Jan 12
Kristen Baird-Goldman is a licensed psychotherapist and ADHD certified clinical specialist with a unique perspective on the intersection of psychology and integrative wellness. Kristen recently released her first book, The CBT Workbook for Adult ADHD, which was inspired by her and her clients’ experiences as adults with ADHD. Reading through the workbook, it’s clear it was created with ADHD brain in mind; it has simple exercises designed to help you examine the most common obstacles that adult ADHDers encounter, followed by mindfulness and CBT-based techniques for navigating those obstacles successfully.
Kristen’s philosophy and approach to therapy is strength-based, allowing individuals to discover their best selves, which is why I knew she would be the perfect person to cover these topics on the podcast. During our conversation she provides an easy-to-understand explanation of what CBT is, how she uses it with her ADHD clients and herself, the important role of discomfort, and more.
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YOUTUBE
"The heart of CBT is looking at our thoughts. Our thoughts impact our feelings and our feelings impact our actions and behaviors, and then those behaviors put us back in the thought cycle."
- Kristen Baird-Goldman
"Art was always my go-to, and so I was always one of the best art kids in the school. I’m so grateful that I grew up in a time where that was still important in the schools because I'm not sure I would've survived middle school and high school without art class on an almost-daily basis."
- Kristen Baird-Goldman
"We are very good at taking a bird's eye approach and seeing the big picture of what's working and what's not working. We are excellent problem solvers and we want to come up with solutions, but most of the time, upper management doesn't want to hear it."
- Kristen Baird-Goldman
- Kristen shares her experience with ADHD and discusses her book with the host.
- Kristen shares her experience with ADHD and dysgraphia while writing a book on CBT for adult ADHD.
- Kristen shares her experience with ADHD in the corporate world, facing challenges due to her directness and being told to be softer.
[33:49 - 41:36] ADHD diagnosis and strategies for individuals with ADHD
- Kristen shares her experience of being retested for dyslexia and discovering she had a strong writing ability despite struggles with organization.
- Kristen highlights the importance of exposing oneself to discomfort in order to change one's brain and reduce anxiety.
- Kristen emphasizes the importance of leaning into discomfort for individuals with ADHD.
- Kristen emphasizes the need to acknowledge and savor accomplishments to build confidence and motivation.
- Kristen reflects on her academic journey, noting that she often struggled to celebrate accomplishments and instead focused on what was next.
- Kristen discusses the challenges of getting an ADHD diagnosis, including the lack of standardization and the potential for misdiagnosis.
