Working with Adults:

As a psychoanalyst I believe that an individual’s feelings and behaviors are motivated by a variety of unconscious factors often occurring when people “feel stuck.” Psychoanalysis helps individuals to begin understanding those factors in themselves and to finally break free of the habits associated with those factors by first discovering their root causes and then to build up significant changes at the very core of their emotional responses. The analytic experience gently leads the patient to essentially re-experience the factors that initiated their ineffective responses. Using these experiences, I help the patient gain insight about their unproductive and destructive patterns of behavior.  

Adults who undergo psychoanalysis are generally individuals who may well have experienced successes in life, yet at the same time feel impaired by long-standing depression, anxiety, relationship conflicts, sexual incapacity or inexplicably physical symptoms. Some people come to analysis because, regardless of apparent success in life, things just don’t seem to “work” for them. Anyone considering psychoanalysis will undergo a thorough evaluation before the analytic process ever begins.

Another type of treatment I offer is Psychotherapy. Most people view their lives as a series of experiences: some good, some bad. Often, they don’t see or hide the patterns of behavior or repeated responses that create problems, or underscore stress.  In some cases, people blame their experiences on causes outside themselves, or refuse to accept that some of the things that happen to them might be as the result of things that they themselves do. A key element of my approach is to enable patients to develop a good sense of self awareness. Training and experience have taught that helping patients to become more aware of their unconscious habits and reactions to stressors or problems is the first step toward facilitating permanent changes and adjustments in the individual’s world view and the entire flavor of how they reacted and felt in situations that previously impaired them. Recognizing habitual defenses gives a person the first tool toward choosing a different response in challenging situations. Awareness of sensitivity to certain lines of thinking gives an individual the option of responding in more productive ways. In any event, a person cannot change a behavior until he or she first recognizes it in him or herself. Being open to the differences among others in our lives allows more acceptance of one’s own self. Confronting all these matters can result in happier, less stressful, more satisfying relationships and life. My approach is to gently help the patient discover his/her attitudes, habits and behaviors that are not serving their best interests. Together, the patient and I discuss and assess options that can indeed present more life satisfying results.

Areas of Expertise:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Existential issues

• Occupational or academic blocks

• Self-destructive behaviors

• Relationship difficulties

• Anger management issues

• Trauma and Post-traumatic symptoms and disorders (PTSD)

• History of neglect and/or emotional, physical, or sexual abuse

• Personality disorders

• Compulsive thinking and ritual

• Infertility Difficulties

• Hoarding

• Lack of Self-esteem

• Family dynamic and multi-generational issues

Parents who are divorcing or separating do best when:

1. There is proper co-parenting.

2. Good communication between both parties 

3. Staying "kid-focused" during conversations

4. Parent's learned to compromise and respect different opinions. 

5. Giving kids space to adjust to transitions.

6. Have an established routine and staying consistent. 

7. Establish a strong support network for yourself & your child.

8. Keep each other involved in the lives and events of both parties (birthdays, special holidays)

9. Legitimize the child's feelings during transition and encourage honesty.

10. Heal yourself first.

 Parents who are divorced/separated should avoid?

1. Venting their negative feelings to their child

2. Using the child as a messenger 

3. Exposing children to visible conflict, heated discussions, or legal talk 

4. Strong disruption to the child's daily routine and personal space 

5. Being secretive about what is happening entirely.  

6. Stopping the other parent from seeing the child (depending on custody or visitation agreements)

7. Ignoring physical and verbal signs of distress from the child 

8. Making promises you will not be able to keep. 

9. Radically changing the family dynamic

10. Using your child as a weapon or turning them against the other parent 

Unlike women who are statistically likely to be diagnosed with ADD/ADHD as adults, men are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age due to how clearly the symptoms present themselves. As young boys, ADD/ADHD presents itself more clearly with a combination of persistent problems including impulsive behavior, hyperactivity and difficulties paying attention. As adults, ADD and ADHD in men can present itself in unstable relationships, poor work or school performance, low self-esteem, amongst other things. Many adults with ADD/ADHD aren't aware they have it but rather find everyday tasks challenging. They might find it difficult to focus on tasks or prioritize activities, meetings or social plans - effecting both their work life and their social life.

Unlike for women, men with symptoms of adult ADD/ADHD are not as easily recognized or diagnosed. While this tendency for early diagnosis gives men with childhood ADD/ADHD more time to find the best treatment (medication, psychotherapy, psychological counseling or a mixture of multiple strategies), similar solutions are available and beneficial for adult men who are late diagnosed.

Adult ADD/ADHD

While ADHD is typically associated with overstimulated young boys, the diagnosis of ADHD has spiked in adult women, shedding light on the issue of sidelining the proper diagnosis of young women with this condition. Many characteristic symptoms are present from an early age, from disorganization of action and thought (associated with words like "lazy," "difficult," "airhead," "anxious," etc.) as well as impulsive behavior. Early diagnosis is vital for women to be able to build proper strategies to combat the effects of ADHD from an early age and integrate them properly in their daily routines. An early diagnosis can also provide the young women with a degree of relief and comfort that what they are experiencing isn't a fault of their character but rather a condition that occurs and in which they are not alone. While a late diagnosis can provide a similar degree of comfort, it comes at the cost of years of dealing with ADHD symptoms which they've expressed all along and without the proper knowledge on how to tackle them.

The isolation brought about by the pandemic has resulted in many ADHD symptoms worsening as those affected are stuck within the confines of their own home. However, now like never before the ADHD community has grown and awareness has spread. From social media platforms with the tag #adhd, many can find others broadcasting their own ADHD experiences to the world which can be a vehicle for others to seek treatment if they share many similarities with those experiences. 

This growing group of adult women being diagnosed with ADHD have experienced the symptoms of this neurological disorder their whole lives as this condition manifests in early childhood, affecting the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system. ADHD brains, notably, experience low levels of norepinephrine and dopamine. ADHD also comes in three main forms: hyperactivity-impulsivity, inattentive, and a combination of both. Notably, women are most likely to be diagnosed with inattentive ADHD, however, while starting off as less severe than in males it becomes more pervasive and obvious with age studies have shown. Furthermore, ADHD has a high degree of heritability. 

Women are socially conditioned to be polite and pleasing therefore many with undiagnosed ADHD develop coping mechanisms which can present themselves as depression or anxiety. Hormones can also impact the effects of ADHD in women a lot differently than in men, with studies showing that perimenopause and low estrogen can increase struggle with focus and memory. Furthermore, mood changes that can be caused by ADHD have been easily mislabeled as symptoms of puberty and menstruation. 

As awareness of ADHD symptoms spreads and access to therapy improves, it would be exciting to see this trend of late ADHD diagnosis for women to shift. An earlier diagnosis can lead to the proper building and integration of vital strategies in order to alleviate ADHD symptoms and to lead a healthy and more fulfilling life.