Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can provide actionable changes and guidance, such as taking a different approach to planning to make it more effective. It can also help you restructure your thought patterns.
If you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might experience thought patterns that:
- affect concentration or ability to focus
- derail motivation and productivity
- get in the way of things you want to do
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can teach specific strategies to address those thoughts and beliefs and promote changes in behavior.
For many people living with ADHD, medication can help ease symptoms and improve quality of life.
However, to learn new skills that promote long-term change, therapy can make the most difference.
CBT can help you:
- effectively manage time
- organize
- make short-term and long-term plans
- improve emotional self-regulation
- improve impulse control
- improve stress management
As you become more effective in managing time, your thoughts and beliefs about yourself can become more positive. This can help you produce and maintain more positive changes in behavior.
Individuals with ADHD are also more likely to have depression and anxiety compared to those without ADHD. CBT can also help with these conditions.
Examples of behavioral changes with CBT
CBT imparts adaptive cognitions. An example is the ability to break down complex or unpleasant tasks into manageable parts. This can look like planning regularly and using a filing system.
Several studies have evaluated the effectiveness of CBT for ADHD.
A 2020 research review looked at 32 studies assessing CBT in adults with ADHD. These studies included individual, group, and online formats. The researchers found that CBT was associated with an improvement in ADHD symptoms.
Another 2020 review of studies found that CBT interventions had a significant positive impact on ADHD.
On the other hand, a small 2024 study in the UK found that the CBT framework was perceived as generic, rigid, and too short. Individuals also described therapists as not sufficiently adapting CBT to ADHD-related difficulties.
In CBT, the therapy process involves specific techniques designed to help create change.
You’ll learn these strategies in therapy, but one main goal of CBT is learning to use these strategies when challenges arise in everyday life.
Planning and scheduling activities
Your therapist can help you explore useful methods to:
- consistently plan activities and responsibilities
- organize your daily schedule
- manage time productively
They can also teach you about specific strategies to put those skills into practice and keep using them.
An example of planning and scheduling
You probably already know planners can help you keep track of appointments and bills. But every time you try to keep one, you lose it, forget to write in it, or get frustrated with how long it takes to write everything down.
Your therapist may encourage you to try a phone app that allows you to set recurring weekly or monthly reminders, cutting back the time you spend planning.
Cognitive restructuring
Cognitive restructuring can help you explore patterns of negative thoughts that create challenges at work or in your relationships, such as:
- Catastrophizing: “I messed up twice last week at work. They’re definitely going to fire me.”
- Overgeneralizing: “I lost that application paperwork. I can’t be trusted with anything.”
- Mind reading: “I know I get carried away and jump into conversations or interrupt people. Everyone must think I’m so annoying.”
Your therapist can help you recognize these patterns and then reframe them into more constructive and realistic thoughts.
“I never do anything right,” might become, “Sometimes I make impulsive choices that don’t play out well. Taking time to think things through can help me make better decisions.”
Guided discovery
Guided discovery often accompanies cognitive restructuring. Your therapist will ask questions about your beliefs, assumptions, and self-perceptions to better understand how you approach situations.
When they notice negative self-beliefs, they might help you consider alternate perspectives by asking about the facts or evidence for and against that belief.
For example:
- You say: “I can’t get anything done.”
- They might respond with: “OK, you told me about one day when you didn’t do much of what you planned. Now tell me about a day when things went well for you.”
Describing that day can help you realize you can complete tasks.
Positive self-talk
Talking down to yourself can fuel feelings of anxiety, depression, and self-hatred.
As part of CBT, you’ll learn to replace negative self-talk with more positive messages of self-compassion and encouragement.
Positive self-talk can help you feel more motivated to stick to your goals and complete tasks, and it can also reduce negative emotions that arise when you face challenges.
Successive approximation
If you tend to get overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of tasks, this technique can teach you how to divide them into smaller, more manageable pieces.
You can also learn to set time limits to reduce distraction and frustration. For example, you might note in your planner that you’ll work for an hour, then take a 15-minute break.
Distractibility delay
With ADHD, distractions can often complicate the process of getting things done. While working on a task you don’t enjoy, you might think of several more appealing activities you could do instead.
The distractibility delay technique teaches you to jot down any distractions you think of so you can set them aside until you complete the task at hand.
Your therapist might also offer guidance on:
- creating a distraction-free workspace
- using an alarm or other reminder to check in with yourself and make sure you’re staying on task
- scheduling and taking regular breaks
- adjusting perfectionistic beliefs
Once you learn these skills, your therapist may assign homework to help you practice them throughout the week until they feel more natural. At your next session, they’ll ask whether you noticed any changes in your emotions, thoughts, or behavior.
It can take some time to find the right therapist, but you can get started by narrowing down the type of therapy you’d like to try:
- in-person therapy
- teletherapy with a local therapist
- internet-based CBT programs
You can search for a therapist specializing in CBT for ADHD using internet search engines or therapist directories, like the American Psychological Association’s psychologist locator.
The first (or second) therapist you try may not work out, but that’s OK. They understand the importance of finding the right therapist.
Internet-based CBT programs allow you to practice CBT techniques independently, though many programs also connect you with a guiding therapist or coach.
Online-Therapy is a self-directed CBT program that offers eight lessons plus worksheets. It also includes unlimited messaging with your therapist and 30 minutes of weekly live therapy over video, voice, or text.
CBT for ADHD aims to help you address and revise negative thoughts and habits affecting your productivity and emotional mindset.
This approach can also lead to improved emotional and mental well-being overall.
Crystal Raypole writes for Healthline and Psych Central. Her fields of interest include Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health, along with books, books, and more books. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues. She lives in Washington with her son and a lovably recalcitrant cat.