therapeutic interventions can get caught in a “therapeutic loop” when neurodiverse issues like ADHD go unidentified. Research by Leahy and Holland (2020) highlights that when ADHD goes unrecognized, it can lead to persistent challenges in treating conditions like depression and anxiety. Individuals with ADHD often experience heightened emotional reactivity and may misinterpret incoming information. Continuing therapy without addressing these vital underlying struggles can meaningfully hinder a client’s progress.
Shaw et al. (2014) pointed out that emotional dysregulation is a significant feature of ADHD, profoundly affecting therapeutic outcomes, often appearing as “insight without change,” repeated unfinished homework, high self-criticism, and emotional overload. When ADHD in therapy goes unaddressed, even the most evidence-based approaches may repeatedly stall.
Recent findings by Stern et al. (2022) show that when symptom severity warrants medication, it can open a “therapeutic window,” making psychological interventions more effective and accessible. Often, this can provide a sense of safety that helps individuals explore their inner selves without feeling too overwhelmed.
The therapeutic loop: how it happens with unrecognized ADHD
Insight
“I understand why I keep doing this.”
Overwhelm
Too many steps. Too much noise.
Shame
“I knew and still failed.”
The antidote is scaffolding: fewer steps, visible structure, and compassionate accountability, not more insight alone.
Practical shift for ADHD in therapy: Try “skills before insight.” Spend 2–3 minutes co-designing one ADHD-friendly micro-step – a timer, a single reminder, one calendar block, then process emotion and meaning once regulation improves.
3. Why ADHD in Therapy Must Address Shame and Self-Concept
Many people with ADHD carry years of criticism, masking, and perfectionism. They may overwork, miss deadlines anyway, and ultimately conclude they are fundamentally flawed. Barkley (2018) highlights the profound negative effects of untreated ADHD on self-esteem and self-concept. Academic struggles can seem overwhelming despite genuine effort, leading to overwork, fear of failure, and deeply internalized shame.
Research by Adamou et al. (2021) noted that appropriate treatment, including medication when clinically indicated, can reduce feelings of shame and worthlessness in adults with ADHD. Compassion-focused strategies are particularly effective for this population, as described by Gilbert and Kirby (2019), helping clients build a compassionate self-understanding that addresses these long-standing struggles rather than reinforcing them.
Interactive reframe: “I’m lazy” → “my brain is overloaded” (tap to expand)
Old story
“If I cared enough, I would just do it.”
New story
“My executive function is overloaded. I need fewer steps and better external supports.”
With ADHD in therapy, reframes like this reduce shame and meaningfully increase treatment traction over time.
For your clients: This article on silencing the inner critic with self-compassion offers accessible, client-friendly language to begin compassion-focused work in ADHD therapy sessions.
4. When Medication Opens a Therapeutic Window in ADHD Therapy
When medications are helpful, they often ease feelings of overwhelm, allowing clients to engage more fully in the therapeutic process. This support helps clients access calmness, clarity, perspective, and courage inner resources that can be far more difficult to reach without it. Their internal resources become more reachable in this state. Research by Stern et al. (2022) describes how medication can open a “therapeutic window,” making psychological interventions in ADHD therapy more effective and accessible.
Meta-analyses by Cortese et al. (2018) show that pharmacological treatment can significantly enhance both therapeutic engagement and outcomes. Medication is not a cure and is not right for everyone, it is one evidence-supported option within a broader, coordinated care plan. See also: CDC and NIMH treatment guidelines.
The “therapeutic window”: what it means in practice
The therapeutic window is the zone where a client has enough internal steadiness to reflect, learn, and apply skills. Outside this window, therapy may feel too overwhelming or too emotionally distant to be useful.
Overwhelm zone
What it feels like: “My mind is racing. I can’t think straight.”
- High emotion, urgency, irritability, or panic
- Hard to focus on steps or remember plans
- Homework feels impossible or gets avoided
Therapy move: stabilize first – grounding, pacing, one micro-step.
Therapeutic window
What it feels like: “I can pause and choose what to do next.”
