Perfectionism

Always feeling inadequate from your drive to be perfect? Perfectionism comes with feeling uneasy when making mistakes, high expectations, self-criticism, avoidance when your not sure you can do something as well as you’d like, and good enough is unacceptable. Thinking that being perfect will lead to a happier life usually lends to finding an unfulfilled life. Growth transpires when you let go of holding yourself to the unattainable standards. 

Letting go of perfectionism means:

• Using self-compassion instead of those critical judgments

• Letting go of unrealistic expectations and meeting yourself where you are at

• Freeing yourself of what you think everyone else needs to like and accept you.

• Feeling confident making your own decisions without attempting to please other people.

• Finding ways to embrace your imperfections and connect back with what makes you your own person.

ADHD

ADHD can look like:

• Easily getting distracted, difficulty staying on task, hyperactivity (excessive energy)

• Struggles when needing to sustain mental effort

• Trouble staying organized or keeping track of dates

• Taking more time to do things than others such as homework or household routines, losing things, or careless mistakes

• Losing track of time, forgetfulness, running late, or trouble with sense of time

• Jumping topics in conversation or interrupting people

• Mood swings, sensitivity to rejection, or sensory issues

We will work on identifying your strengths and struggles, building tool such as mindfulness and setting intention to help with inattentiveness and hyperactivity, time management, organization, planning, and emotional regulation skills.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Because autism is a spectrum, autism can look different between each person while some things overlap. People with autism spectrum disorder process the world in a unique and intricate way with an abundance of strengths such as logical thinking, being precise and detail-oriented, following the rules, hyperfocus, honesty, reliability, letting of social norms, and special unique talents such as memorization or being musically inclined. As all of our strengths do, these strengths can also come with challenges. Autism can be a considered a disorder of trust with difficulties in the uncertainties of routines and variables in social situations. Some people with ASD struggle with transitions, black & white or rigid thinking, meltdowns, anxiety, phobias, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, sensory overload, or eating issues.

In session with adolescents and adults, we will work together to identify and replace unhelpful/rigid thoughts, build social skills, and develop coping tools to navigate through struggles. When working with kids, I use a combination of sand tray and activity therapy to teach social skills, relationship development, and emotional regulation.