Are you an adult with ADHD? The ADHD WA Adult Workshop will be an interactive, energetic experience, addressing 4 topical ADHD issues:
- ADHD & Relationships with Zyron Krupenia, Clinical Psychologist;
- ADHD & The Workplace with Kim Dixon, ADHD Coach
- ADHD and Time Management with Dr Michele Toner, ADHD Coach; and
- ADHD & Medications with Dr Roger Paterson, Psychiatrist.
This workshop is now FULLY BOOKED. To join the cancellation waitlist, please register below:
$150.00Read more
Life can be challenging for adults with ADHD, it’s often difficult to conform to certain structures and processes or to communicate your feelings and the challenges you face in everyday life. In that regard, it’s important to maintain close relationships with family and friends. Having close connections with family and friends gives one a sense of belonging, acceptance, security and well-being. Being understood and understanding others leads us to feel connected and contented. People with Attention Deficit Disorder generally have a history of struggling to achieve these types of satisfying, harmonious and close relationships.
Workplaces are often a bad fit for the ADHD adult. Poor time management, prioritisation skills and lack of follow-through often result in missed deadlines, or last-minute bursts of (unpaid) overtime. A tendency to focus on interesting aspects of the job and ignore boring, mundane tasks (like time sheets and reports) can have serious consequences. Others misinterpret these behaviours as laziness or a lack of commitment. Social interactions and office politics are often baffling when you have ADHD. These and other challenges often cause people to become overwhelmed and quit their jobs.
ADHD causes “Time Myopia” – making it almost impossible to visualize the future or past, and actions are controlled by immediate contexts. Consequently, people with ADHD work on two timeframes: “Now” and “Not Now”. Whatever captures their attention in the “Now” will become their priority. Deadlines are often missed as they frequently underestimate the amount of time required to complete tasks. Time drags in the most painful way when tasks are boring, and time flies faster than the speed of light when tasks are engaging and stimulating.
There has been much research, over the years, on what is the most effective support to offer adults with ADHD. There is now evidence that the most effective approach is a combination of medication and other therapies, including behavioural parent training, coaching, counselling and education about ADHD. This workshop will provide a great opportunity for you to speak to the experts, learn from like-minded people, and discover strategies you can use in your everyday life.
You will be placed in small groups of 10-15 people throughout the day, rotating through each workshop and discussing these issues in-depth.
When: Saturday, 23rd July, 9am – 1pm (Registration 8:30am)
Where: ADHD WA, The Niche, 11 Aberdare Rd, Nedlands WA 6009
Price:
- $70 ADHD WA Members
- $40 ADHD WA Concession Members (attendees will need to show proof of their concession card on the day)
- $150 Non-members
Please arrive at 8:30am for 9am Start. Tea, Coffee and Morning Tea included.
Workshop Sessions
ADHD & Relationships with Zyron Krupenia, Clinical Psychologist
Establishing and maintaining healthy relationships is, for most people, one of life’s major goals. Having close connections with family and friends gives one a sense of belonging, acceptance, security and well-being. Being understood and understanding others leads us to feel connected and contented. People with Attention Deficit Disorder generally have a history of struggling to achieve these types of satisfying, harmonious and close relationships.
Due to impulsivity in thinking, feeling and behaving that often say and do “the wrong thing”, putting them out of step with those closest to them. People with Attention Deficit Disorder also struggle to “be present” thus missing parts of conversation and appearing to be disinterested or absent. They are also easily bored and so want to move on to the next activity or the next relationship. They may also not be sufficiently engaged so as to accurately read social cues. All of these, and other factors, can lead individuals with ADHD to have trouble establishing and maintaining satisfying relationships.
This workshop will examine these issues in an interactive format, giving participants an opportunity to express their own life experiences and to learn from others some of the skills that may help foster more positive and satisfying relationships in their lives.
ADHD & The Workplace with Kim Dixon, ADHD Coach
Work can be a challenging place for adults with ADHD. The need to conform to a certain structure or system can make it hard to showcase your strengths and communicate using your preferred processing styles. You may feel reluctant to disclose your ADHD diagnosis to colleagues or employers, which makes it hard to request support or modifications. Poor time management, prioritisation skills and lack of follow-through often result in missed deadlines, or last-minute bursts of (unpaid) overtime. A tendency to focus on interesting aspects of the job and ignore boring, mundane tasks (like time sheets and reports) can have serious consequences. Others misinterpret these behaviours as laziness or a lack of commitment. Social interactions and office politics are often baffling when you have ADHD. These and other challenges often cause people to become overwhelmed and quit their jobs.
If you can relate to some of these issues (and more), join us to brainstorm strategies, systems and solutions.
ADHD & Time Management Dr Michele Toner, ADHD Coach
Psychiatrist Ed Hallowell once said that time is a black hole that swallows people with ADHD, although it is meant to break their day into manageable chunks. What makes it so hard? In order to successfully manage time, we need to see it – to look ahead to the future to plan for deadlines, and back to the past to draw on previous experience. However, ADHD causes “Time Myopia” – making it almost impossible to visualize the future or past, and actions are controlled by immediate contexts. Consequently, people with ADHD work on two timeframes: “Now” and “Not Now”. Whatever captures their attention in the “Now” will become their priority. Deadlines are often missed as they frequently underestimate the amount of time required to complete tasks. Time drags in the most painful way when tasks are boring, and time flies faster than the speed of light when tasks are engaging and stimulating.