- Enough calm to reflect and stay present
- Skills and planning feel doable
- Follow-through improves with simple structure
Therapy move: practice skills, build routines, translate insight into action.
Therapy tip: If medication is part of care, use sessions to convert “more bandwidth” into durable systems: sleep consistency, planning rituals, reminders, and self-compassion routines that persist after the session ends.
5. ADHD in Therapy vs. Trauma: Untangling Overlapping Symptoms
When people grow up in environments marked by trauma during childhood, it is vital to take the time to figure out whether their struggles come from those traumatic experiences, from ADHD, or from both. Understanding the interplay can help therapists differentiate between procrastination rooted in executive-function friction and dissociation rooted in a trauma response. It can also clarify anxious behaviors linked to a heightened nervous system from trauma, versus the feelings of urgency and impatience that arise from sympathetic overdrive in ADHD. These experiences often feel remarkably similar, making them clinically difficult to tell apart.
Research by Stein et al. (2023) provides clinical guidelines to help distinguish ADHD from trauma responses, as there can be significant overlap in symptoms. A comprehensive NIH/PMC review of the ADHD and PTSD relationship confirms that comorbidity is common, both can co-occur, interact, and complicate treatment planning when only one is considered.
Interactive differentiation: procrastination vs. dissociation (tap to expand)
Often ADHD-leaning cues
- “I meant to start, then time disappeared.”
- Task feels too large to sequence or initiate.
- Improves with structure, novelty, or accountability.
Often trauma-leaning cues
- “I went blank / I was not there.”
- Numbing, shutdown, or fear response.
- Linked to specific triggers or relational reminders.
Many clients have both. In ADHD in therapy, begin with curiosity and collaboration: “What happened in your body right before it became hard to start?”
For client-facing trauma education: GoodTherapy’s article on how complex trauma can change a person is a useful companion resource for clients navigating both ADHD and a trauma history in therapy.
When Should a Therapist Refer for Formal ADHD Assessment?
Recognizing ADHD in therapy does not require every therapist to become a diagnostician. Consider a formal evaluation when functional impairment is persistent, cross-situational, and not fully explained by the current treatment response. Referral does not end the therapeutic work, it improves diagnostic clarity while therapy continues to support regulation, behavior change, and self-compassion.
- Executive-function impairments are chronic across home, work, and relationships.
- Therapy repeatedly stalls despite good engagement and clinically appropriate interventions.
- Risk, distress, or role impairment is escalating.
- The presentation is complex – possible ADHD alongside trauma, anxiety, or depression overlap.
Putting ADHD in Therapy into Practice: Small Adaptations That Help a Lot
The goal is not to turn every therapist into an ADHD specialist overnight. The goal is to make ADHD in therapy more workable, so clients feel genuinely seen and treatment becomes meaningfully more effective.
- Use one-step homework and define success as narrowly as possible.
- Add external prompts: timers, text reminders, visible cues on whiteboards or sticky notes.
- Close each session with one concrete action and one fallback plan if that action fails.
- Normalize setbacks as data about what the system needs – not evidence of failure.
For clients and couples: If ADHD in therapy is also affecting close relationships, this article on undiagnosed ADHD in couples therapy can be a validating and practical starting point for partners navigating this together.
Summary: Why ADHD Awareness Improves Prognosis
Key takeaways
- Therapy reveals longitudinal patterns that brief evaluations may miss – and ADHD in therapy benefits from that depth.
- Unrecognized ADHD can create “insight → overwhelm → shame” cycles that standard interventions alone cannot break.
- Compassion-focused reframing reduces shame and increases treatment traction.
- Medication may widen the therapeutic window when clinically appropriate and properly coordinated.
- Trauma overlap requires careful differentiation, curiosity, and collaborative planning.
As a psychiatrist and therapist, I have come to see that recognizing ADHD in therapy, in all its forms, is crucial for ensuring a positive prognosis. Research by Young et al. (2020) shows that therapy approaches informed by ADHD awareness lead to significantly better outcomes compared to standard methods. It is essential for all of us to continually expand our knowledge on this topic, so that our clients benefit from the insight of a well-informed therapist and can avoid falling into avoidable therapeutic loops.
