Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD: A Practical, Easy-To-Use Guide for Clinicians
Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD: A Practical, Easy-to-Use Guide for Clinicians offers readers a comprehensive understanding of ADHD in adults and how to work with these interesting and underserved clients. I have taken the best of the empirical science and combined it with ten years of clinical experience to offer readers what they really need to know to provide effective treatment. Most clinicians don’t have time to wade through the primary literature themselves or don’t find it applicable enough to their clinical practice, so I did that work for them.
“Numerous informative trade books exist on ADHD in children that can serve to guide family members in its scientific understanding and management, but this is far from the case for adults with the disorder. The few popular books that do exist on adults with ADHD are sometimes filled with half-truths, clinical yet unscientific “wisdom,” distracting anecdotes, and outright falsehoods about the disorder, including the possibility that it conveys some beneficial gifts to those so afflicted. For these reasons, it is a real pleasure to read Tuckman’s superbly rendered book on ADHD in adults, for it is so well-reasoned, science-based, information-rich, to the point, and finally-useful! Apart from wishing I had written it, I sincerely wish that you will read it.”
–Russell A. Barkley, PhD, clinical professor of psychiatry, Virginia Treatment Center for Children and Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA
“Dr. Ari Tuckman has filled a huge gap in our understanding of adults who suffer from ADHD. He sheds light where there was darkness, he clarifies the science behind adult ADHD, and, most importantly, he brings theory into practice by providing a well-balanced model for helping those with ADHD using a multi-modal approach to treatment: education, medication, coaching, and psychotherapy. Readers will come away with practical tools to improve the lives of those suffering from this condition. This book is a valuable contribution to the literature and will be a treasured resource.”
–Harvey C. Parker, PhD, co-founder of Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
“Tuckman has authored a state of the art volume deftly blending science and clinical experience to provide a reasoned, reasonable and eminently useful treatment guide for adult ADHD. He writes from a strong scientific and clinical framework. It is clear in this volume that he has spent countless hours helping adults with ADHD. Current in its scientific foundation and practical in its approach to assessment and treatment, Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD is an exceptional guide for mental health professionals working with adults with ADHD. It is rare to find volumes directed at mental health professionals that are scientifically accurate yet practical in approach. In his new book, Tuckman has accomplished both.”
–Sam Goldstein,, ADHD expert and author
“Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD is full of practical strategies that you can use with your next client. Dr. Tuckman clearly understands the challenges that adults with ADHD face and what you can do to help them stay on top of life’s demands.”
–Nancy A. Ratey, EdM, MCC, SCAC –Nancy A. Ratey, EdM, MCC, SCAC
“Tuckman has distilled the best of the best from research and clinical experience to provide a wealth of information as well as practical suggestions for managing adult ADHD. Jargon-free, well organized, and user-friendly, Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD will be immensely helpful to both clinicians and lay readers struggling with ADHD.”
–Barbara D. Ingersoll, PhD ADHD expert and author
“As a psychiatrist, I am pleased to see Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD by Ari Tuckman, Psy.D. added to the armamentarium for all professionals who treat adults with AD/HD. As a psychiatrist, I strongly support the concept “Pills do not make skills.” Generally, along with psychiatric medication prescribed by the physician, psycho-education, psychotherapy, and coaching are often needed to optimize the treatment of adults with AD/HD. The various disciplines need to better work together as a treatment team. The more each participant knows about the other team member’s role and contribution to the treatment, the better off our patient will be. Dr. Tuckman’s book goes a long way towards facilitating a better functioning and integrated multi-modal treatment program for adults with AD/HD. Each member of the treatment team should read this book and learn how to better their own role and more closely integrate it with the other professionals’ contributions. For example, the more the therapists learn about medication, the better they can serve as liaisons to the medical/prescribing member of the treatment team. Now if only we physicians would learn more about cognitive behavioral therapy for AD/HD in adults.”
–Philip Parker, MD, Professor, Professional Advisory Board of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association
“Dr. Tuckman’s book Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD is an excellent and much needed resource for clinicians as well as clients. It is informative, well-organized and written in a conversational style that is easy for all to understand, while still based on research findings. Dr. Tuckman’s use of his own experiences in treating adults with ADHD adds a human touch to the complexities of this area of practice. The free online forms and other resources are also a nice touch.”
–James J. Crist, PhD, CSAC, author
“Ari Tuckman’s new book, Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD, is a wonderful gift for all mental health and health-care professionals. Dr. Tuckman’s vast wisdom and valuable interventions are delivered in a reader friendly, supportive tone. No stones are left unturned for readers seeking the best methods to diagnose and effectively treat adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This much needed, well-researched, excellent book truly raises the bar for the standard of care for those adults afflicted with ADHD.”
–Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD, author
Traditional therapeutic techniques are not sufficient to deal with the many manifestations of this multifaceted condition. The integrative treatment model that I advocate contains the following four parts:
- Education to help clients better understand how ADHD impacts their lives and to correct the many negative misinterpretations of ADHD behaviors.
- Medication to improve functioning and set the stage for other interventions.
- Coaching to teach practical strategies to help clients stay on top of daily demands and to provide a foundation for improved self-esteem and self-efficacy.
- Therapy to deal with the effects of ADHD struggles on self-esteem and self-efficacy, as well as to address comorbid conditions.
As with many other subpopulations, this group of clients requires some different approaches that go beyond traditional therapeutic techniques. Unfortunately, a recent large study found that only 10% of adults with ADHD had received treatment in the prior year. Given a prevalence of almost 5%, one in twenty adults has ADHD, but it is far greater among the clinical population, who will often be misdiagnosed with anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder (which they may also have, but these comorbid conditions may be greatly exacerbated by the ADHD). That means that every full-time therapist has at least one ADHD adult in their caseloads, whether they know it or not, and whether they address the ADHD explicitly or not. Most of these clients may get some benefit from traditional techniques, but will not make the progress that they or their therapists expect. My hope is that Integrative Treatment for Adult ADHD will help clinicians better meet the needs of these clients.
