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Children and adults with ADHD often greatly benefit from counseling or behavior therapy, which may be provided by a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker or other mental health care professional. Some people with ADHD may also have other conditions such as anxiety disorder or depression. In these cases, counseling may help both ADHD and the coexisting problem.

Counseling therapies may include:

• Psychotherapy. This allows older children and adults with ADHD to talk about issues that bother them, explore negative behavioral patterns and learn ways to deal with their symptoms.
• Behavior therapy. This type of therapy helps teachers and parents learn strategies (contingency management procedures) for dealing with children's behavior. These strategies may include token reward systems and timeouts. Behavior modification using contingency management techniques has proved especially beneficial for people with ADHD.
• Family therapy. Family therapy can help parents and siblings deal with the stress of living with a child who has ADHD.
• Social skills training. This can help children learn appropriate social behaviors.
• Support groups. Support groups can offer adults and children with ADHD and their parents a network of social support, information and education.
• Parenting skills training. This can help parents develop ways to understand and guide their child's behavior.

The best results usually occur when a team approach is used, with teachers, parents, and therapists or physicians working together. You can help by making every effort to work with your child's teachers and by referring them to reliable sources of information to support their efforts in the classroom.

next: Alternative Treatments for ADHD

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Reviewed: 02/2006