Adult ADHD Therapy in Orange County CA

Do you feel overwhelmed, distracted, or like you’re constantly falling behind no matter how hard you try? You make lists, set reminders, promise yourself you’ll “just focus this time” – and still end up exhausted, scattered, and judging yourself.

“Why can’t I just do the things I know I need to do?”

If your brain struggles to organize, prioritize, and follow through, it can start to feel like you’re lazy, broken, or “crazy.” You’re not. You may be living with ADHD – and it’s more than just being distracted.

Adult ADHD can look like:

Struggling to start tasks until the pressure is extreme
Jumping between projects and rarely feeling “finished”
Forgetting appointments, bills, or important dates despite caring a lot
Overpromising, then feeling overwhelmed and ashamed when you can’t keep up
Feeling mentally “busy” all the time, but not seeing results

Many adults with ADHD have spent years calling themselves “a mess,” “too much,” or “not enough” – rather than realizing their brain is wired differently. Therapy can help you understand what’s actually going on, reduce shame, and build strategies that work with your brain instead of against it.

What are Adult ADD and ADHD?

ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects attention, motivation, impulse control, and executive functioning (planning, organizing, prioritizing, and following through). Some people experience more hyperactivity and restlessness; others have a quieter, more internal form often called “inattentive type” (historically referred to as ADD).

Most adults who have ADHD have had it since childhood, but many were never identified. They learned to compensate – working twice as hard, masking, or leaning on perfectionism – until work, school, relationships, or parenting demands made it harder to cope.

Signs and symptoms of ADHD in adults

Everyone can be distracted or disorganized sometimes. With ADHD, these patterns are persistent and get in the way of the life you want to live.

Common ADHD-related challenges in adulthood include:

Chronic disorganization at work, home, or in your digital life
Difficulty prioritizing and often focusing on the urgent instead of the important
Forgetting what you just read, or rereading the same line over and over
Frequently losing items (keys, phone, wallet, documents)
Time blindness – underestimating how long things take or consistently running late
Starting many projects and finishing few
Feeling restless, fidgety, or internally “revved up”
Difficulty following through on plans or long-term goals
Getting frustrated or angry quickly; emotional intensity or mood swings
Procrastination, low motivation, or waiting until the last minute to get things done

Over time, these struggles can erode self-confidence and fuel shame: “I know I’m smart, so why can’t I just do it?” Therapy gives us a space to understand these patterns and build tools that actually fit your nervous system.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. Let’s take the first step together. Call so we can schedule a consultation.

How ADHD can impact your life

Untreated or unrecognized ADHD can create complications in nearly every area of life, including:

Work or school: missed deadlines, underperformance, job changes, burnout
Finances: late fees, impulsive spending, difficulty tracking bills and paperwork
Relationships: partners feeling ignored, unreliable, or “checked out,” conflicts about chores or follow-through
Physical health: missed appointments, difficulty maintaining routines like sleep, exercise, and nutrition
Legal or safety issues: speeding tickets, accidents linked to impulsivity or inattention
Self-esteem and mental health: shame, self-criticism, depression, anxiety, and sometimes thoughts of giving up

Many adults tell themselves they “should have it all together by now,” and blame their character instead of recognizing a brain-based pattern that can be understood and worked with.

Common coexisting conditions

ADHD rarely travels alone. It often overlaps with other mental health challenges, and each can intensify the others:

Mood difficulties

Depression, bipolar disorder, or chronic low mood can develop when repeated failures, criticism, and missed opportunities pile up. When you don’t understand why you’re struggling, it’s easy to conclude “something is wrong with me.”

Anxiety

Living with ADHD can be anxiety-provoking. Worry about forgetting things, letting people down, or missing important details can become constant. Anxiety then makes it harder to focus and plan, feeding a cycle of overwhelm and avoidance.

Learning differences and trauma

Some adults have ADHD alongside learning differences, earlier academic struggles, or trauma histories. Negative feedback from teachers, parents, or peers (“lazy,” “careless,” “not living up to potential”) can become deeply internalized, leading to self-doubt and perfectionism.

Part of our work is untangling what belongs to ADHD, what belongs to anxiety, depression, or trauma, and how they interact – so you can respond more effectively and with more self-compassion.

What causes ADHD?

ADHD is not a character flaw or a failure of willpower. It is strongly influenced by genetics and brain development. Research suggests:

ADHD often runs in families; many people discover their own ADHD when a child is evaluated.
Differences in brain networks related to attention, reward, and executive functioning play a role.
Factors like premature birth, significant head injuries, prenatal exposure to substances, or certain environmental toxins may increase risk for some people.

You didn’t choose ADHD, and you didn’t cause it. What you can choose now is how you want to understand it and what support you want moving forward.

How is ADHD diagnosed in adults?

Diagnosing ADHD in adults involves more than a quick checklist online. Many symptoms overlap with anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep issues, and burnout, so it’s important to look at the full picture.

An ADHD-informed evaluation typically includes:

A detailed history of your struggles with attention, organization, and follow-through across school, work, and home
Exploring how long these patterns have been present (usually since childhood, even if they showed up differently then)
Screening for coexisting conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma, and learning differences
Sometimes rating scales or questionnaires to gather more structured information

As a licensed therapist in California, I provide ADHD-informed assessment and can collaborate with your physician, psychiatrist, or other providers if medication or additional testing is part of your treatment plan.

Treatment options for adult ADHD

Effective ADHD treatment usually combines different supports tailored to you. For adults, this often includes:

Psychotherapy and ADHD-focused coaching

Therapy helps you understand how ADHD shows up in your life and gives you strategies to work with your brain rather than against it. In our sessions, we may:

Identify your specific executive functioning challenges (planning, prioritizing, task initiation)
Develop systems for managing time, tasks, and energy that fit your actual life
Work on emotional regulation and frustration tolerance
Address perfectionism, shame, and internalized messages like “lazy” or “irresponsible”
Explore how ADHD impacts relationships and build communication and boundary skills

I integrate cognitive behavioral, mindfulness-based, attachment-focused, and trauma-informed approaches so we’re not just changing behavior, we’re also changing the way you see and treat yourself.

Medication (in collaboration with prescribers)

Many adults with ADHD find medication helpful for improving focus, impulse control, and follow-through. While I do not prescribe medication, I frequently collaborate with psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and other prescribers so that therapy and medication, when used, support each other.

Education and practical tools

Understanding how ADHD affects your brain and nervous system is powerful. We’ll talk about:

How to structure your day to match your natural energy and focus cycles
“Body doubling” and other accountability strategies
Tools for managing digital distractions, notifications, and multitasking
Planning systems that are realistic for an ADHD brain (not just aesthetically pleasing planners)

We’ll experiment and adjust – the goal is not perfection but sustainable change.

Meet Jim Brillon – Adult ADHD Therapist in California

I am a licensed therapist in California (LMFT, LPCC) with a special focus on ADHD, trauma, and attachment. For years I’ve worked with adults who are bright, creative, and caring – and also exhausted from constantly feeling behind, disorganized, or misunderstood.

Therapy for adults with ADHD, high-masking ADHD, and suspected ADHD
Support for coexisting anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship challenges
In-person sessions in Orange County and online therapy across California

In our work together, we’ll slow down, make sense of your patterns, and build a toolkit that fits you – not a generic productivity system. My goal is to help you move from self-blame to self-understanding, and from constant overwhelm to more clarity, agency, and ease.