Anxiety, ADHD & Mental Health Diagnosis & Treatment

Adults

When Your Mind Won’t Slow Down

If your mind never slows down—if you're stuck in a loop of racing thoughts, constant worries, or fear of failure or catastrophe for no clear reason—you’re not alone. These suggest Anxiety, ADHD, or other mental health conditions.

Understanding Anxiety and ADHD

Anxiety and ADHD are two of the most common issues I help adults work through. They’re not flaws — they’re patterns that make sense when understood, and they’re absolutely workable with the right support and tools.

You Might Recognize Yourself in Some of These Struggles

Performance Anxiety & Self‑Doubt: Fear of failing, feelings of worthlessness, and difficulty following through. These patterns can affect your ability to show up fully at school, in your career, or in close relationships.

Problems in Relationship: Feeling misunderstood, guilty, or emotionally distant. You may worry you're disappointing your partner, being overly reactive with your kids, or constantly in conflict at work or feeling like you're letting yourself or others down.

Overthinking & Restlessness: Racing thoughts at night, chronic worry, and physical tension that make it hard to relax, connect with others, or listen to your kids or partner.

Focus & Follow‑Through Problems: Poor concentration, procrastination, hyperfocus, and missed appointments. These can create friction at work, lead to missed deadlines, or fuel conflict with kids or partners.

Forgetfulness & Mental Disorganization: Losing track of responsibilities, struggling to keep up with everyday tasks, or appearing unreliable even when you're doing your best to stay organized.

Mental Fatigue: Feeling “on” all the time and unable to slow down, even when you're off the clock, alone, or trying to enjoy your personal life.

Emotional Reactivity & Feeling Overwhelmed: Feeling overwhelmed by small frustrations, snapping in relationships, or shutting down when too many demands pile up.

Why Diagnosis Can Help

Clarity and Validation: Whether you're dealing with ADHD, Anxiety, or a combination of both, I’ll work with you to sort through the confusion and build a clear, grounded path forward. We can begin with a formal mental health diagnosis to name your problems. A clear diagnosis can be deeply validating. It helps you understand what’s driving your struggles and can relieve years of guilt, confusion, or self-blame.

A Shared Language and Personalized Support: Rather than reducing you to a label, it provides a shared language to make sense of your experience. It also ensures that your therapy plan is personal and aligned with your specific needs. Diagnosis helps you be understood by loved ones, access accommodations at work or school, and feel more in control of your life. For many people, it marks the point where things finally start to shift.

My Qualifications

Extensive Clinical Experience: I’ve given over 1,750 formal mental health assessments in hospital settings, provided more than 15,000 counselling sessions, and collaborated within healthcare teams. I am a Registered Clinical Social Worker and authorized to diagnose and treat mental disorders.

How My Approach Stands Apart: This diagnostic authority sets me apart from non-clinically registered social workers (RSWs), who are not permitted to diagnose in BC. My approach also differs from those who may frame you as inherently disordered or unwell. It integrates a strength-based, holistic view that considers not just your symptoms but prioritizes you as a person above all else.

What to Expect

Diagnosis Is Optional — Support Is Central: That being said, diagnosis is always optional. What matters most is that we create space for you to express your thoughts and emotions, understand what’s happening beneath the surface, and build practical skills that support real change.

Practical, Evidence-Based Skills: You can learn more about these skills under the CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and ADHD Toolkit sections of this website. You won’t be met with vague affirmations or passive listening. You’ll get active, thoughtful support designed to help you gain clarity, restore confidence, and move forward in ways that actually work.

Teens

Feeling Misunderstood or Overwhelmed

Teenagers — especially boys and girls struggling with Anxiety or ADHD — often feel confused, frustrated, or misunderstood. If you're a teen, you may have tried to hide how difficult things feel. If you're a parent, you may be wondering whether what you're seeing is typical or something more.

Patterns I Often Assess in Teens

Academic Anxiety & Self-Doubt: Perfectionism, fear of failure, or avoidance of schoolwork. This can look like giving up too early, struggling to start tasks, or never feeling “good enough.”

Friendship and Family Struggles: Feeling left out, emotionally distant, or like no one really gets you. Some teens feel pressure to perform or act a certain way to avoid rejection.

Overthinking & Physical Tension: Racing thoughts at night, chronic worry, or stomach or chest tension. These can impact sleep, energy, and the ability to focus or enjoy daily life.

Focus & Follow-Through Problems: Losing track of homework, getting overwhelmed by small tasks, or getting in trouble for forgetting things — even when you're trying hard.

Restlessness or Shutdowns: Always on, irritable, or unable to slow down — or the opposite: checked out, low energy, and detached.

Emotional Reactivity: Strong emotions that feel out of control. Outbursts, shutting down, or withdrawing when overwhelmed.

How Diagnosis Helps Teens and Parents 

Girls are often misdiagnosed or overlooked because their symptoms look more internal: perfectionism, people pleasing, daydreaming. Boys are more likely to be labeled as lazy or oppositional, even when they’re struggling with decisions or initiative.

You don’t need to wait for a psychiatrist to get a clear diagnosis. I’m registered to assess and diagnose ADHD, anxiety, and other concerns — and offer families answers and direction much sooner than many clinic-based services with long waitlists.

Next Steps If you’re ready to get clarity and support for your teen, feel free to reach out or book a session. I’d be glad to help you take the next step.