Areas of Focus

Individuals diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) typically have significant difficulties with staying focused, sitting still, being impulsive, or a combination of these things. These difficulties can create problems at home, school, with peers, and/or at work. ADHD is often connected with problems in executive functioning, such as planning, organizing, remembering, and completing tasks. More information can be found here.

Anxiety is one of the most common problems people experience across the lifespan. Problems with anxiety, fear, and worry can show up in many ways, such as:

• Generalized anxiety (persistent worry)

• Panic

• School anxiety & avoidance

• Selective mutism (fear or speaking in certain settings)

• Separation anxiety

• Social anxiety

• Specific phobias

More information can be found here.

Body-focused repetitive disorders (BFRDs) are typically behaviors that have become habits that can result in some type of harm to the body. Examples of BFRDs include:

• Frequent hair pulling

• Skin picking

• Nail biting

• Thumb sucking

More information can be found here.

Cognitive rigidity, or inflexible thinking, can be a persistent problem that occurs across of variety of problem areas (e.g., anxiety, depression, OCD, autism, trauma). Cognitive rigidity can also be described as “black-and-white thinking,” “all-or-nothing thinking,” and/or problems with perspective taking (putting yourself in someone else’s shoes).

Depression and problems with low mood can be quite common, especially in teens and young adults. Depression typically includes periods of time (weeks or months) where someone may experience persistent sadness, hopelessness, lack of motivation, and/or changes to things like eating, sleeping, and staying focused. More information can be found here.

Children and teens develop as they get older in their own unique ways. Sometimes, there can be delays or challenges in various developmental milestones, many of which can be supported by therapy. Some of the most common difficulties include:

• Bed wetting

• Oppositional behaviors

• Picky/selective eating

• Pill swallowing

• Sleep training

• Toilet training

While a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Rutt was interviewed on the James Beard Award-winning podcast, The Sporkful, about the topic of picky eating. Information about this podcast can be found here.

Problems related to disruptive behaviors can include the following:

• Lying

• Stealing

• Fighting

• Repeated noncompliance

These types of problems can we very stressful and overwhelming for parents/caregivers to manage, and can lead to significant difficulties at home and school. More information can be found here.

Elimination disorders is the clinical term that describes persistent problems with bathroom accidents, also known as Enuresis and Encopresis. Typically these diagnoses are not provided until after children reach the age of 4 or 5. More information can be found here.

Some people experience emotions very strongly or have difficulty managing them in the moment.

This can show up as:

• Rapid mood shifts

• Feeling overwhelmed by emotions

• Difficulty calming down once upset

• Struggles in relationships as a result

We’ll work on building skills to better understand, tolerate, and regulate emotions without them taking over.

Gender dysphoria is a clinical term that is intended to describe the persistent and intense distress and interference that some individuals experience when there is a disconnect between gender identity/expression and sex assigned at birth. More information can be found here.

OCD involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors or mental rituals aimed at reducing distress.

This can look like:

• Repeated checking, reassurance-seeking, or mental reviewing

• Disturbing thoughts that feel hard to control

• Feeling stuck in cycles that don’t make logical sense, but feel necessary

More information can be found here.

Nearly 50,000 people die by suicide every year in the United States, and more than 14 million adults report having serious thoughts of suicide each year (source). In addition, nearly 1 out of 5 teens report having engaged in non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors (NSSI) each year (source).

While suicide and NSSI are strongly associated with depression, additional risk factors include intense anxiety, patterns of impulsive behaviors, and substance use. More information can be found here.

To learn about how to speak to teens and young adults about suicide, please watch this brief video here.

If you or someone you know might be in danger of hurting themselves or others, call 988, 911, or go to the nearest emergency room.

Difficulties with sleep can be very common in children, teens, and adults. Some of the most frequent difficulties include:

• Problems with falling asleep

• Problems with waking up during the night and returning to sleep

• Problems with early morning awakenings

It isn’t until adulthood that our bodies only need 7 - 9 hours of sleep per night. Most teens require 8 - 10 hours per night, and some as much as 11 or 12 hours. Approximately 80% of teens report not getting enough sleep throughout the week. More information on sleep can be found here.

Experiences with trauma and grief can make it feel impossible to return to “normal” day-to-day activities. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after a person experiences a very distressing event. Complex PTSD, or C-PTSD, can result from prolonged, repeated traumas. In some instances, teens and adults can experience symptoms of C-PTSD when they grow up in chronically invalidating environments.

Grief, especially prolonged grief, can be a debilitating experience that may occur after experiencing a significant loss.

For some people, it may feel like previous therapy and/or medication didn’t help or wasn’t enough. This can lead to significant frustration, discouragement, or hopelessness, and may result in young adults who are at risk for “failure to launch.” Working with highly specialized clinicians who can integrate multiple modalities in individualized ways may help, as well as incorporating innovative approaches such as ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.