Introduction

In Nancy Armstrong’s 2022 documentary “The Disruptors,” 1 adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) shared striking remarks about their experiences as children: 1 Steve Madden: “… You’re falling behind in class, your self-esteem goes down … .” Glen Beck: “It just grinds [you] down into thinking you’re stupid.” Ty Pennington: “I was called all types of things … idiot, class clown, moron … [it] makes you feel … you’re not normal … .” In Armstrong’s film, Dr. Gail Saltz remarks: For kids with ADHD, the impact of the distractibility and impulsivity is emotional. It is the feeling that they are different, like they’re bad kids with bad minds and that impact on their self-esteem has a huge emotional toll. 1 If left unchecked, this toll can persist into adulthood, having a cumulative impact over time. In focus groups with experienced ADHD coaches, one coach remarked that “our clients so often come to us feeling that they’re broken, and they need to be fixed” (Mira Weinfeld). 2 Other coaches agreed, alluding to feelings of “shame” commonly experienced by adults with ADHD. Addressing shame was repeatedly referenced, and interventions to counteract this by promoting growth and hope were stressed as key in all phases of coaching for this population. Coaches shared the following examples of promoting growth and hope. 2 We provide a “sense of being heard and being seen and being known, and not feeling alone anymore … .” (Laurie Dupar) 2 “Because our clients so often come to us feeling that they’re broken, and they need to be fixed, [we] really emphasize the importance of strengths.” (Mira Weinfeld) 2 We help clients see that “there are ways … back to hope. There are ways to move through this [set of challenges] and build more capacity in your system” (Michelle Buzgon) 2 As coaches, we “find out what ignites their most harmonious passions and intrinsic levels of motivations.” so they can develop “a new story filled with hope, inspiration and empowerment [and] find their voice” (Sue Trace) 2 “[O]ne of the most incredible things that we do with someone who has ADHD is to give them hope.” (Linda Anderson) 2 As a result of these focus groups, we became curious about frameworks and approaches for supporting growth and hope for adults with ADHD. We wondered about evidence related to strategies that support growth, hope, and well-being. We asked: • What does the literature say about how therapeutic interventions or coaching approaches might address shame and self-esteem for adults with ADHD? • What contributes to promoting growth and hope, or mental well-being, for adults with ADHD? • What helps adults with ADHD to flourish? In this book, we attempt to answer these questions and to provide a theoretically sound, evidence-based, yet practical, guide to understand the challenges faced and effectively promote growth, hope, resilience, and mental well-being for adults with ADHD.