Clinically, this means moving slowly enough to understand the person, not just the symptom label. Better precision means better alliance, better adherence, and better prognosis.
Find Support: If you or a client are looking for professional support with ADHD in therapy, browse GoodTherapy’s therapist directory and filter by approach, issue, and location.
Take the Next Step
Whether you are a therapist seeking to better support clients navigating ADHD, or a person who suspects ADHD may be shaping your experience in therapy, professional support can provide the clarity and tools to move forward.
About the Author
Millia Begum, Consultant Psychiatrist
Millia Begum is a DHA-licensed and GMC-registered Consultant Psychiatrist with over 25 years of experience. She is based in Dubai, UAE, and offers psychiatric care alongside psychotherapy, with telehealth available.
Her integrative approach focuses on complex trauma and emotional healing, and includes advanced trauma treatments such as Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Internal Family Systems (IFS).
View Millia’s GoodTherapy profile ↗
References
- Adamou, M., et al. (2021). The impact of pharmacological treatment on self-concept in adults with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25(8), 1188–1199.
- Barkley, R. A. (2018). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
- CDC. Treatment of ADHD.
- Cortese, S., et al. (2018). Comparative efficacy and tolerability of medications for ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults. The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(9), 727–738.
- Drechsler, R., et al. (2020). The value of longitudinal assessment in the diagnosis of ADHD. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 29(10), 1415–1426.
- Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2019). Building an integrative science for psychotherapy for the 21st century: Preface and introduction. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 92(2), 151–163.
- Leahy, R. L., & Holland, S. J. (2020). Treatment plans and interventions for adult ADHD. Guilford Press.
- NICE. (2018). ADHD: Diagnosis and management. Guideline NG87.
- NIMH. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
- NIH/PMC. ADHD and PTSD relationship and comorbidity review.
- Shaw, P., et al. (2014). Emotion dysregulation in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(3), 276–293.
- Stein, D. J., et al. (2023). Differential diagnosis between ADHD and trauma-related conditions: Clinical guidelines. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 106583.
- Stern, A., et al. (2022). Integrating pharmacological and psychological treatments for ADHD: A practical guide. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 78(3), 484–497.
- Young, Z., Moghaddam, N., & Tickle, A. (2020). The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for adults with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(6), 875–888.
Further Reading
- Shaw et al. (2014) – Emotional dysregulation in ADHD, NIH/PMC
- NIH/PMC – ADHD and PTSD comorbidity review
- NICE guideline NG87 – ADHD recognition, diagnosis, and management
- CDC – Treatment of ADHD
- NIMH – ADHD overview
- Young et al. (2020) – CBT for adults with ADHD, PubMed
- Cortese et al. (2018) – Medication efficacy for ADHD, The Lancet Psychiatry
- Gilbert & Kirby (2019) – Integrative science for psychotherapy, PubMed
- Barkley (2018) – ADHD Handbook, Guilford Press
Last reviewed: February 2026
In our hyperconnected, always-on world, it’s become almost trendy to joke about being “bad at adulting.” If you’re struggling to remember to pay bills on time, keep your apartment clean, or be on time despite your best intentions, you might just tell yourself “you’re bad at adulting,†but there could be more to it.
What if these struggles aren’t character flaws or generational quirks? They could be signs of something more significant, like ADHD.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects an estimated 7 million children and 6% of adults in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Yet, countless adults remain undiagnosed, attributing their daily struggles to personal shortcomings rather than recognizing the signs of a condition that’s both treatable and manageable.
Below, we break down common misconceptions and easy-to-spot signs of ADHD and point you towards solutions. With intentionality and support from medication or therapists, like those from GoodTherapy, you can tackle your ADHD and thrive in your day-to-day life without feeling stifled. Â
Adult ADHD vs. Childhood ADHD: Key Differences to Know
When most people think of ADHD, they picture a young child bouncing off classroom walls, unable to sit still or focus. This stereotype has done significant damage to public understanding of the condition, particularly for women and adults who don’t fit this narrow profile.
