06 Sep ADHD in Love: An Individual Condition That Drives Relationship Dynamics
Clinicians often encounter clients deeply entangled in unhelpful relationship dynamics, where the individual nature of ADHD profoundly shapes interactions, leading to frustration, misunderstanding, and a diminished sense of goodwill. This course provides a crucial shift in perspective, demonstrating how an ADHD diagnosis can be a transformative “game changer” in therapy, offering clarity and actionable strategies to move beyond blame and foster genuinely connected relationships.
This on-demand online course delves into a comprehensive understanding of ADHD’s far-reaching impact for couples, extending beyond cognitive symptoms like distractibility and impulsivity to include emotional dysregulation and magnified emotional responses. Professionals will learn to identify secondary coping mechanisms such as “shading the truth” that erode trust, and address the common “under-functioner/over-functioner” or “parent-child” dynamic. The course equips you with practical tools for effective communication, such as making and taking “clean requests,” employing the “giveaway your dilemma” framework, and guiding clients to use “what I am going to do” statements.
Furthermore, this course unpacks deeper emotional and behavioural patterns that hinder connection, including oppositionality and hostile or aggressive behaviours which often mask underlying vulnerabilities like guilt, shame, anxiety, or fear of judgment. It provides strategies for rebuilding trust and hope by encouraging the alignment of words with actions and fostering realistic expectations. A significant focus is placed on understanding and improving sexual intimacy, demonstrating through research how effective ADHD management can be an “aphrodisiac” and addressing common barriers to shared enjoyment.
- Understand the multifaceted impact of ADHD on relationship dynamics**, encompassing cognitive functions (e.g., forgetfulness, impulsivity) and emotional responses, and how to help clients depersonalise these symptoms.
- Identify and address common maladaptive relationship patterns**, such as the “under-functioner/over-functioner” or “parent-child” dynamic, and the concept of “self-mistrust” in ADHD-affected relationships.
- Implement effective communication strategies** for couples, including making “clean requests” and receiving them “cleanly,” to foster clearer and more respectful interactions.
- Develop therapeutic approaches for rebuilding trust and hope** in relationships where ADHD has led to inconsistencies and unresolved issues, focusing on aligning words and actions.
- Guide clients in respectfully negotiating differences**, helping them distinguish between preferences and non-negotiable limits to reduce problematic conflict and foster shared enjoyment.
- Identify key points of therapeutic intervention for both ADHD and non-ADHD partners**, addressing underlying issues such as guilt, shame, anxiety, projection patterns, and maladaptive coping mechanisms.
- Explore the significant correlation between effective ADHD management and a couple’s sexual intimacy**, including identifying common barriers (e.g., time, energy, negative feelings) and strategies to enhance their sex life and shared enjoyable experiences.
- Facilitate clients in discerning which aspects of their relationship can be actively changed** through concerted effort and which require acceptance to foster greater overall relationship satisfaction and peace.
Ari Tuckman, PsyD is a psychologist, international presenter, author, and ADHD thought leader. He has given more than 800 presentations and podcast interviews and routinely earns excellent reviews for his ability to make complicated information understandable and useful. Over the course of twenty-five years of private practice, he has done more than 40,000 client hours, specializing in ADHD in teens, adults, families, and couples.
He is the author of five books, including his newest, The ADHD Productivity Manual. An active volunteer, he is a co-chair of CHADD’s conference committee and was awarded the 2023 Hall of Fame award for his significant contributions to the field. A popular expert and advocate, he has been widely quoted in national media such as The New York Times, CNN, Washington Post, and Boston Globe, and serves as an expert for Understood.org. He is in private practice in West Chester, PA, USA.
This online workshop will give you instant access to 3 hours of video content, accessible via streaming on our website. You can view the course content in your own time, there is no time limit on access.
The duration of this workshop is 3 learning hours. A certificate of completion will be generated upon finishing the course and completing a short evaluation quiz. Please consult your professional organisation/association to confirm whether you are able to claim any CPD points/hours for this online workshop.
