Communication-Focused Therapy (CFT) for ADHD

Some of you like to know the provenance of a therapeutic concept before you get into it, so I have put Communication-Focused Therapy (CFT) for ADHD in here. Left to their own devices a paper title and citation can seem rather sparse. This is all the more true with a subject like ADHD, where one comes to it with real concerns over medication, work, relationships, or why an ordinary chore seems to require more of you than anyone else appreciates. So this page is meant to be a short way into the 2017 paper, with the citation details at hand and some pointers to our other pages on psychotherapy and ADHD.

The paper approaches ADHD from the standpoint of communication. It might strike you as an abstract notion, but it is really quite ordinary. We do not just mean the exchange with another person in a room; it is also self-talk, planning, how you take feedback, the expectations you have, and the subtle interplay between what you feel in your body and the choices you make. When that is hard to put in order, you can end up feeling scattered or ashamed, or as if you are at odds with what you want to be doing. A good therapy model can help you put a name to those patterns.

Do not mistake this for a diagnostic instrument. ADHD diagnosis is a clinical matter, and questions about whether to alter or stop medication, side effects, or interactions need to be discussed with a qualified prescriber. No web page can tell you what treatment is right for you. What this page can do is give a more human introduction to the questions the paper raises and put the research in front of you.

I have been deliberately modest about it. Here is the CFT for ADHD title, the 2017 citation, where you can find the local paper version, and public mentions from places like Psych Central. They show where the work has been put forward, but they are no substitute for a clinician or an educational assessment, nor do they vouch for any individual outcome.

If you are new to CFT, start by asking yourself what kind of communication is running into trouble. Is it external? You may have a history of being called careless when things are not so simple, or you miss deadlines and cannot seem to make your needs understood. Or is it internal? A harsh inner critic, or the need to plough on without taking stock of what is going on. In a therapeutic setting these are the details that count because they put the focus on the person and not the label.

If there is immediate danger or severe distress, crisis support or emergency services are the first route. Otherwise, consider this page a bridge to the paper and the rest of the ADHD material on the site.