Mother Plus Podcast
This is the podcast for "too much" moms who feel like they are failing at motherhood and don't want to fail anymore. Your hosts, Stacey Hutson and Stephanie Sprenger, two ADHD moms of four girls ages 4-18, most definitely don't have it all figured out. But we know one thing for sure: understanding our brains is the key to enjoying our motherhood, and our SELVES again.
Here, we are brutally honest about our ADHD motherhoods (the missed Spirit Weeks, the mountains of laundry, the nostalgia for our old "fun" pre-mom selves) so you know you're not the only one struggling.
When we don't know the answers, or aren't qualified to give them, we bring on the experts. Mental health therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, women's doctors -- we want to learn from them all. Because we believe once you know how to work WITH your ADHD brain rather than against it, it changes everything.
You found your people. We're them. And you're ours. Let's figure this out together.
*To Join the ADHD Mom's Club so we can hang out, visit: https://www.motherplusser.com/ADHD-mom-club-waitlist**
Mother Plus Podcast
A Psychologist Explains How The ADHD Mom Can Advocate For Herself: Part 1
In this episode, we cover:
- The diagnosis process can be fraught. Dr. Richey says that you do NOT need a diagnosis to start giving yourself love and compassion. You don't need a label to understand yourself.
- The DSM is very limited, and is inadequate when it comes to diagnosing women and girls as well as the BIPOC community.
- Dr. Richey breaks down the difference between screening and testing, and outlines the different types of practitioners who provide diagnosis. Understanding WHY you are seeking a diagnosis is an important part of choosing the correct path for you.
- We learn the term "Good girl zone" and how it starts with little girls who can't pay attention in class but pretend they are so they don't get in trouble.
- "You are neurodivergent, and that's okay. You don't have to do that." Dr. Richey gives us the permission to function differently that we didn't get in childhood. In fact, not only can we be okay, we can be better than ok.
- Dr. Richey tells us how to prepare for an ADHD evaluation in terms of what to do ahead of time, what to bring, and what to expect.
In part one of our incredible conversation with Dr. Rebecca Richey, Psy.D, MBA, LC, SW, MS, CP, CAC-III, who serves as the clinical director for Colorado Women's Collaborative Healthcare, we discuss the complicated process of getting an ADHD diagnosis. She covers the different types of practitioners available, the different options for evaluation, and the obstacles to getting diagnosed, including flaws in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) that make women and the BIPOC community more likely to fall through the cracks. She sheds light on what happens when girls are not properly diagnosed with ADHD.
Follow Dr. Richey here:
https://cowomenscare.com/
Download the ADHD Mom Meditation Here:
https://www.motherplusser.com/ADHD-meditation
Here are the abbreviated notes from Dr. Richey (if you want the whole notes page, email me at hello@motherplusser.com and I will send them to you):
- Screening vs. testing—any self-completed forms that ask about symptoms is a screener. Doing a self-eval and talking to a professional for a while is a screener or an enhanced screener.
- Testing/psychological assessment—more in-depth and uses objective measures (vs. subjective). Objective measures being cognitive testing, continuous performance testing, memory testing, executive functioning, collaborative info.
- Whether you get a screener or an assessment depends on what you want...
- If you think you have ADHD and want to try medication, a screening with a PCP or psychiatrist is in line.
- If you want treatment that doesn’t involve medication, a screening with a master’s level clinician is great.
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