Key Insight: The reality is that ADHD presents differently across individuals, genders, and life stages. While hyperactivity might be the most visible symptom in some children, many people with ADHD are primarily inattentive, appearing spacey, forgetful, or disorganized rather than disruptive.
Women and girls are particularly likely to be overlooked because they often internalize their symptoms. Instead of acting out, they might daydream, struggle with self-esteem, or develop anxiety as a secondary condition. In fact, recent research found that girls with ADHD are significantly more likely to be diagnosed later in life, if at all.
Adult ADHD rarely involves running around a classroom. Instead, it might manifest in much more covert and counterintuitive ways, such as:
Common Adult ADHD Manifestations:
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Chronic procrastination and difficulty starting tasks
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Time management challenges and chronic lateness
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Difficulty maintaining organizational systems
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Hyperfocus on interesting tasks while neglecting important ones
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Emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity
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Relationship difficulties due to forgetfulness or inattentiveness
Many adults discover they have ADHD only when their child is diagnosed, or when life demands exceed their coping mechanisms. Major life transitions such as starting college, beginning a career, or having children can overwhelm existing coping strategies and reveal underlying ADHD symptoms.
Understanding the signs of ADHD and challenging common stereotypes can provide you with answers to the questions you might be asking about yourself or your child. It can also encourage healthy conversations around ADHD in the space and encourage individuals to seek professional help for this treatable condition.
Debunking Common ADHD Myths
Despite decades of research, misconceptions about ADHD persist. Let’s address some of the most harmful myths so you can remain knowledgeable, informed, and confident that you might not just be “bad at adulting†but actually dealing with something more:
Myth: “ADHD is caused by bad parenting or lack of discipline.”
Fact: ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with strong genetic components. Brain imaging studies show structural and functional differences in the brains of people with ADHD, particularly in areas responsible for executive function, attention, and impulse control.
Myth: “People with ADHD can’t focus on anything.”
Fact: People with ADHD often experience hyperfocus, which is intense concentration on tasks they find engaging. The challenge lies in directing attention to less stimulating but necessary tasks.
Myth: “ADHD medication turns people into zombies.”
Fact: When properly prescribed and monitored, ADHD medications can help normalize brain function rather than suppress personality. Many people report feeling “more like themselves” when their symptoms are well managed.
Myth: “Everyone has a little ADHD.”
Fact: While everyone occasionally struggles with attention or organization, ADHD symptoms are persistent, pervasive, and significantly impair daily functioning across multiple life domains.
How The Modern Digital Age Worsens Adult ADHD Symptoms
Our modern environment presents unique challenges for people with ADHD. The constant ping of notifications, the pressure to multitask, and the overwhelming amount of information we process daily can exacerbate ADHD symptoms or mask them entirely.
Being aware of the elements that can worsen or actually hide ADHD in yourself or others is key to addressing the condition at its core. Consider these modern stressors:
Information Overload
The average person consumes the equivalent of 174 newspapers’ worth of information daily.
Decision Fatigue
From choosing what to watch on streaming platforms to navigating endless product options online, we make thousands of decisions daily.
Always-On Culture
The expectation of immediate responses to emails, texts, and social media creates constant pressure and interruption.
While it can be hard to avoid an influx of information in our day-to-day, there are strategies for minimizing this overload and avoiding burnout, whether that’s by minimizing doomscrolling, taking breaks from social media, or talking to a licensed therapist from GoodTherapy.
3 Real-Life Adult ADHD Examples: Do Any Sound Familiar?
It’s important to talk with an expert before diagnosing yourself with ADHD. Still, recognizing common symptoms of ADHD is crucial for both recognizing you’re probably not “bad at adulting†and also finding the help you need. Consider these adult ADHD examples:
â€â€â€ The Overwhelmed Parent
Parents with ADHD are ones who probably always considered themselves “scattered” but managed well enough until having children. Now, managing schedules, activities, and household responsibilities feels impossible, and they’re constantly forgetting important items, running late, and feeling like they’re failing.
