ADHD Effect In-Depth Detailed Curriculum

Pre-reading

Optimizing ADHD Treatment E-book
Articles of interest
Welcome video

Session 1 – OPTIMIZING ADHD TREATMENT

  • Differences between you
  • Understanding your partner’s experience in the relationship
  • Treatment effect size
  • Optimizing treatment and common questions

Bonus video:  More on Medications
Treatment worksheets and setting target symptoms
Article on medications
Q&As to answer treatment questions
Submit your own questions for professionals to answer

Session 2 – THREE IMPORTANT PATTERNS IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP

  • Pattern 1 – Misinterpretation of ADHD symptoms
  • Pattern 2 – Symptom/response/response
  • Unproductive responses to each other vs. finding productive responses
  • Introduction to the idea of the ‘Intentional Relationship’
  • Pattern 3 - Parent-Child Dynamics - what it is and why it's there

Mindfulness resources
Sleep improvement worksheet
Information on stress and health

Session 3 – BOUNDARIES THAT MOVE YOU AWAY FROM PARENT-CHILD DYNAMICS; MOVING PAST ANGER AND DENIAL

  • Using boundaries to move away from Parent-Chlld Dynamics and strengthen your relationship
  • Key anger issues
  • The inevitability of anger
  • Moving past denial and defensiveness

Anger worksheet

Session 4 - DEALING WITH STRONG EMOTIONS IN ADHD-IMPACTED RELATIONSHIPS

  • The biology of emotional volatility in ADHD
  • Methods of addressing strong emotions that research suggests work
  • The underpinnings of strong emotions in non-ADHD partners
  • Addressing emotions in non-ADHD partners
  • Does your partner have an obligation to help you address your emotional issues?
  • Live questions catch up

Emotions and ADHD reading

Session 5 – THE HEALING PROCESS; COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES THAT WORK

  • The three stages of healing
  • Learning conversations
  • Verbal cues
  • Learning how to fight / “good fights”
  • Moving from negative/negative fights to positive/positive through “neutral”
  • Repair techniques
  • Apologies
  • Validation vs. invalidation

Validation tracking worksheet to understand your own validation patterns
Learning Conversation do's and don'ts
Emotions and actions wheel to use in Learning Conversations
 

Session 6 – GETTING AWAY FROM FIGHTS AND CHORE WARS

  • Specific anger situations and how to get away from them
  • Gottman’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
  • Resolvable issues vs. unresolvable issues and what to do with each
  • Shame and avoidance
  • Chore Wars – what they are, and how to improve in this area
  • Identifying maternal/paternal gatekeeping
  • Setting measurable goals

Chore score worksheet to help assess options for diminishing chore wars
Optional chapter 5 in Couple’s Guide to Thriving with ADHD (chore wars)

BONUS SESSION - GETTING BETTER ORGANIZED WITH ADHD

  • The emotional issues with organizing
  • Overarching strategies that work with the way the ADHD brain functions
  • Ideas that work

Session 7 – DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND BEHAVIORS: THE SKINNY ON LYING, AFFAIRS, PORNOGRAPHY, AND MORE

  • Lying - what's going on?
  • Financial lying
  • Job loss and work issues
  • ‘Better than you’
  • Pornography
  • Affairs

Articles on lying and the science of fear
Resources
 

    Session 8 – REBUILDING TRUST; THE SCIENCE OF FINDING JOY IN YOUR ADHD-IMPACTED RELATIONSHIP

    • Understanding 'ghosts'
    • Appreciating ADHD
    • Rebuilding trust
    • The science of finding joy together (part 1)
    • Resources for continuing your progress

    Article on the gifts of ADHD
     

    Session 9 – INTIMACY, SEX AND DESIRE; RECAP OF KEY TAKEAWAYS; NEXT STEPS

    • The science of finding joy together (part 2)
    • The importance of attending
    • What is conflict intimacy, and why is it important?
    • Research on how couples describe intimacy
    • Building intimacy outside the bedroom

    Set one goal for change, and create plan
    Date for telling partner what you love about him/her

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