This workshop will explore individual challenges associated with time management and tactics for addressing them across multiple domains.
ADHD & Medications with Dr Roger Paterson, Psychiatrist
Medication is very helpful in treating ADHD, and is usually the frontline treatment for moderate/severe cases of ADHD, both in children and adults. The particular medications that are most useful are called stimulant medications, and are short or long acting versions of dexamphetamine and methylphenidate/Ritalin. This is where the problem starts – because these medications are stimulants, they have some “street value” because ordinary folk can take them and enjoy the benefits of increased wakefulness and energy. And so they must be restricted to specialists initially. In addition, dexamphetamine sounds a lot like methamphetamine (“speed”) which causes problems for patients contemplating trying the medication, and is also an opportunity for critics of ADHD to accuse doctors of prescribing “kiddie speed” to children which may well “damage their brains”.
Facilitators
Zyron Krupenia, Clinical Psychologist – ADHD & Relationships
Zyron trained as a Clinical Psychologist, first at the University of South Africa, and in 1983 completed his Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology (Cum Laude) at the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. He then lectured in psychology and began to consult in private practice. He worked closely with various community organisations comparable to Relationship Australia, the Alcohol and Drug Authority and Samaritans. He ran numerous training courses in counselling and communications and developed an interest in family and relationship problems and child behaviour problems.
On his arrival in Perth in 1988, he commenced work in a Child Development Centre dealing primarily with child-related behaviour and developmental problems and problems related to marriage and family life. It was here that he developed and interest in the treatment of Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder.
Zyron is the principal clinical psychologist at Premia Consulting Psychology in Scarborough, Perth and has been in private practice since 1984.
Zyron is a member of the following professional organisations: The Australian Psychological Society (APS), The APS College of Clinical Psychology, The Institute for Private Clinical Psychologists of Australia (IPCPA), and The Association of Clinical Psychologists of Australia (ACPA). He has been on the Professional Advisory Board of ADHD WA since it’s inception and is now also on the ADHD WA Management Board.
Zyron’s main clinical interests are marital and sexual problems, adult coping with life problems, parenting issues, child behaviour problems and Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder in children and adults. He does not follow any one particular school of psychology but adopts what would be considered an eclectic approach, but with a great deal of Cognitive Behavioural methodology. He has been closely following the developments in neuropsychology, Mindsight and mindfulness as useful approaches to psychotherapy. Zyron is also a Level 3 trained Gottman Marital Therapist.
Kim Dixon, ADHD Coach – ADHD & The Workplace
Kim Dixon is a trained ICF Coach with a specialization in ADHD through ADDCA and has served on the Board of ADHD WA since 2016.
Kim started her coaching career firmly under the wing of Dr Michele Toner, under whose guidance The Skill Crew (www.theskillcrew.com) was formed in September of 2020; just in time for the online world of Covid. She studied Psychology twice, firstly as an undergraduate and secondly as a postgraduate at Monash University in from where she graduated in 2017
Prior to Coaching, Kim trained in Literature and Law and found her niche in Project Management. She is professionally accredited through Prince 2, PMI and the Australian Institute of Company Director. She has managed projects across multiple geographies, softwares, and industries. She has worked with many interesting and talented individuals and has ensured positive outcomes by streamlining and personalizing information and processes to educate others.
She enjoys helping individuals identify how the symptoms of ADHD affect their daily lives and supporting them to break through the frustrating obstacles that seem to be impacting their success.
Mothering experience of ADHD has provided insights into options and alternatives including picking battles and adapting environments while raising a family of three ADHD sons of whom one is now a qualified engineer and two are currently at University.
Kim’s well-rounded experience allows her to support her clients to focus the inherent exuberance and creativity of ADHD on their long term and short-term goals, to leverage the important relationships with time, organization, planning and impulse control to enable them to achieve successes in their personal and working lives.
Dr. Michele Toner, ADHD Coach – ADHD & Time Management
Michele was the first credentialed ADHD coach in Australia. She started out as a teacher, worked in the advertising industry and ran a small business with her husband for 30 years. and. Returning to uni as a mature aged student, she completed her Master of Special Education and PhD. She is a faculty member of the New York-based ADHD Coach Academy, and has mentored 50 Australian ADHD coaches.
She opened her private coaching practice in 2009, where she specialises in working with individuals who process, communicate and operate ‘outside the box’. She partners with people to identify and harness the strengths in their unorthodox approaches and to recognise the modifications they can put in place to minimise associated challenges. Michele is also a passionate advocate for people with ADHD at the State and National levels.
In 2017 Michele co-authored and published THE ADHD GO-TO-GUIDE for Parents and Teachers with Professor Desiree Silva. In 2021 Michele was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her work in ADHD.
Dr Roger Paterson, Psychiatrist – ADHD & Medications
Dr Roger Paterson is a consultant psychiatrist in full-time private practice. He worked in combined public and private practice from 1989 to 1996, and from 1997 onwards has been exclusively in private practice, now mostly treating adolescent and adult ADHD. He was a principal author in 1999 of a world first study showing that dexamphetamine was indeed useful in the treatment of adult ADHD. Dr Paterson has been a member of the WA Health Department Stimulants Committee, has been on the ADHD WA Professional Advisory Body since 1994, and on the Board of ADHD WA since 2016. In 2017, he became an inaugural Board member of the newly formed Australian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA). Together with Dr Michele Toner, he was instrumental in starting an email support network for Australian ADHD professionals in 2011.
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