Befriend Your Brain and Manage Burnout with ADHD Unlocked
Do you find yourself paralysed by overwhelm and anxiety? Perhaps this leaves you feeling frustrated and full of shame and guilt?
Allison Dolnik, an ADHD therapist and coach based in southeast London, helps Adults learn more about their ADHD, including how to overcome associated overwhelm and anxiety that can contribute to stress and burnout. She will work to help you develop a template to tackle unmet needs, overwhelm and frustration so you can thrive both personally and professionally.
Work with your brain, not against it!
Overcome Overwhelm and Burnout
Learn to work with your interest-based nervous system in order to activate motivation and tackle ADHD paralysis.
Regulate Your Emotions, including Anxiety and RSD
Turn your self-critic into your cheerleader. Find ways to navigate through self-doubt, shame and guilt, and start to believe in yourself and what you're capable of.
Identify and Achieve your Goals
Find strategies, structures and systems to that work for you - both here and now and in the future.
Are you tired of living in survival mode?
Years of masking can leave you feeling like you need to be "fixed" and your confidence shadowed by stigma and shame. You want to thrive, but may struggle to find the motivation and feel plagued by self-doubt.
It can be difficult to manage the various roles in our day-to-day lives, balancing work, parenting/caring, relationships, and self-care. You may be left feeling frustrated and overwhelmed trying to manage daily demands and expectations while also dealing with ADHD-related difficulties.
You know what to do, but struggle to do it.
Tackling seemingly small tasks can leave you feeling paralysed and burned out.
Services
Ever feel like there must be a magic key to your brain that you just haven't been able to find? Let's work together to get unlocked and tap into ADHD strengths and abilities while mastering chaos and overwhelm.
Unlocking your ADHD
There are many ways to do something, so let's find what works for you. We will work together to take small steps, turning what can feel like a marathon into smaller sprints, so that you can achieve what you set out to do.
Understand your ADHD, what systems and strategies work for you and meet your needs to help you thrive.
Develop an awareness of your strengths in order to build healthy boundaries and self-compassion to overcome guilt and shame.
Find ways to spark your motivation, focus and interest, to make life feel easier rather than a never-ending uphill battle.
3-steps to achieve your goals
Personalised support through weekly or fortnightly coaching sessions.
Set Your Goals
We will work to identify specific areas you would like to focus on. Sometimes this can feel like running a marathon - we will break this down into manageable sprints that gradually get you to your end goal.
Accountability and Support
Learn Skills and Strategies that target Executive Functioning specifically: Attention, Focus, Emotional Regulation/RSD, Working Memory , and Motivation while helping to improve your confidene and relationships.
Find Peace and Balance
Take a step back and admire your progress and success when all those small steps you've put into place lead you to achieve your goals and find your focus and peace.
About
Hello fellow Neurodivergents! I'm Allison, a neurodivergent ADHD therapist and coach based in southeast London (originally from Wisconsin, USA).
I was diagnosed "later in life" with ADHD after becoming a mother in 2018. My world felt unmanageable and I was left feeling overwhelmed and alone, and I couldn't understand why others seemed to function with ease while I struggled in silence. While a diagnosis felt like a relief, I also felt a sense of grief and was left wondering, "now what?".
I accessed ADHD coaching in 2020 and it was a gamechanger. I was able to take what I learned and keep it as a toolkit, readily handy whenever I need it. ADHD Coaching started me on a journey to self-compassion over self-doubt and ignited my desire to help others achieve peace and balance.
As a therapist and coach, I take a integrative approach in working with clients. This includes utilising an executive function framework alongside solution-focused and strength-based practice, looking at systems and support, as well as CBT and DBT informed principles to target negative thought patterns and self-criticism. I am particularly interested in the link between ADHD and Anxiety, as well as the impact on interpersonal relationships.
I am registered with Social Work England (SW107255) and a member of The British Association of Social Workers (BASW), The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) and the EMCC UK. I have an enhanced DBS check and maintain safeguarding training at Level 3 for both Adults and Young People as part of my registration and to maintain safe and quality practice.
Testimonials
How lovely it is to have you as a resource!
I can’t wait to work through things with you. It really does feel like a breath of fresh air because I’ve felt alone in this my whole life.
Annie
Coaching Client
This is brilliant. I feel more in control of my mind - and more focused.
John
Coaching Client
Everybody is a genius.
But if you judge a fish by its ability
to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
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What is ADHD Coaching?ADHD Coaching is specifically tailored to support those with ADHD (or parents/carers of children with ADHD) and ADHD-like symptoms, as this can present unique challenges in neurotypical systems, especially with areas of Executive Functioning (e.g., motivation, focus, memory, managing emotions, organisation, time-blindness, etc.). This could look like: - Developing routines that are manageable and sustainable - Building awareness and insight into your emotions and how to help regulate them - A space to provide you with support and accountability in accomplishing what you set out to do - Undoing years of “masking” and self-sabotaging through exercises focused on strengths and self-compassion -How to activate and motivate an interest-based nervous system (interest, novelty, adrenaline) not importance-based nervous system - Understanding and identifying adjustments and adaptations for the home and workplace to help with focus, organisation, time management and motivation
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Do I need a diagnosis to access ADHD Coaching?In short, no! If you identify with ADHD and are interested in coaching there is no need for a formal diagnosis. Diagnosis may not be accessible for everyone, and it may not be something you wish to seek out. Given there is a significant demand on referral and assessment services at this time, people can be left feeling disheartened while waiting for a service. If you struggle with executive functioning or ADHD-like symptoms, let's chat and see how ADHD coaching may help. There's no need to wait for a diagnosis to access coaching. That being said, If you believe you have ADHD and have not been assessed but would like to know more, consider speaking with your GP, or check out Psychiatry UK - Right to Choose.
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How much does coaching cost?Sessions start at £125/per hour, with discounted rates available for packages of 6 or 12 sessions. If you have any concerns/questions about affordability, we can discuss this during the discovery call. I appreciate everyone's circumstances are different and don't want cost to pose a barrier if it feels like a good match.
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What if I cannot afford the fee?I have a limited number of reduced-fee spaces available. We can talk through your circumstances during the discovery call. If you are in the UK, you may be able to get sessions paid for through Access to Work, more info here: https://adhduk.co.uk/access-to-work/ You may also wish to speak with your employer, as they may cover the cost of sessions through occupational health.