Jun 10
This week Tracy welcomes Grace L’Orange to episode #135 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women. Grace is a school psychologist, behavior specialist, and suicide prevention coordinator working in public education with a B.S. in Psychology and an advanced Education Specialist degree in School Psychology. Grace is passionate about equity, inclusion, and advocacy for all students, especially those with disabilities and other differences. In addition to her direct work with students, she collaborates with and educates other adults to better understand and address the specific impacts these differences have on daily life.
Grace recently implemented systemic changes in her district by developing updated policies and procedures for special education and suicide prevention/intervention focusing on equity and best practice. She serves as Director-At-Large on the board for her state school psychologist association. She also collaborates with the broader community through the Suicide Prevention Coalition in her county. Initially drawn to school psychology due to the school struggles of her brother with ADHD, little did Grace know that she would be diagnosed much later at the age of 32. Since then, Grace has been integrating this new ADHD facet of her life in the context of being an educator working with students with disabilities and behavior challenges.
In this episode Grace shares:
The circumstances surrounding her ADHD diagnosis
What has changed since she was diagnosed
How learning about her ADHD shifted her understanding of how ADHD presents in girls and helped her better notice symptoms that are often overlooked in female students
Information surrounding the alarming number of ADHD women who have attempted suicide and the societal factors that may contribute to these high rates
Signs of suicidal ideation to look out for and ways you can responsibly help someone who may be at risk (resources listed down below)
How she uses audio journaling to move past perfectionism, externalize her thoughts in order to process them, and speak more kindly to herself
Her key to living successfully with ADHD.
APPLE
SPOTIFY
YOUTUBE
"For some reason in my head, I can't do it. My head's like, but if I talk out loud, and then I can replay it back to myself. It just makes a lot more powerful."
- Grace L’Orange
"But the minute it gets out of your mouth or like yeah, like voice right? That's such a little shit. If you say it out loud, you're like, Okay, wait. Hold on. Who do you think you are?"
- Grace L’Orange
"Audio journaling has become my lifeline, helping me navigate emotions, clarify thoughts, and stay on top of tasks with self-compassion."
- Grace L’Orange
- Grace struggled with stress, burnout, depression, and anxiety for years, self-medicating with caffeine, cigarettes, and sugar.
- Grace has been working on self-forgiveness and understanding her limits, and has found it helpful to talk to herself in a more compassionate way.
- Grace shared her personal experience with ADHD and depression, and how she's been working through the workbook from Olden's book to address those issues.
[17:47 - 34:12] Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
- Grace shares her experience with ADHD and how it affects her daily life, including struggles with organization, prioritizing, and feeling like she's not living up to societal expectations of women.
- Grace discusses her experience with ADHD and depression, and how she uses solution-focused counseling with students, but forgets to apply it to herself.
- Grace avoids discussing her own suicidal thoughts with students, focusing instead on providing support and helping them find resources.
- Grace emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and validating listeners' feelings, rather than dismissing or judging them, and encourages listeners to seek help if they need it.
- Grace struggles to verbalize thoughts quickly enough before they disappear, but has found that talking about them helps her remember the most important parts.
- Grace shares her experience with ADHD and how she's learned to emotionally accept her diagnosis, rather than just cognitively accepting it.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline | 1-800-273-8255
h988lifeline.org
Mental Health Crisis Response Program: 1-888-989-9990 (for parents of children through age 17)
Trevor Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386 (for LGBTQ youth)
Question. Persuade. Refer. (QPR) online training for anyone: qprinstitute.com
Hopesquad Prevention: hopesquad.com
A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD by Sari Solden, MS and Michelle Frank, PsyD (book mentioned)
