ADHD therapy to help you work with your brain, not against it.

Support to help you feel more in control

ADHD can feel like you are working harder, but still behind everyone around you. Everyday tasks can feel like an uphill battle that just leave you burnt out and exhausted. On top of it all, it can be frustrating to hear people say “everyone is a little ADHD.” What?? Absolutely not. Our therapists understand what it is like to live with a brain that works differently from everyone else. At Kaleidoscope, we won’t just tell you you make a to do list or set a timer. We take a holistic, creative approach to therapy for ADHD. Our therapists will help you explore your feelings about your brain, environmental factors that impact your functioning, and develop customize approaches to help you feel more in control and less frazzled. At Kaleidoscope we won’t ask you to change who you are; we will work with you to understand your brain and needs and create systems that actually work for you.

ADHD therapy in northern Virginia

We can support

  • executive functioning differences with time management, focus and attention, etc.

  • struggles with starting or stopping tasks, homework or other things

  • conflicts in relationships

  • understanding your diagnosis

  • support with accommodations at school or work

  • emotional regulation

  • communication skills

  • feeling burnt out or overwhelmed

  • difficulties at school or work

Our Approach

At Kaleidoscope, we work differently from other practices, in that we don’t just teach behavioral or executive functioning skills. Many of our therapists have lived experience being neurodivergent and understand the distress that can come from living in a world not built for you. We spend time understanding your own unique brain and teaching you how to communicate with it and your body. Our therapists focus on understanding the systems and environments that you are living in and how we can modify them to fit your needs. In therapy you can explore your relationship to your brain and neurodivergence, how you feel about it, and how to make it work for you. We also focus on communication and feeling comfortable in asking for accommodation or for your needs to be met.

How we support

  • Psychoeducation helps us focus on understanding how your brain and body work, as well as how they work together.

  • Narrative therapy supports processing how you show up in the world and the struggles you may have living with ADHD . We can look at the beliefs you hold about how your brain works and explore new ways of support.

  • Affirming DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) is a modality that can help improve distress tolerance and emotional regulation.

  • Art Therapy is helpful in processing things that are difficult to find words for. The creative process can also be helpful for processing various emotions related to being neurodivergent and how it relates to your identity and life.

Common Questions

Can you support with with asking for accommodations?

Yes! We regularly work with people to ask for accommodations at school or at work. We will ask for you to sign a release form granting us permission to talk about your case with the organization from which you are requesting the accommodations. Depending on requirements, you may need to have formal testing done, which is something we can guide you through.

Can my therapist diagnosis me?

Our therapist’s can informally diagnosis all of clients and they have to have a diagnosis on file if you want to submit for out of network reimbursement with your insurance. Unfortunately, our therapist’s cannot give you a formal diagnosis. That has to be done through educational, psychological, or neuropsychological testing. However, we can walk you through the testing process.

Do you provide ABA therapy?

No, and we don’t work with people who engage in ABA (applied behavioral analysis). There is so much research that shows the harm of ABA. People from inside and outside the Autistic community have advocated that ABA can cause long term trauma. If you want to learn more please read this article. All of our work is non-compliance based and grounded in understanding that neuronormative standards are not the best way. Please reach out if you have questions.