The Underachieving Professional
These adults are intelligent and creative but struggle to complete projects on time. They procrastinate until the last minute, then work frantically to meet deadlines. Despite their talents, they’re viewed as unreliable and may be passed over for promotions.
The Chronic Self-Critic
These individuals have always attributed struggles with organization and time management to laziness or lack of willpower. They’ve likely developed anxiety and depression, never realizing that difficulties might stem from ADHD, rather than not being equipped to be an adult.
Next Steps: How to Get Help for Suspected Adult ADHD
If you recognize yourself in these descriptions, approach the possibility of ADHD with curiosity rather than judgment. Having ADHD is nothing to be afraid of, and it doesn’t mean you’re broken or flawed: it means your brain works differently, and you may benefit from different strategies and support. Take the following next steps to set yourself up for success and discover the sides of ADHD you might not know:
Your ADHD Action Plan
Educate yourself:
Learn about ADHD from reputable sources like the National Institute of Mental Health or CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).
Track your symptoms:
Keep a journal of daily challenges and patterns. Note when you struggle most and what strategies help.
Seek professional evaluation:
A qualified GoodTherapy professional can conduct a comprehensive assessment and help you understand your symptoms in context.
Connect with others:
Online communities and support groups can provide valuable insights and reduce feelings of isolation.
Getting Adult ADHD Support: You Deserve Better Than “Just Trying Harder”
The narrative that you’re just “bad at adulting” is not only unhelpful but also potentially harmful if it prevents you from getting the support you need. Your struggles are real, and you deserve compassion, especially from yourself. Remember, recognizing ADHD is about understanding your brain so you can work with it rather than against it. With proper support, strategies, and sometimes medication, people with ADHD can thrive in all areas of life.
If you’re struggling with symptoms that might be related to ADHD, don’t hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional. Getting answers can be the first step toward a more manageable and fulfilling life where you can complete that to-do list, make decisions, navigate relationships, and more with ease.
Resources:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Data and Statistics on ADHD
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis
- Duke Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences: Duke Center for Girls and Women With ADHD
- The Telegraph: Welcome to the information age — 174 newspapers a day
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Children often make discoveries through physical actions such as running, walking, playing, and scribbling. Their inner worlds manifest through these physical experiences. When a child is irritable, stressed, or struggling emotionally, their symptoms often appear physically. These symptoms may be seen as tension, crying tantrums, physical aggression, running away, throwing things, and so on.
Eventually, most children learn to regulate their emotions and express themselves in other ways. Emotional regulation refers to the ability to monitor feelings, evaluate emotional and physical responses, and modify emotional reactions in order to accomplish a goal. A child’s goal might range from earning screen time to not wanting to feel embarrassed in front of friends. A goal might also be a learned one, such as acting the “right” way at home.
Parents are largely responsible for regulating a child’s experience (for example, soothing a crying baby) in infancy and early childhood. When children reach preschool age, they begin to emotionally regulate independently. For youth without traumatic experiences or neurodiversity (autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity, or other neurodiverse conditions), independent emotional regulation becomes fairly stable around adolescence.
But some children struggle with the process of emotional regulation. Emotional dysregulation describes an inability or difficulty with monitoring, evaluating, and modifying emotional and physical responses. A number of factors can contribute to the development of this difficulty. Regardless of cause, the effects of emotional dysregulation may be seen in a child’s behavior. A child may also experience increased mental health symptoms as a result. [fat_widget_child_counselor_right]
What Does Emotional Dysregulation Look Like?
Emotional dysregulation appears in two major forms: under-regulation and over-regulation.
Under-regulation may occur when:
- Children cannot sense their emotional experience.
- Children cannot sense environmental triggers.
- Children have little to no internal mechanism to soothe themselves. This can be seen in some children who have experienced traumatic events and children with neurodiversity.
Under-regulation can result in behaviors such as impulsive actions, physical acting out, frequent meltdowns, poor concentration, and irritability.
