Psychotherapy Services
Adult Therapy
Adult Therapy
Adult Therapy
Adult therapy at the Chesapeake Center focuses not only on feelings, but also on daily life management and problem solving.
We work with adults on improving their ability to manage their time and organize their life, and also on relationships and career / workplace concerns. Often, when working with an individual adult, we may encourage th
Adult therapy at the Chesapeake Center focuses not only on feelings, but also on daily life management and problem solving.
We work with adults on improving their ability to manage their time and organize their life, and also on relationships and career / workplace concerns. Often, when working with an individual adult, we may encourage their partner to join the therapy at times in order to engage in collaborative problem solving as well as to hear the partner’s point of view about how things are going at home and in the family.
Neuro-cognitive Psychotherapy
Our approach is a practical, solution-focused approach to psychotherapy. Our treatment approach focuses on feelings and relationships, but also helps individuals to better manage their daily lives, better understand how they are affected by ADHD and co-existing conditions. We help our patients learn to make life decisions that will support them in functioning at their best. Our clinical director, Dr. Nadeau has worked closely with her Adult Team to teach them this unique approach that blends the psychological with the practical.
Our psychotherapy focuses on self-concept, self-confidence, stress management, money management, daily life management, relationship issues and daily issues in on-the-job functioning. We also help parents learn to approach ADHD as a family, to better support all family members affected by ADHD and to find solutions to the daily conflicts that so often occur between parents and children with ADHD.
CBT Therapy
Adult Therapy
Adult Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) places a strong emphasis on helping you develop tools to reduce emotional over-reactions.
Some individuals with ADHD are hypersensitive to stress and rejection. Our CBT psychotherapy will teach you tools to feel calmer, to better manage your emotional reactions and to identify the negative thought patter
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) places a strong emphasis on helping you develop tools to reduce emotional over-reactions.
Some individuals with ADHD are hypersensitive to stress and rejection. Our CBT psychotherapy will teach you tools to feel calmer, to better manage your emotional reactions and to identify the negative thought patterns that contribute to your emotional upsets.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) was originally developed to treat depression, but a growing body of research shows that it is also an effective treatment for adolescents and adults with ADHD. CBT provides clear benefits including higher self-esteem, greater self-confidence, increased productivity and more happiness.
CBT works by teaching individuals to recognize self-defeating patterns of thinking called “cognitive distortions” that perpetuate problem behaviors. It’s no wonder that a teen or adult with ADHD has low self-esteem and expects negative outcomes after feeling overwhelmed and making mistakes daily for years. CBT helps to turn that self-defeating process around.
Living with ADHD and anxiety can cause negative thoughts and behavior due to under-achievement and poor executive functioning. At Chesapeake, we have developed a modified CBT program that emphasizes the development of attention, organization, and focus.
Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
CBT helps to replace pessimism with realistic optimism, by reducing feelings of hopelessness with a developing sense of control and effectiveness.
CBT focuses on self-defeating behavior patterns and supports the client in developing new, more constructive habits. CBT involves “homework” – i.e., putting into practice new behavior patterns such as reducing procrastination or improving sleep patterns.
CBT is not a substitute for medication but can greatly enhance improvements in daily living when used in combination with medication.
CBT can be provided in both individual and group treatment settings. Sometimes a group setting is especially helpful because then the individual can identify with others with the same struggles and group members can support each other in taking steps in the right direction.
How Long does CBT take?
CBT is designed as a short-term, goal-oriented, practical treatment approach that helps clients to feel better about themselves and their future. Research shows that as few as a dozen group or individual sessions can help clients make effective, positive changes in their daily lives.
Teen Therapy
Adult Therapy
Teen Therapy
We understand the unique challenges of the teen years with ADHD, Anxiety and Transitions.
Teens are often ready to engage in individual therapy and benefit from it, but, just as with child therapy, we feel that it’s very important to have parental involvement.
Our therapists may alternate between seeing the teen alone and seeing the teen wi
We understand the unique challenges of the teen years with ADHD, Anxiety and Transitions.
Teens are often ready to engage in individual therapy and benefit from it, but, just as with child therapy, we feel that it’s very important to have parental involvement.
Our therapists may alternate between seeing the teen alone and seeing the teen with the parents so that issues relating to home and school can be discussed as a family.
Our individual work with teens often focuses on self-esteem issues, social anxiety, and explosive reactions at home in response to interactions with parents.
