Jun 9
This week Tracy welcomes Denese Marshall to Episode #132 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women where the conversations will be all about ADHD and trauma.
Denese Marshall, MA, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor, and a Nationally Board Certified Counselor. She has a BA in Psychology, a BA in Criminology and a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Denese works with adolescents and adults facing addiction, trauma and OCD. She is passionate about the acceptance of differences and has authored a bullying prevention book to teach children ages 4-7 to accept differences and exercise acts of kindness.
She has worked with clients with a criminal background to assist in both rehabilitative/reintegration following incarceration, as well as helping clients with addiction to prepare for incarceration.
Denese believes that our past or life choices influence our behavior, but they do not define who we are. She helps clients find meaning in their experiences and develop a sense of peace that comes from making sense of our experiences.
Denese has two teenage children, a private practice in Connecticut and she speaks regularly on trauma and finding the value and meaning of life challenges.
Denese shares the circumstances surrounding her own ADHD diagnosis, what has changed since she was diagnosed, her definition of trauma. how to distinguish between trauma and ADHD, the symptoms of trauma, why it’s important to address trauma before working on ADHD executive function issues, what happens to the traumatized brain when there is discomfort, what works to address trauma, what happens when trauma is not addressed, and how to find ADHD professionals who are expert in both trauma and ADHD.
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"I think healing can be passed down as well. So it stands to him. I don't know that that's not scientific, but it stands to reason that it should."
- Denese Marshall
"The shame around it, I think is really the hardest hardest part to work through. But workable. It is workable. I don't want to sound gloom and doom because certainly there's hope and you know, I it's part of the reason why I do what I do is because I feel like I was able and lucky enough to be able to kind of make my own limoncello, so to speak."
- Denese Marshall
"Trauma, there are little traumas, which are kind of consistent, but still impactful...you know, divorce, relocating, financial stress, food scarcity, constant struggles in school where teachers don't understand yes, and you're made to feel like there's something wrong with you, right?."
- Denese Marshall
- Denese shares her experience with ADHD, including her struggles with impulsivity and inattention, and how she found a diagnosis and treatment plan that works for her.
- Denese discusses her journey to becoming a therapist, including her previous career as a hairdresser and makeup artist, and how she found a passion for helping others with ADHD.
- Denese discusses the link between ADHD and emotional dysregulation, highlighting the role of trauma and unstable relationships in exacerbating symptoms.
[26:27 - 44:29] Trauma and Its Impact on the Nervous System
- Denese emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and processing trauma, as it can impact an individual's ability to move forward in life.
- Denese encourages listeners to seek professional help to work through trauma symptoms and reframe their experiences.
- Denese explains that trauma can cause a person's body to react to current situations as if they were happening again, even if the current situation has no direct connection to the past trauma.
- Denese shares her experience with childhood trauma and the importance of addressing it to improve mental health.
- Denese emphasizes the importance of finding a therapist who understands both trauma and ADHD, and has a good therapeutic relationship with the client.
- Denese believes that living successfully with ADHD involves finding the benefits of it, structuring one's life to overcome weaknesses, and embracing one's unique strengths and abilities.