Dance/movement therapy has been found to be helpful for many children. This approach offers body-based, clinical interventions for kids who present with symptoms of emotional dysregulation, struggle with emotional experience, and/or find it difficult to self-regulate emotionally.Â
Over-regulation may occur when:
- Children can sense emotions but have trouble listening to them.
- Children modify or suppress their emotional experience.
Over-regulation may lead children to lose a sense of connection with their emotions and with others. It can result in behaviors such as withdrawal, isolation, compulsions, and even outbursts of anger and aggression.
Helping Children Cope with Emotional Dysregulation
A number of treatments can help a person address their emotional experience and cope in healthier ways. Dance/movement therapy is one that has been found to be helpful for many children. This approach offers body-based, clinical interventions for kids who present with symptoms of emotional dysregulation, struggle with emotional experience, and/or find it difficult to self-regulate emotionally.
The American Dance Therapy Association defines dance/movement therapy as “the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual.” Trained dance/movement therapists use large motor movement, physical gestures, nonverbal communication, problem-solving skills, and movement games to engage children in therapy. These tactics can help the children address a variety of behaviors and symptoms, emotional dysregulation among them.
An integrative approach, dance/movement therapy uses the mind, body, and emotions. This type of treatment lends itself well to addressing the major areas of emotional dysregulation while meeting children at their developmental level.
Dance/movement therapy can help children with emotional regulation by:
- Providing a physical outlet for emotional energy: Movement, dance, and body-based interventions are the primary modes of interaction. Physical movements on their own can offer children a chance to exert emotional energy. Dance/movement therapists are uniquely trained to offer movement interventions within a child’s scope of tolerance while providing a safe space for them to engage in physical activity. Movement as treatment can also assist children who over-regulate to physically express some of their suppressed emotions.
- Increasing body awareness:Â As with repetition in any form, increased practice results in increased skill. Youth who participate in dance/movement therapy learn to use their body through focused intervention on a regular basis. This participation results in increased body control and increased body awareness. This awareness in turn helps children learn to recognize and understand physical signs of distress. Responding to early physical signs of distress is an important part of learning to cope, manage, and regulate emotions.
- Offering a new way to cope:Â Not all children are able to sit still and engage in activities like coloring to self-regulate. Many children need to move. Just as creating art, listening to music, and playing video games can help children cope with emotions, so can dance and movement. Through the dance/movement therapy process, children not only get to move around and increase body-based self-awareness, but they also learn to use movement and dance to cope. Children may practice movement-based coping strategies in session with the therapist and learn through experience how dance and movement can help improve emotional well-being.
- Alternative to talk-based processing:Â An expressive arts therapy, dance/movement therapy uses movement as a tool for processing feelings, events, and experiences. In session, movement is the primary avenue for children to create and re-experience, directly or indirectly, through metaphor and play. Dance/movement therapists can assist children in expressing traumatic experiences, challenging social circumstances, and reliving those experiences through a strength-based, movement lens.
Children interact and experience the world through movement and physical engagement. They tend to express their fears, frustrations, joys, and challenges through their bodies. Some children struggle to manage their emotional experiences. Others may suppress their emotions and withdraw. Dance/movement therapy can be of benefit in both situations. This clinical medium for movement-based processing and coping can help children work toward independent emotional regulation.
If you’d like to learn more about dance/movement therapy for your child, a therapist or counselor may be able to provide you with more information or a referral.
References:Â
- Ahmed, S. P., Bittencourt-Hewitt, A., & Sebastian, C. L. (2015). Neurocognitive bases of emotion regulation development in adolescence. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 15, 11-25. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2015.07.006
- American Dance Therapy Association. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://adta.org
- Fielding, L. (2017, December 6). Finding emotional balance: Are you an over or under regulator? Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lara-fielding/finding-emotional-balance-are-you-an-over-or-under-regulator_b_8218256.html
- Matusiewicz, A., Weaverling, G., & Lejuez, C. W. (2014). Emotion dysregulation among adolescents with borderline personality disorder. Handbook of borderline personality disorder in children and adolescents, 177-194. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0591-1_13