Many teens can benefit from a DBT ‘Informed’ therapeutic approach that teaches them how to control emotional overreactions to stresses in their environment.
Practical Help and Strategies for Teens:
Practical, solution-focused counseling — to build self-esteem, develop self-understanding, learn to take charge of ADHD challenges, and build on strengths.
Self-advocacy skills — We help teens to understand their needs and rights for appropriate accommodations and how to advocate for them at school.
Learning life skills — Helping teens with ADHD develop competence and confidence so that they are better prepared to function independently.
Integration of Coaching & Mentoring — to help teens learn study skills/time management and organizing skills — Both our therapist and our executive functioning coaches work with teens to help them develop the skills they need to succeed.
College Guidance — Helping teens to make the right college choice — we focus on each student’s needs for support, assess their readiness for independence, and help them to find a curriculum matched to their strengths and interests.
Transition to College — Working with teens to prepare for making a successful transition to college. If students go away to college, we can continue to work with them via phone or Skype, help them to find the supports that they need on campus, and provide ongoing care when they return home on holidays or summer vacation.
Help for Parents and Families of Teens:
We work with parents in:
Family counseling — helping teens and their parents build a positive, constructive relationship.
Parent guidance — helping parents learn effective ways to provide structure and support while helping their teen move toward greater independence.
Family & Couples
Family & Couples
Family & Couples
We educate family members to be more understanding and supportive of the family members affected by ADHD (usually there is more than one), while also guiding family members with ADHD to take responsibility for their behavior and to develop a plan to reduce their negative, impulsive reactions. By increasing knowledge on the part of those w
We educate family members to be more understanding and supportive of the family members affected by ADHD (usually there is more than one), while also guiding family members with ADHD to take responsibility for their behavior and to develop a plan to reduce their negative, impulsive reactions. By increasing knowledge on the part of those without ADHD while increasing responsibility on the part of those with ADHD, the conflict and chaos at home can be reduced.
Child Therapy
Family & Couples
Family & Couples
Children with ADHD face unique challenges, especially since it is often presented with co-existing conditions.
Certainly in cases such as helping a child deal with a divorce, loss of a family member, social anxiety or other psychological/emotional issues, we provide child therapy focused on the immediate concerns of the child. But in many
Children with ADHD face unique challenges, especially since it is often presented with co-existing conditions.
Certainly in cases such as helping a child deal with a divorce, loss of a family member, social anxiety or other psychological/emotional issues, we provide child therapy focused on the immediate concerns of the child. But in many cases, for example, when treating issues related to ADHD, we don’t find that child therapy is the most effective treatment model. Instead, we often work with the parent(s) and child together, engaging in helping the family to understand the challenges their child is facing and helping them to problem solve as a family.
The best way to help children with ADHD through therapy is to form a partnership with their parents. We find that treatment is most successful when parents are actively engaged in the process. We teach parents evidence-based parenting approaches to reduce outbursts and conflict while increasing positive, cooperative behaviors at home. Individual play therapy can be useful to help children in situations such as loss of a family member, parental divorce or social anxiety, however, our approach involves the whole family.
Even with adolescents, we find that a family-focused approach is most successful. With teens, we work to create a strong bond and high level of trust with them while also encouraging them to bring their parents into the treatment so that they can problem-solve together.
We work with parents individually, in family therapy and also offer parenting groups allowing parents to learn from each other and feel supported in their parenting challenges.
Children with ADHD face unique challenges, especially since ADHD is often accompanied by co-existing conditions including:
• Learning disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Sensory processing disorders
• Speech and language disorders
• Oppositional defiant disorder
• Problems with fine and gross motor control
Group Therapy
Family & Couples
Group Therapy
Group psychotherapy is important because it offers a supportive, cost-effective, and research-backed approach to mental health treatment. It allows individuals to connect with others, gain valuable insights, develop essential skills, and ultimately improve their well-being. Group therapy is a valuable tool in the mental health toolbox, an
Group psychotherapy is important because it offers a supportive, cost-effective, and research-backed approach to mental health treatment. It allows individuals to connect with others, gain valuable insights, develop essential skills, and ultimately improve their well-being. Group therapy is a valuable tool in the mental health toolbox, and it complements individual therapy and other forms of treatment in a holistic approach to mental wellness.