Cultivating Compassion ADHD Project: A Mentalization Informed Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Approach

ABSTRACT

Rates of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been steadily on the rise for decades, and ADHD is currently the second leading cause of childhood disability. ADHD symptoms interfere with school performance, social functioning, can disrupt familial harmony, and often extend into adulthood. Current treatments for ADHD, including stimulant medications and behavior modification, fail to address the inter/intrapersonal dynamics at the root of this disorder. The Cultivating Compassion ADHD Project seeks to look beyond targeted, behavioral treatments of ADHD by adopting a psychodynamic, approach focused on changing the way children with ADHD are seen by their caregivers and by themselves. This project puts forth an alternative treatment approach, incorporating mentalization-based interventions and psychodynamic conceptualizations, and offers a model of engaging family members and teachers in support of the child’s treatment. These interventions, illustrated with case examples, are designed to inject compassion into the child’s world in a way that depathologizes ADHD-related symptoms and fosters insight and self-regulation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Francine Conway

Francine Conway is the dean of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Conway, a graduate of the Gordon F. Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University has treated children with a range of behavioral problems for over 20 years. Her research and clinical work with children diagnosed with ADHD has been shared nationally through her TEDx talk “Cultivating Compassion for the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Child: Shifting Our Stance from Moral Indictment to Empathy” and her recent book “Cultivating Compassion: A Psychodynamic Understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” published by Rowman & Littlefield.

Stephanie Lyon

Stephanie Lyon, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers New Brunswick.

Madelyn Silber

Madelyn Silber, Psy.M., M.S.Ed., is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical PsyD program at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers New Brunswick.

Shira Donath

Shira Donath, B.A is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical PsyD program at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers New Brunswick.